This Brattelboro festival will highlight a physically progressive approach to watching performance when it takes audiences on a unique evening tour this weekend. The Vermont Performance Lab (VPL) will showcase the work of three emerging choreographers in an art tour that, literally, moves the audience.

The Progressive Performance Festival will feature three premieres: “Theater in the Head” by Adele Myers;  “Significant Figures” by Candice Salyers; and “The Thank-You Bar” by Emily Johnson. The event invites audience members to become an active part of the performance experience by visiting three performance sites in one night. The goal is to create a non-traditional performance experience that brings artists and audiences together in a new way.

Each night, audiences of 70 will gather at the Blue Moose Café for conversation, food, and refreshments. The group will then travel by bus to three performance sites at various venues in Brattleboro.

Musical duet BLACKFISH, who perform live with Johnson in her piece “The Thank-You Bar”, will host a late-night concert on the closing night of the festival. Admission can be paid at the door or by purchasing a VIP add-on with the Festival ticket, which also includes reserve seating at the dance performances.

Festival tickets can be purchased in person at the Blue Moose Store + Café and on-line at brownpapertickets.com. More information about the Progressive Performance Festival, including tickets options and prices, is available at vermontperformancelab.com.

Progressive Performance Festival Information:
WHEN: Thursday, June 2; Friday, June 3; Saturday, June 4, 2011. 6:15-10:15PM, nightly
WHERE: various venues in downtown Brattleboro, starting at the Blue Moose Store + Café, 29 High Street, Brattleboro
WHAT: Join Vermont Performance Lab for a unique festival featuring new work by three emerging choreographers and musicians, whose works bridge, stretch, and deepen the definition of contemporary performance. Ignite your imagination and experience performance in a new way. Each night audiences of 70 will gather at the Blue Moose Cafe to pick up tickets and chat over tapas and refreshments, before traveling by bus to three performance sites around Brattleboro. More info at www.vermontperformancelab.com

ABOUT VERMONT PERFORMANCE LAB:
The Lab Program is at the heart of Vermont Performance Lab’s (VPL) mission to support the creation and development of new work by contemporary performing artists. Each year VPL selects three to four artists to participate in the Lab Program – a creative residency where artists have access to various kinds of creative space in a small rural Vermont community. In this retreat-like setting, artists can concentrate on research and experimentation and test performance ideas with small audiences. VPL often partners with local organizations to host such residencies and create meaningful connections between artists and communities.