The Carpetbag Brigade

The Mission of The Carpetbag Brigade is to increase the quality, scope and impact of live performance culture through performer training, community outreach and aesthetic presentation. By utilizing performance art and its pedagogy as a tool to transcend language, class, and genetic heritage we seek to create bridges of understanding by sharing our craft locally and globally in diverse urban and rural settings.

Carpetbag Brigade uses the power of spectacle based drama through acrobatic stilts to create their unique expressive vocabulary. With this vocabulary we have created repertory works that tour internationally (Mudfire, The Vanishing Point, Callings), we have empowered communities through residency performance projects (The Open Society Project) and we have developed cross-cultural collaborations (Dios de la Adrenalina with Nemcatacoa Teatro of Bogota, Colombia and The Robes of St. Anne with Circus Stella from Moncton, New Brunswick). Additionally we host an annual pedagogical event at Arcosanti in Arizona entitled Global Stilt Congress that invites accomplished stilt masters to teach students from all over the world.

Testimonials

"Carpetbag Brigade took the stiltwalking to an awesome higher level." -New York Times

"The Carpetbag Brigade's movements were sensual, fluid, dream-like and balletic, made all the more so by the long 'legs' and pointed 'toes' of the stilts." -Summer Stage, NYC

"By mixing the social mission of theater with high quality performance, The Carpetbag Brigade brings cutting edge, original work to audiences of all ages, backgrounds, and locales." -Ukiah Daily Journal - Carole Brodsky