DESCRIPTION

Many voices, one song. A brouhaha!

Brouhaha is an immersive outdoor spectacle bursting with rollicking music, dazzling imagery, and the thrill of audience participation. At the center of this riotous romp is the Squonkcordion, an enormous musical instrument powered by behemoth bellows topped with towering tuba bells. At the peak of the performance, Squonk invites the audience to play this foghorn organ, welcoming them to experience the joy of a brass band and the fireworks of community. They don't have to be musicians, but by the end of the show, we will all embrace the joy of making sounds—and the risk and camaraderie that entails.

Throughout this visual extravaganza, Squonk’s musicians add driving rhythms, vibrant keyboards, wild winds, and hypnotic guitar riffs to the Squonkcordion’s rich and brassy sound. A raucous fusion of styles, Squonk’s music ranges from propulsive and exhilarating to celebratory and majestic.

The show ends with a 30-foot head made of brilliantly colored banners, comically blinking its eyes and shooting smoke out of its ears. 

Raw, loud, feel it in your body, see it in your neighbor's face in the bright sunshine: many voices, one song.

Join the brouhaha!

Commissioned by ArtPrize in Grand Rapids, MI.

Created in 2023.

Videos

Performances

Upcoming Dates

November 15-17, 2024
Waco Cultural Arts Fest
Waco, TX
Performances at 4:30 p.m. on November 15; 12:30, 2:30 and 4:30 p.m. on November 16; and 1 and 3 p.m. on November 17

Touring History

Chalk the Block
El Paso, TX

Wellin Hall/Schambach Center for Music and the Performing Arts
Hamilton College
Clinton, NY

ARTSwego at SUNY Oswego
Oswego, NY

Beakerhead
Calgary, Canada

Supercrawl
Hamilton, Canada

Krannert Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Illinois
Urbana, IL

Elgin Community College Arts Center
Elgin, IL

Des Moines Performing Arts Center
Des Moines, IA

Chautauqua Institution
Chautauqua, NY

Point State Park
Pittsburgh, PA

Boom on the Bridge
Bridgewater, PA

Penn State
New Kensington, PA

Artsplosure
Raleigh, North Carolina

Koger Center for the Arts
Columbia, South Carolina

Artisphere
Greenville, South Carolina

COSI Science Festival
Columbus, Ohio

Monster Mash Bash and Coroner’s Aud Ball Halloween Party
Colorado Springs, CO

ArtPrize
Grand Rapids, MI

Kickoff and Rib Festival
Pittsburgh, PA

Photos

Downloads

For downloadable publicity photos, contact Jackie Dempsey

Basic Tech Info

Self-contained with our own staging, sound, run crew, & backline
Requiring approximately 45’ x 45’ footprint with 30’ of overhead clearance, & required power
Multiple half-hour shows & backstage tours/workshops are possible each day

ARTISTS

ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Steve O’Hearn & Jackie Dempsey

BAND
Keyboards & Accordion
Jackie Dempsey

Guitar
David Wallace

Bass
Tony Thomas

Drums
Charlie Kiesling

Bagpipes, Sax, & Flute
Steve O’Hearn

SPECTACLE PUPPETEERS
D.T. Burns
Kadey Donitzen
Corey Grau
Lindsay Herring
Steve Holliday
Mia Taylor
Forrest Trimble
Brandon Walker

PRODUCTION TEAM
Music
Jackie Dempsey with her Squonkers

Design
Steve O’Hearn

Stage Direction & Creative Consultation
Rick Kemp

Technical Direction
Todd Nonn

Assistant Technical Direction
Forrest Trimble
Mia Taylor

Show Development
Steve O’Hearn
Jackie Dempsey
David Wallace
Todd Nonn

Graphic Design & Painting
Chris Letzelter
David Wallace

Costume Design
Derek St. Pierre

Stage & Company Management
Caroline Babik

Touring Technical Direction
Forrest Trimble
Mia Taylor

Build & Fabrication
D.T. Burns
Steve Holliday
Chris Letzelter
Demmler Schenck
Dan St. Pierre
Venise St. Pierre
Mia Taylor
Tony Thomas
Brandon Walker

Bellows Electronics
Jeppe Rasmussen, KontinuumLAB

Audio Operations Management
Brandon Walker

Sound
Mike Gruber
George Powell
Warren Pryde
Brandon Walker

VIDEO TEAM
Director of Photography / Producer
Luke Geissbühler

Editor
Drew Kaufman

Audio Mix
Warren Pryde

Camera Operator
Leo Gallagher

Camera Assistant
Max Geissbühler

Behind the Scenes Video
David Wallace

Steve and Jackie would like to acknowledge everyone involved in this production for their creative contributions, especially the Squonk musicians for adding their own individual flavor to the music, and the designers, builders, and technicians who added detail and richness to the production.