DESCRIPTION
Joy is a machine. Let's power it up together!
Reimagining the boisterous art of play and music making, Squonk delivers its most immersive outdoor spectacle yet, shown here in concept models.
Premiering in 2026 with The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Joy Machine will debut at the grand opening of Arts Landing as part of the Three Rivers Arts Festival. This large-scale music spectacle will transform the public space, inviting audiences to power the performance with their energy – activating this playground of immersive sculptures, fanciful instruments, and kinetic machines alongside Squonk’s raucous live band. It will be both a celebration and an invitation: a shared act of creation, joy, and civic engagement.
In the show’s finale, Joy takes flight, propelled by the crew of volunteers rowing huge wings, wheeling and fluttering in unison, filling the civic space with collaborative and gregarious energy.
The whirling acrobats are powered by folks heaving ropes from the “house”, inviting others into an ever-changing and participatory carnival.
The Infinite Keyboard is played by running down the 20' length of piano keys.
Huge musical spheres accompany the keys, bellowing with full athleticism from the Squonkers, to make beautiful, boisterous music.
The Clanky Wall is more than 20' of global drums, with an overhead rack of surreal percussion instruments.
For the first time, Squonk will invite the audience onstage into their world of the imagination. The experience is designed to be fluid and participatory, offering different levels of engagement - some may simply watch, others might help set things in motion, and a few may step into leading roles. Each show will be dynamic and different and authentically co-created!
The audience will be invited to join in by a parade drum on the ground, facing all their friends to deliver the most immersive and exhilarating rhythm section that a band has ever had.
The Joy Machine’s limbs and features bob and spin, activated by volunteers using hand cranks and levers.
“I don’t know if there’s another company quite like them in the United States that does these outdoor shows that work for parades or multisensory environments outside in such a dynamic way. Basically, when you work outside in a public space, you’re accessible to everyone. And so that sort of inclusiveness of their work is really exciting.
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At its heart, Joy Machine is about connection—people coming together in the public space to build something playful, meaningful, and surprising.
For more than 30 years, Squonk has created whimsical spectacles by fusing fantastical visual design, playful staging, and high-energy original music. Squonk’s productions have taken the group to three continents, Lincoln Center and The Kennedy Center, on and Off-Broadway, and to 37 of the United States. Built in Pittsburgh by Pittsburghers, Joy Machine will tour nationally following the premiere.
A large-scale puppet is assembled by the audience, animating street life with interactive public art even between shows.
