- #Concert or Performance
- #Music/Arts
- #Performance
As cultural institutions, entertainment venues, and meeting places shut down across Chicago, it's now necessary that we isolate ourselves from our friends, family, and neighbors for the safety of all.
However, we didn't want to see live, in-person performances completely disappear during these dark times, as we feel it's a vital way in which people express themselves, feed their souls, and connect with each other. (Also, we are working artists whose livelihoods have been wiped out by the pandemic.)
The show must go on. If you can't attend a performance right now, we'll bring a performance to you.
Bards in Your Yard will travel to your home to serenade you, at much more than the safely mandated distance, with a short set of stories and music outside of your courtyard window, on the sidewalk in front of your house, or to from the alley below your porch or balcony.
The New Normal is a recently formed duo consisting of a professional storyteller Scott Whitehair and touring musician Joanna Vassilatos. At our shows, you may hear a hilarious personal story, a classic folk or fairy tale, a historical piece, or a ghost story. You are welcome to sing along with everything from Bon Jovi to Billy Ocean to original compositions. (We take requests to the best of our ability, and offer kid-focused sets as well.)
1) Purchase your show by completing registration below.
2) We will be in touch via email on the same day to schedule a performance for you. We will ask for windows of time on three different days and some details about your location. After we receive this information from you, we will confirm your time and date.
3) On the day of your show, we will text to let you know that we are on the way so that you can get ready. We will text again when we arrive to let you know the show is starting.
To book through Venmo or Paypal instead, email us at bardsinyouryard@gmail.com
(Also email if you are outside of the city and would like to book us.)
For More Information, please visit our website here.
Further details ...
- We will not even come close to entering your structure or living space, nor will we touch anything on site. We'll stay far outside of the recommended social distancing mandate. For our own safety, we'll be going nowhere but from our homes to the car, and then to a safe distance from your door or window. For gas stops, we'll pay at the pump and use disposable rubber gloves. For the record, we are both currently healthy, but would cease all activities immediately if we were to become symptomatic.
- We're performing in public, so we won't say or play anything that would be inappropriate for that space. If you'd like a performance geared towards the younger crowd, let us know. We offer that!
- We don't want to bother your neighbors, and will perform just loud enough for you to hear. Hopefully, they'd be delighted by an unexpected moment of levity, or at least patient for 15-20 minutes while you enjoy your show.
THE NEW NORMAL is ...
SCOTT WHITEHAIR is an international storyteller, producer, and teacher. He has told stories anywhere somebody will listen, including The National Storytelling Festival (Exchange Place), Steppenwolf Theater, Second City, The Green Mill, as a multiple Moth Slam winner, and for NPR, The Risk Podcast, Sirius XM, and more. Scott is the producer of This Much Is True, the city's longest running monthly personal narrative series, creator of Story Lab Chicago, which has put 650+ new and first time tellers on stage since 2011, and founder of Do Not Submit, a citywide network of storytelling open mics. He has taught a week long course at All Hallows College in Dublin, Ireland, and was the featured instructor at Hong Kong Story Worthy Week 2014, headlined by David Sedaris.
JOANNA VASSILATOS, born and raised in Chicago, started playing music at the ripe old age of 8. A violinist at first, Joanna picked up the guitar 7 years later to learn Metallica's The Unforgiven and never looked back. At the age of 16 she started playing the drums and after moving to Los Angeles in 2000, Joanna played and toured in an all female rock band called Radio Vago. The band toured the US numerous times as well as Europe opening for such acts as The Mars Volta, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Breeders and more. Following the end of Radio Vago, Joanna founded and sang in the LA based Def Leppard tribute band, Rock Till You Drop. She has taught at School of Rock, worked with prolific songwriter Diane Warren, and was formerly employed by The GRAMMY Foundation.
Speakers
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