Tag Archives: barnstorm

Re-Imagined Cabaret For $5 at Belltown’s Barnstorm

One of the most startling things about Barnstorm, as you walk around the capacious interior, taking in the two stages, multiple art installations, bar (see menu below), couches, café tables, and lighting rigs, is that it all comes down after May 7. (The thought, not yet a deed, is to aim for quarterly reappearances.)

A pop-up cabaret in an unused retail space in Belltown–across from the Bed, Bath & Beyond on Third Avenue–Barnstorm opened last night, leaving just two more nights (May 6 and 7) to experience it. Doors open at 6 p.m. and it closes at 2 a.m.–for $5 you can spend the whole evening there, taking in the work of the 20 artists who are involved.

“From kabuki theatre to tango to sculpture to puppetry, Barnstorm is equal parts artist salon, speakeasy, cabaret and ’60s happening,” says the press release. Short performances are meant to welcome the casual drop-in: something will likely be going on, and if not, it will be starting in a few minutes. Erica Atnip and Jenna Bean Veatch dancing a tango, Memory War Theatre exploring hybrid identity, Tunisian-American artist Rajaa Gharbi presenting her paintings and poetry….and much, much more.

“We wanted to create a space for artists whose work did not fit into contemporary galleries and performance venues,” one of the instigators, Josh Windsor, wrote me. Three production companies have joined forces for Barnstorm: Rainy Night Productions, The Heroes, and quiet productions. A committee (with Joey Veltkamp, Jane Kaplan, and Charlie Rathbun, among others) winnowed 52 artist applicants to 20.

The Barnstorm bar
Mainstage
The smaller side stage
Get in touch with your mortality at Jessie Wilson's "Ars Moriendi"
The Barnstorm menu