The Spiegeltent will again be the site for a rich array of performances starting June 28 (photo by Emily Sachar).
Daring. Drinks. Dancing. That triumvirate of dazzling diversions, replete with divas of assorted genders clad in sequins, stockings and slip-ons arrives in two weeks at the mirror-faceted Spiegeltent at Bard, joined by Thursday evenings of bluegrass, options for Swing dance lessons, and several fund-raising benefits for local institutions.
The tent runs programs from June 28 thru Aug. 17. And it features both returning artists like São Paulo sister musicians Choro das 3as well as new talents such as drag impresario Monét X Change and Justin Vivian Bond in a musical tour of the hippie era.
On Fridays and Saturdays, for patrons 21 and up, Spiegeltent festivities continue until 12:30 a.m. with DJ-hosted dancing and food and drink from the Spiegeltent Garden Bar. Meanwhile, some programs, like the first Aug. 11 production of the “Drag Story Hour,” are created with families in mind – including both a family-friendly afternoon event followed by an 18-and-older event in the evening.
“There is nowhere quite like the Spiegeltent,” said Caleb Hammons, who has curated the programming alone or with singer-songwriter Justin Vivian Bond since 2014. “The unique craftsmanship, glamour, and ambiance of the venue drives the programming, which is characterized by a wide variety of music and performance styles offering something for everyone.”
Drag star Monét X Change will debut June 28 with a journey through her life story (photo by Jacob Ritts).
Hammons added that the tent, one of fewer than a dozen Spiegeltents extant worldwide, motivates audiences to experiment, too. “The most adventurous and curious are encouraged to check out a new performer or genre they’re unfamiliar with,” said Hammons. “There’s no better place to be dazzled and surprised.”
Derived from a beloved 19th-century Belgian tradition, the Spiegeltent is a glittering mirrored pavilion with an interior of carved wood surfaces, a parquet floor, beveled mirrors, stained-glass windows, and sumptuous velvet canopies. Last year, Bard secured perpetual summer rental rights to its current Spiegeltent after 17 years of utilizing a variety of tents (read our story). The venue, which is raised and lowered each summer, faces the Fisher Center.
Below is the lineup for Summer 2024, with annotated descriptions from the Fisher Center at Bard.
Monét X Change
Life Be Lifin’
Friday, June 28 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, June 29 at 8 p.m.
With the ability to make audiences cry as quickly as she makes them laugh, entertainment spitfire Monét X Change makes her Spiegeltent debut with Life Be Lifin’. Known for her immaculate lip-syncing skills, comedic chops, and (mostly) pitch-perfect live singing voice, X Change gets surprisingly vulnerable in Life Be Lifin’, which takes audiences on a journey through the drag star’s adolescence, her college years studying opera performance, worldwide stardom via RuPaul’s Drag Race, and beyond. Directed by fellow standout Drag Race alum BenDeLaCreme, X Change has crafted a revealing story about the search for her inner voice, dramatic at one turn and side-splitting the next.
Larry Owens offers stand-up and music on July 5 (photo by Callum Walker Hutchinson).
Larry Owens
Larry Fights A.I.
Friday, July 5 at 8 p.m.
The “virtuosic” (New York Times) Larry Owens (Abbott Elementary, A24’s Problemista, A Strange Loop) makes his Spiegeltent debut with a brand new hour of stand-up comedy and music. In the current battle of arts and entertainment, who will win—Larry or Artificial Intelligence? Using his unique blend of characters, stand-up, and song, Owens hilariously defends human self-expression as our global birthright. This new musical comedy hour from the “best seen to be believed” (New York Magazine) Drama Desk and Obie Award winner sharply explores pop culture, the history of performance, and the future of entertainment (Featuring music production by Jen Goma).
Ari Shapiro
Thank You for Listening: An Evening of Songs and Stories
World Premiere
Saturday, July 6 at 8 p.m.
He has been named Journalist of the Year. He has sung in some of the world’s most storied venues, from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl. Now, one of America’s most recognized and beloved storytellers debuts his new cabaret solo show at the Spiegeltent. Hilarious and moving, Thank You for Listening: An Evening of Songs and Stories adapts tales from Shapiro’s best-selling memoir, The Best Strangers In the World, into an evening of stories and songs about the power of listening to forge connections. Audiences will leave feeling more hopeful about the world around them…and may never listen to All Things Considered quite the same way again. (Featuring music direction and piano/guitar accompaniment by Henry Koperski).
The São Paulo sister trio, Choro das 3, returns to the Spiegeltent on July 6 (photo by Flavor Torres).
Choro das 3
O Brasil de Jobim
Sunday, July 7 at 3 p.m.
This trio of three sisters from São Paulo, Brazil, are highly regarded as some of the best choro musicians in the world. Returning to the Spiegeltent after an enchanting performance last summer, the virtuosic family trio carries on a 100-year-old tradition known as the first Brazilian genre of popular music. Choro das 3’s appearance at the Spiegeltent is made possible with support from the Thendara Foundation.
Susanne Bartsch presents
New York, New York!
With Murray Hill, Joey Arias, Mrs. Smith, and more
Friday, July 12 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 13 at 8 p.m.
Nightlife legend Susanne Bartsch returns for a sixth season with her risque cabaret vaudeville extraordinaire, full of flavor from all walks of life. With a knockout lineup of performers, New York, New York! is a wake-up call direct from the city that never sleeps. (Note: This event contains nudity and adult content and is recommended for mature audiences only).
Susanne Bartsch will offer risque cabaret and vaudeville on July 12 and 13 (photo by Mike Ruiz).
Emcee: Murray Hill
Featuring: Joey Arias, Lola Von Rox, Kriss Von Rux, Julie Atlas Muz, Neon Calypso, Monkey, David Puck, Mrs. Smith, Opera Gaga, Leonid the Magnificent, Ann Artist, and more TBA.
Music: DJ Amber Valentine
Mali Obomsawin
Friday, July 19 at 8 p.m.
Wabanaki bassist, composer, and songwriter Mali Obomsawin’s music flies in the face of Western tropes that insist Indigenous cultures are monolithic, trapped in time. Highlighting centuries of clever adaptation and resistance in her own community, Obomsawin points toward abundant horizons for Indigenous people (Mali Obomsawin is co-presented with the Center for Indigenous Studies at Bard).
Milo Cramer and Morgan Green
School Pictures
Saturday, July 20 at 8 p.m.
Faith hates reading, Jane lost her flashcards, and Javier sees no point in studying because of climate change. This playful collection of poem songs, written and performed by Milo Cramer ’12—a former tutor—paints intimate portraits of ten NYC students fighting to get into competitive schools. Directed by fellow Bard alum Morgan Green ’12, School Pictures is a charming musical journal of keen observations that builds to a sweeping meditation on inequality, learning, parenting, and the cruelty of puberty.
Bright Light Bright Light
ENJOY UPSTATE: A Dance Party with BLBL
with Kim David Smith and more!
Friday, July 26 from 9 p.m. – 12:30 am
Championed by Cher, Elton John, and Scissor Sisters, the “completely irresistible” (Guardian) Bright Light Bright Light—Welsh Valleys-born and New York City resident Rod Thomas—returns to the Spiegeltent to lead a magical dance party with a soundtrack featuring effervescent pop tracks from his upcoming fifth studio album, Enjoy Youth. With a troupe of fabulous performers in tow, expect laughter, expect camp, expect drama, but most of all—expect to dance.
Justin Vivian Bond, formerly a co-curator of Spiegeltent, will perform songs from the 1960s and ’70s on Aug. 2 and 3 (photo by Lia Clay Miller).
Michela Marino Lerman’s Love Movement
Max 100: A Celebration of Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln
Michela Marino Lerman tap/band leader
Orlando Hernández tap
Roxanne King tap
Russell Hall bass/music director
Charenee Wade vocals
Ebban Dorsey saxophone
Jeff “Tain” Watts drums
Miki Yamanaka piano
Saturday, July 27 at 8 p.m.
Based on Max Roach and Abbey Lincoln’s seminal album, We Insist! Freedom Now Suite, Max 100 is a celebration of Max Roach on his 100th birthday and his collaboration with the incomparable Abbey Lincoln. Led by the “brilliant” (New York Times) Michela Marino Lerman, Michela’s Love Movement is an ensemble comprising some of the most creative, world-renowned tap dancers and musicians. Winner of the Hoofer and Flo-Bert Awards, Michela Marino Lerman is a globally sought-after tap dance artist, performer, choreographer, bandleader, educator, and all-around creative spirit, and the only female lifetime honorary member of the famed Copasetics. “A hurricane of rhythm,” says The Huffington Post.
Summertime Swing
with Eight to the Bar and Got2Lindy Dance Studio
Sunday, July 28
6 p.m. • Doors Open
6:30 p.m. • Dance Instruction and Lindy Hop Performance by Chester’s Cool Kats and Kittens
Through 10 p.m. • Dancing
Spiegeltent favorites and local swing impresarios Linda and Chester Freeman of Got2Lindy Dance Studios return for a night of swing dancing to the fabulous music of Eight to the Bar. Influenced by American roots music, Eight to the Bar is known for its outstanding instrumentalists and colorful mix of tunes and vocals that will have you up and swinging in no time!
Sandra Bernhard takes guests on a tour around the country in her Aug. 9 and 10 performances (photo courtesy of Bard College).
Justin Vivian Bond
Jasmine & Cigarettes
Matt Ray musical direction and keys
Nath Ann Carrera guitar
Claudia Chopek violin
Bernice “Boom Boom” Brooks drums
Mike Jackson bass
Friday, August 2 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 3 at 8 p.m.
Mx. Justin Vivian Bond returns to the Spiegeltent to perform songs of joy, sensuality, and freedom from the tumultuous decade between 1964–74. With a set list featuring music by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell, and Bob Dylan, the “immortal angel of cabaret” (Time Out New York) takes you on a transcendent musical journey through the hippie era—a time defined by the anti-war movement, the rise of feminism and queer liberation, and increasing demands for racial and social justice.
(Mx. Justin Vivian Bond’s appearance at the Spiegeltent is made possible with support from Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Amanda Joy Rubin).
Sandra Bernhard
Sandyland Live
Friday, August 9 at 8 p.m.
Saturday, August 10 at 8 p.m.
Sandy is on the road again, crossing highways and byways, reflecting on America and points far beyond. Come along on the ride, kids. Sandyland is a place to escape and visit destinations you’ve never seen before. With Sandy as your guide, a whole new world is going to open up, jam-packed with observations, witty asides, and musical explosions with the Sandyland Squad Band. Kick back and pack light. It’s going to be one hell of an adventure.
Drag Story Hour
with Angel Elektra & Shay D’Pines
Sunday, August 11
2 p.m. • All Ages
6 p.m. • Adult Only
Dazzle your imagination at the Spiegeltent with Drag Story Hour! Westchester drag divas Angel Elektra and Shay D’Pines provide an enchanting blend of storytelling, performance, and inclusivity by bringing beloved tales to life in a magical setting. In spaces like this, kids are able to see royal beings who defy rigid gender restrictions and imagine a world where everyone can be their authentic selves.
Angel Elektra and Shay D’Pines will host two captivating Drag Story Hours—one tailored for kids (2 p.m.) and another just for adults (6 p.m.).
Drag Story Hour will offer both family-friendly and adult performances on Aug. 11 (photo courtesy of Bard College).
Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East
Sunny Jain drumset, dhol
Allison Shearer saxophones, flute
Shubh Saran guitar
Almog Sharvit bass
Ben Parag vocals
Friday, August 16 at 8 p.m.
Sunny Jain’s Wild Wild East (released on Smithsonian Folkways in 2020) encompasses myriad facets of Jain’s identity both as a first-generation South Asian-American and as a global musician, from his own family’s immigration story to his eclectic musical upbringing. In recasting the immigrant—steeped in the courage to leave a familiar homeland for a new beginning—as the modern-day cowboy and cowgirl, Jain sources musical inspiration from the scores of Bollywood classics and Spaghetti Westerns, Punjabi folk traditions, jazz improvisation, and rollicking psychedelic styles.
Nona Hendryx
Lady Marmalade 50th Anniversary
Saturday, August 17 at 8 p.m.
Lady Marmalade is 50 and still struttin’ her stuff! Nona Hendryx makes her fifth appearance at the Spiegeltent, this time celebrating the semicentennial of Labelle’s #1 worldwide hit that changed the course of pop music. Outfitted in out-of-this-world costumes and singing stratospheric vocals, Nona Hendryx and the Mamafunk Band close out the summer with a funky rockin’ trip down memory lane to Labelle’s singular theatrical performances.
East Nash Grass will perform July 11 as part of the Thursday even bluegrass series at Spiegeltent (photo courtesy of the band).
Bluegrass on Hudson
Trunks, roots, and branches
Thursdays at 8 p.m.
A series celebrating the contemporary bluegrass and roots music of America, featuring the next generation of talent carrying the tradition forward for a new time. Bluegrass on Hudson is curated by Ruth Oxenberg and Rob Schumer. (Presented in association with Fourth Stream House Concerts).
For tickets to Spiegeltent, visit this link.
