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1982 - Birth of the Band
The earliest performances of Bond Street Theatre were al fresco: political-social street theatre with larger-than-life characters and live music. The actors moved fluidly from playing on stage to playing in the band -- everyone played an instrument at some level of expertise -- bona fide musical theatre for the streets. To gather a crowd, we would parade around the park as our characters and, being a physical theatre group, at least one character was on stilts (not shown here). We couldn't help but notice that the stilted character got the most attention. Soon we all were on stilts. |
1987 - The Band gets a name!
As the Band improved, and the company all learned the magic of stilt-walking, the Band began to devise its own show, with formations, dance moves, comic bits, and a full repertoire of tunes. Why Shinbone Alley Stilt Band? Next to our home base on Bond Street in lower Manhattan is a classic alley -- the site of many a film shoot. Shinbone Alley! We figured the alley was an offshoot of Bond Street, so the Band would be Shinbone Alley Band, an offshoot of Bond Street Theatre. In 1987, the Band made its debut at the Tulip Festival in Sasebo, Japan. |
1996 - The Band marches on...
Since then, the Shinbone Alley Stilt Band has performed in many festivals and events around the world, sometimes with Bond Street Theatre, and sometimes on its own. The Band also changed its personnel from professional actors who play an instrument to professional musicians who walk on stilts. It's far easier to learn stilt-walking than learning the trumpet, for example. So now the Band not only looks amazing, but also sounds amazing. Our repertoire is Dixieland, Swing, Jazz, Rock and Roll and more, and the comedy remains! |
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Bond Street Theatre is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 corporation and an NGO in association with the UN-DPI.
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