News Release – May Revels at BlackRock SpringFest

Washington Revels Celebrates May Day at BlackRock SpringFest

For Immediate Release

Silver Spring, MD, April 15, 2019 – While taking a holiday this May Day might not be possible for most people in Montgomery County, on Sunday, May 5, Washington Revels and BlackRock Center for the Arts will invite up-county residents to celebrate the return of Spring during the first annual outdoor BlackRock SpringFest: a free afternoon of traditional music, dance and more featuring local musicians and entertainers, craft vendors, food trucks, and 100 performers from Washington Revels.

The highlight of the event will be May Revels, Washington Revels’ long-running family-friendly performance that revives Spring traditions from merry old England. Festival-goers can look forward to a boisterous, colorful parade and the arrival of two “Monarchs of the May” to preside over the spring frivolity, including traditional music, dances, and a silly “Mummers’ Play” filled with slapstick humor and bad puns galore! As with all Washington Revels activities, May Revels will include several opportunities for audience participation. Attendees will be invited to sing along on the timeless Spring song “Wild Mountain Thyme” and to try their hand at reciting all the rapid-fire lyrics to the musical memory challenge “Rattlin’ Bog.” After the performance, children from the audience can join the Revels cast in the second of two brightly colored Maypole dances.

“We are thrilled to be starting a new tradition and offering a wonderful free festival to residents and visitors alike,” said Alyona Ushe, BlackRock’s Executive Director. “Washington Revels teaming with our other creative partners is a perfect way to wave goodbye to a long, cold winter and throw our doors our open with the first SpringFest.”

Says Washington Revels Executive Director Greg Lewis, “For several years we’ve been looking for a way to share the joy of May Revels with our neighbors up-county and beyond. We’re delighted to have found a terrific partner in BlackRock Center for the Arts and we hope this festival will be the start of more collaborations together.”

Washington Revels’ appearance at BlackRock SpringFest is the culminating event of the Germantown performing arts center’s inaugural Spring festival, which will also feature Kuchipudi Dance Academy, celebrating in dance the colorful, ancient disciplines of a traditional Indian art form; Story Tapestries, weaving the power of dance, storytelling, theatre, and music together; Culkin School of Dance, whose spirited step-dance performances preserve Irish traditional music and culture; and the Maryland MacMillan United Pipe Bands bringing bagpiping at its finest.

For those closer to DC, Washington Revels will also offer a May Revels performance a day earlier, Saturday, May 4, as part of the All Hallows Guild’s annual Flower Mart on the grounds of Washington National Cathedral.

BlackRock Center for the Arts is a cultural cornerstone and the leading venue for the performing and visual arts in Upper Montgomery County Maryland. Since 2002, the nonprofit arts center has been providing the community with diverse performing arts programs, free gallery exhibitions and arts education experiences in a welcoming and intimate setting close to home. The dynamic facility houses two art galleries, two theaters presenting more than 40 performances per year, and numerous classrooms and studios where year-round classes in the arts are offered for all ages.

Founded in 1983, Washington Revels is a multi-generational performing arts community of professionals and nonprofessionals that presents traditional music, dance, storytelling, and drama in the DC area. It has held annual Spring celebrations based on English May Day traditions since 1985 and produces workshops, community events, and performances throughout the year, including The Christmas Revels at GW Lisner Auditorium each December.

Press Contact: Ross Wixon, Marketing & Development Director / rwixon@revelsdc.org / (301) 830-4402

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