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Learn more: https://traf.trustarts.org/events/7267

Squonk’s Joy Machine will be fueled by the energy of the audience. The central idea is simple and radical: that joy is not something to be consumed, but something we build together. Joy Machine transforms the public space into a kinetic, musical playground where the performance only comes alive through collective action. The audience is not an add-on to the work—they are its engine. For the first time, Squonk will invite the audience onstage into our world of the imagination. The experience is designed to be fluid and open-ended: some may simply watch, some may jump in, hands on, while others take center stage. Each show will be unique, shaped by those who take part. Agency and play are central to the design. During the performance, large-scale visual and musical elements are assembled, activated, and animated by the audience. A monumental street puppet is built in real time, then brought to life through hand cranks and levers operated by many hands at once. A drum wall emerges that allows viewers to become musicians, facing out to their friends and families, for encouragement, and accolades, while propelling the rhythm of community, in visceral celebration. Whirling acrobatic puppets are powered by folks heaving ropes from the “house.” In the finale, we will encourage everyone to take turns paddling giant wings, wheeling and fluttering in unison, many people powering one flight of joy.  At its heart, Joy Machine is about connection—people coming together in the public space to build something playful, meaningful, and surprising. This impulse is timeless, but it feels especially vital now, as opportunities for shared, unmediated experiences grow increasingly rare. Joy Machine invites audiences to step out of passive roles and into a collective act of making, reminding us that joy is not something we receive alone, but something we generate together.  

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