I wake up Friday morning to find my closet barren....and on a night such as this!??! Bobby and I head to the thrift store with a tall order. A step back in time, to the 1920's, to the world of Dada, for a Valentine's BrouHaha. A decadent night of oddity, intrigue, and glamour; with all funds raised in support of Happenstance Theater, a beloved treasure of the DC arts community. What a night!

Held at the home of artistic directors, Mark Jaster and Sabrina Mandell, the cottage is tucked in the woods of Rock Creek Park. It feels quite far from the din of D.C.'s hectic streets, an artist's getaway...somewhere between Pennsylvania Ave and Provence. You can feel the energy of the work flowing through the walls, years of creation and celebration. Every room is a new discovery. Once I saw the cheese display, they had me.

The night's entertainment seemed endless. Site-specific displays of performance art, poetry, and puppetry appear around every turn. Bedrooms transformed into stages. Audience members devouring delicious homemade hors d'oeuvres while tapping a toe to the musical stylings of 1920's duo, Doug Bowles and Alex Hassan. In the corner, Happenstance company member, Alex Vernon snips silhouettes wearing a paper bag suit jacket. Oh...and Vernon's mustache hair was up for grabs as a coveted silent auction item.

Talent oozed like the berries in the Dada punch. The whimsy and mystery of these creative installations was captivating. Emma Jaster's piece "The Attic" had audiences soaring with the flight of a washboard in silk underpants...

After a quick set change, Rachel Hynes takes the stage (AKA Jaster and Mandell's bed frame) to entice us with performance poetry not to be forgotten. Somewhere between the newspaper trashbag dress and a pomegranate seed love poem I nearly snarfed my punch.

Up the staircase you pass bathrooms with puppets hanging on the wall, a case of books to get lost in, images of great performers and good friends....and into the second performance space. The cozy room welcomes its audience members to "The Death Show" observing the relationship between a woman and her skeleton, played exquisitely by company member, Sarah Olmsted Thomas...and a rather frightened Emma Jaster.

As the night burns on, Leslie McConnaughey gets up close and personal with wax art by sweet candlelight.

With everything in good order, hosts Mark and Sabrina gather their people for a huzzah and thank you for the hard work of the entire Happenstance production team. Gracing us all with a lovely diddy on musical saw and ukelele the two enjoy a well-deserved kiss before announcing dessert and coffee!

           And, of course,  DANCING!

Job well done...

~ story by: Kolleen Kintz    photos by: Bobby Kintz

Check out Happenstance Theater Company and their upcoming performance, "VANITAS"

See the whole album here!