A theatrical concert exploring the history of cannabis using music, dance, and spoken word grounded in the Hip Hop tradition of the remix and mashup. The team includes Grace Galu as composer/performer, Baba Israel as writer, performer, co-director, Talvin Wilks as dramaturg/co-director, and Nic Benacerraf as environment designer/associate director, in collaboration with hip hop and spoken word collective, Soul Inscribed, and an ensemble of dancers that includes members of the revolutionary Urban Bush Women, Tatiana Barber. Inspired by Martin A. Lee’s book Smoke Signals: A Social History of Marijuana, CANNABIS! A VIPER VAUDEVILLE weaves the music of icons such as Louis Armstrong and Bob Marley with the stories of grassroots activists Dennis Perron and Brownie Mary with personal narratives. From Congo Square to the speakeasies of the jazz age, from the revolutionary happenings of the ’60s to the AIDS activism of the San Francisco buyers club, our time traveling tale invokes a tradition of rebel spaces — sites of music, healing, and resistance.

Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville was originally planned to open its run during HERE and BMP’s Prototype Festival on January 7, 2022. Due to COVID, the 2022 Festival and our first performance was postponed. We are thrilled to be sharing this special work with you today!

Cannabis! A Viper Vaudeville is sponsored by the Cannabis Education and Research Institute (CERI), Dr. Bronner’s, and The Living Theatre.