6th Annual Moisture Festival Kicks Off 3/11 At ACT Until 4/5

Revving up for its biggest festival to date, the 6th Annual Moisture Festival kicks off March 11 at ACT, continues at Hales Palladium until April 5, and invites SIFF to join in the boisterous revelry midway through the festival. For the first time ever, the Moisture Festival is collaborating with SIFF to co-present an assortment of Comedy/Varietè/Vaudeville/Burlesque-inspired films. All films in the series will be screened at the state-of-the-art SIFF Cinema and each one is preceded by a live Moisture Festival Varietè performer. Tickets are available at www.siff.net/cinema/index.aspx. Films in the SIFF series include:

March 20: Gypsy - the story of infamous burlesque star, Gypsy Rose Lee

March 21: Wings of Desire - one of Time Magazine's top 100 movies of all time

March 22 Double Feature: Zou Zou and Princess Tam Tam - both star Josephine Baker

March 23: The Blue Angel - the film that catapulted Marlene Dietrich to fame

March 24: Funny Bones - a unique and hilarious look at life as a comedian

March 25: Playtime - directed by, and starring, French legend Jacques Tati

The family friendly all ages Varietè shows presented by The Central Heating Lab at ACT are: March 11, 13, and 14 at 7:30 p.m.; March 14 at 2:00 p.m. and March 15 at 5:30 p.m. Tickets to the Varietè shows are $10-$20. The adult only (18+) Libertease Burlesque shows are: March 12, 13, 14 at 10:30 p.m.; March 12 at 7:30 p.m. and March 15 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets to the burlesque shows are $15-$25. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.acttheatre.org or call ACT's Ticket Office at (206) 292-7676.

The Moisture Festival continues March 19-April 5 at Hale's Palladium in Fremont/Ballard. These Comedy/Varietè shows are $7.50-$20, and tickets are available now at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Updated featured artists include:

Top Varietè performers:

Avner the Eccentric - Clown Hall of Fame, co-starred with M. Douglas, K. Turner, D.DeVito in Jewel of the Nile

Tom Noddy's Bubble Magic - Appeared on the Tonight Show and David Letterman

Frank Olivier - Juggler/Comedian appeared on The Tonight Show, Comic Strip Live, PBS, HBO, BBC, Disney

NANDA - High-energy dance, kung-fu acro fighting, juggling, sonic soundscape, comedy-a tidal wave of talent.

The Bobs - Top a capella singing group

Amanda Crockett - Clown and aerialist performed with La Bauta in Venice Italy, Shanghai's Oriental Arts Center, Moscow International Circus, Cirque Voila, the Edinburgh Festival, and Tasmanian National Circus Festival.

Aerialists:

The Aerialistas - Seattle's premiere all girl aerial gang

Eric Newton - Formerly with Cirque de Soleil

Tamara the Trapeze Lady - Star of Columbia City Cabaret

Richochet - Aerial duo, Santa Fe, New Mexico

Sally Pepper - Seattle star of the rope swing, Circus Contraption

The Velone Sisters - Magnificent duo from UMO & Du Caniveaux

Jane Osborne - London, founding member of Viva Aerial Dance, UK

Terry Crane - Arrives fresh off a tour with Circus Starlight in Switzerland.

Burlesque:

Trixie Little and the Evil Hate Monkey - Award-winning, acrobatic burlesque superduo. Making fun sexy, and sexy fun since 2002.

Miss Indigo Blue - Star of the film A Wink and A Smile. Sexy, funny, irreverent, and ingeniously clever, she flirts with the edgy, exotic, and erotic fringes of burlesque

Miss Lily Verlaine - A a super star of Seattle burlesque. She is also the director and producer of the Spectacle Of Ecdysiastic Pageantry and Land Of The Sweets, The Burlesque Nutcracker

The Shanghai Pearl - This tempestuous temple of temptation infuses traditional bump and grind with her signature Shanghai sweetness.

Inga Ingénue - An international burlesque star. Honored to compete for the title of Miss Exotic World at the 2008 Burlesque Hall of Fame Competition in Las Vegas.

Plus: Baby Gramps, Bellini Twins, Daniel Forlano, Dr Calamari & Acrophelia, Flaming Idiots, Foolz, Fyodor Karamazov, Godfrey Daniels, Hilary Chaplain, Hokum W. Jeebs, Jim Page, Lelavision, Los Magnificos!, Mud Bay Jugglers, The Peculiärs, Reid Belstock, Rob Williams, Smerdyakov Karamazov

Varietè Shows

The beauty of an exciting Comedy/Varietè show is that each act is given eight to 12 minutes to capture the audience with their skill, humor, and daring - be it aerial, acrobatics, clowning, rope tricks, sketch comedy, juggling, dancing, singing, magic, puppetry, or astonishing bubbles. The pace is quick. The Master of Ceremonies orchestrates the constant action and the live show band provides an underlying pulse that propels the hour and a half show. People from all walks of life and from all age groups laugh together, appreciating a wide range of the weird and wonderful acts on stage. A true camaraderie exists among these artists who are rarely in the same town at the same time. There is great joy in performing for each other and mingling with northwest artists and Seattle audiences benefit from the fun. The Varietè shows are for all-ages, with the exception of the 10:30 pm Late Night Varietè (21+).

Burlesque Shows (18+)

There was a time in America when Burlesque artists and Varietè artists shared the stage. At some point the vaudeville theaters decided to make their shows "more respectable" and so began the great divide. The producers of The Moisture Festival made their own decision to bring Varietè and Burlesque back together on stage - knowing that Seattle audiences would love the combination and that the artists would appreciate the collaboration. The Burlesque scene in Seattle is ripe with creativity. These local performers relish the edge and fearlessly explore sexual humor. Their talent is renowned and they are represented all across the country. They consistently have garnered a top spot in the Las Vegas Miss Exotic World Pageant. Combine these Burlesque stars with the Varietè artists, whose material and humor not only cross the line but mock the idea that there is a line, and you have The Moisture Festival's Libertease Burlesque Shows. If you are 18 years or older, buy a ticket and fasten your seat belt.