REVELS
Building tradition through music, dance and drama
Revels, Inc. is a non-profit
performing arts company producing music theater, recordings and
educational materials.
Revels was founded
in 1971 by award-winning author and musician John
Langstaff to
promote the understanding and appreciation of traditional folk
music, dance and rituals from around the world. Patrick
Swanson is Revels' artistic
director, George
Emlen is music director.
Revels performances celebrate different cultures and time periods using traditional arts and seasonal rituals. Fully-staged and costumed performances are
presented by a large volunteer chorus of children and adults
drawn from the community, and a number of highly talented
professional actors, musicians, artists, directors and "bearers
of tradition" from many cultures. Audience
participation is a Revels trademark.
Revels
production companies are located nine cities across the
country: Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York City; Washington,
D.C.; Hanover, New Hampshire; Oakland, California; Houston,
Texas; Tacoma, Washington; Portland, Oregon, and Boulder,
Colorado. In addition, many smaller Revels-inspired productions
are performed in various small towns throughout the nation.
Revels offers educational
programs for children and teachers. Its
recordings, songbooks, educational materials,
and choral arrangements of the traditional music
heard in its performances are available online.
Revels, Inc. is
supported, in part, by funding received from the Massachusetts
Cultural Council, a state agency.
