Yes, finally, after two years of waiting impatiently for a show in Bushwick that features a “human chandelier,” the brand new (and not quite finished) House Of Yes is having an open house this Saturday, June 6, from 6 to 8 p.m.!
Just in time for Bushwick Open Studios, the new venue at 2 Wyckoff Ave/408 Jefferson St (right next to Cobra Club) will be putting together a small variety show that owner/creator/producer Kae Burke promises will feature “just enough of a little bit of everything,” including a performance by the art group Pendulum.
Here is a sneak peak of the sneak peek of what is sure to be another staple venue right off the Jefferson L stop come this Fall.
The new incarnation of the famous underground venue, which used to operate a few blocks away from Pumps in East Williamsburg, is a complex of three spaces which together can hold up to 424 people: a restaurant, a show/dance venue and a falafel window. (Yay falafel!)
The restaurant portion has an “art-deco/vintage future theme” and diamond shaped mirrors cover much of the walls, which are painted gold and make the room feel like the set from The Shining. The bathrooms feature even more mosaic-style mirrors, as well as severed body parts (from manikins) that have been arranged in a Vishnu-esque fashion. A full sized fake crocodile rests on in the corner… for now.
The restaurant menu will be in the Mediterranean fusion style with “a Bushwick twist.” The bar will have an eclectic list of boozy business, “we are definitely going to have top shelf, classy, homemade, muddled-berry, creative cocktails- but who doesn’t love a beer and a shot special?”
Through two heavy doors that can be closed for shows, the stage portion of the new House Of Yes sports its own lengthy bar and brand new stage equipment. The latter is built high enough for serious aerial performances and will be made fireproof so shows featuring open flames will also be permitted. The newly elevated ceiling- rebuilt to allow the aerial shows- gives the room a cavernous, warehouse-y feel that is designed to host any type of an event that owners Anya Sapozhnikova and Burke can come up with.
Sapozhnikova and Burke are also the producers behind The Lady Circus, a troupe based in New York that has traveled around the country and the world. The two producers have been cutting their chops in the nightlife and “burner” scene in New York City since 2005, after moving from Rochester, their hometown. So their imaginations are sure to come up with some wild stuff for us to see this October, which is the planned opening date.
But risqué circus performances aren’t the only thing that the House of Yes will be offering. The new space will also be hosting family-friendly and kids events: “We want to have shows that are for our neighbors- not (just) for the new kids on the block. The people that have been holding down the neighborhood for decades,” says Burke, who wanted to do kid-friendly material at the old venue in Williamsburg, but found that being on the edge of Brooklyn near a strip club was not very conducive to that goal.
This should be no discouragement for the folks who remember the original House Of Yes for its irreverent, raunchy and adult themed faire brought to life by the underground scene–there will still be plenty of that.
The main objective of this space is that it can be used for practically anything, and Burke hopes that it will attract crowds both old and new, “Anybody who is attracted to entertainment, expression, circus variety, and craziness. Anybody who likes to dance. That’s our crowd.”
If any of that even mildly matches your description, you should consider showing up to 2 Wyckoff Ave this weekend to further raise the roof (because these bomb ladies already did). Be advised: because this is not the official opening, only non-alcoholic beverages can (legally) be served. But it’s not like there is a shortage of bars nearby!
The program:
SATURDAY: June 6th
3:30-4pm: NOVA ZEF & Pendulum Visual Art
(love & live magical music and crazy costumes and crazy dancing)
4:30pm: PARADE through the BLOCK PARTY
(follow us as we storm the street party on Troutman Street , lead by the one and only Sunny Side Social Club)
6pm-8pm: HOUSE OF YES Aerial & Variety Show
The best of the best of the best.
A showcase of the finest aerialists and performers in this city.
Desert Sin, The Love Show, Peter Daniel Strauss, Kae Burke, Anya Sapozhnikova and Sarah Sadie Newett, Rob Roth and MORE!
SUNDAY: June 7th
3:30pm: EMERGING AERIALIST SHOWCASE
New aerialists revealing some fresh performances! Family Friendly! Bring the little ones!
5:30 pm Live Set by KATRINA featuring Rob Mastrianni
More:
ART MARKET & OUTDOOR PARTY (Saturday & Sunday)
MaMa’s Bazaar
by Maryam Toosi and Maggie Leigh
Lunara Design
by Lunara Love
Glorka
by Zhenya Glorka
Diana Bauer Designs
by Diana Bauer & Company
DJ Jay Nice (oustide)ART WORKS & INSTALLATIONS
(curated by Eric Schmalenberger)
Muffinhead
Adriano Moraes
Guler Ugur
Darrell Thorne
Amy Van Doran
Claywoman (Michael Cavadias)
Eric Coolidge
Bambi the Mermaid
Wonderpuss Octopus
Sarah Moran
Kimba-Ji
& MORE!