Daily Inspiration: Meet Wolfe Bowart

Today we’d like to introduce you to Wolfe Bowart.

Hi Wolfe, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
As a child, I was a magician; I had a top hat and a magic wand. I put on shows and charged a coin – any coin – because, at that age, coins were utilitarian. Quarters were good to do the French drop (a magic move I practiced), a nickel was the ideal coin to roll along the knuckles – but a half dollar was too difficult for little hands to palm. Later, I discovered circus skills and learned to unicycle among cacti on sandy desert trails. Later, I made zany Super 8 movies and mastered juggling five balls, knives, and torches. University took me to Seattle, Washington, where I learned to sword fight, move like an Elizabethan courtier, and explore my vocal range in the rain. Since then, I’ve toured my physical theater shows to 25 countries, taught workshops in the outback, performed in castles, ice cellars, and theater royals, and busked in medieval town squares. It’s been fun.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The type of physical theater that I’ve made a career of takes years of practice. Sleight of hand, juggling, and circus skills take years of practice. Comic timing, comic rhythm, double takes, and pratfalls take years of practice. So there are struggles. There are injuries, props, and stage sets that don’t arrive on time in foreign cities, endless travel, loading, and unloading, but in the end, these are all minor struggles. Tiny violins.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a visual theater creator, director, and performer. I create theater incorporating physical comedy, magic, acrobatics, multimedia, hand shadows, and dance. My pieces are full-length theater productions that tell a story without dialogue. They’re primarily funny and infused with wonder and magical realism. Currently, we’re performing The WoBo Show in Tucson and LaLaLuna in the Park in Tempe. The Scoundrel and Scamp Theatre are producing both of these shows.

In the WoBo Show, I work with Xochitl Martinez, a young artist who is a joy to work with. She has a great stage presence and is eager to learn some of my more difficult tricks. She might say, “Fall into a garbage can so that just my feet stick out? I’ve never done it, but I’ll try it.” Or, “Blow up a giant balloon with a leaf blower and risk my neck climbing inside it? What could go wrong?”

I’m also very excited about YourMagicLibrary.com, a series of hour-long online workshops teaching magic and encouraging young people to use their local libraries. It’s educational and, if I do say so, quite funny. Cody Landstrom, a professional magician, and I created it for libraries, schools, and after-school programs to teach beginning and intermediate magic and encourage literacy.

Over the years, these visual theater productions are an opportunity to say something helpful and encouraging. It’s a privilege to have this platform; using your time to make a difference is important. For example, in The WoBo Show, there is a scene in which a young woman wearing a green backpack enters a fancy restaurant and sits alone. The waiter serves her a glass of motor oil, an old plastic bag, and a tin can for dinner. Because the prop garbage is made of cake-making material, they are all edible. It’s odd and funny at first, and then when she stands to leave, we see that her backpack is a turtle shell and she is a sea turtle. While the scene is comic initially, the end opens up a conversation about environmental sciences and conservation. In the WoBo Show, theatrical storytelling and circus skills combine to inspire curiosity and encourage discussion about the world around us.

What do you think about happiness?
Performing The WoBo Show, LaLaLuna in the Park, and Your Magic Library is for all ages; it brings great joy to the audiences and me great joy. It’s an incredible job that makes me happy. I don’t take it for granted one bit.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.spoontree.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/spoontreeproductions/
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/SpoonTreeProductions/
• Other: scoundrelandscamp.org/the-wobo-show

Image Credits
Tim Fuller, Rom Hope, Annika Maher