Whoop Dee Doo at Windmuller Park

They’re building the sets right now! They’re cooking up all kinds of wild activities! PARADE, a new public art program in Queens led by Paddy Johnson and Nancy Kleaver, will present the artist collective “Whoop Dee Doo” at Windmuller Park. Whoop Dee Doo works with local community groups to create wacky, weird, wonderful live variety shows across the country. This latest edition will take place on August 31st. It’s free and open to the public and you’re invited. The show will celebrate the diverse cultures and activities of the people who use the park.

There will be outlandish pop-culture inspired characters, artmaking, performances, and surprises. So many arts and cultural groups are working on their own acts and collaborating on new pieces they’ll debut at the show. Look for Tibetan Community Center of NY & NJ, Woodside Dance Troupe, Bula Arts & Culture, Queens Music Academy, D.A. Sokol Gymnastics, Los Herederos, and The Columbian Dance Company of New York for starters.

We’re expecting a truly unique show that captures the beauty and character of the Woodside community.

PARADE and Whoop Dee Doo worked together to recruit an ensemble of Queens teens to work alongside Whoop Dee Doo artists to shape the structure of the show, create original dialogue, movement, visual art, and soundscapes, perform and work backstage. The project will be a cross-disciplinary, and crazy-creative process that’s like nothing you’ve seen before! (The teamwork, problem-solving and leadership skills they’re gaining will serve them well and this will look good on their college applications.)

Paddy says, “I fully anticipate a show that puts forth the craziest version of Woodside we’ve ever seen. I don’t know what that means, exactly, but I imagine it will involve a lot of cardboard, paper mache, and laughter.”

We share the hope that the diverse yet often isolated populations in this neighborhood of over 45,000 people will meet and connect through the artmaking and performance.

(Fun Fact: Every dollar of Awesome Without Borders money came from someone who grew up in Woodside and fondly remembers the June Walk as the most exciting community event.)

Follow along with PARADE on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.