CabinFever

Our Story

WHO // OUR FAMILY + YOUR FAMILY

OUR FAMILY

The CabinFever family is comprised of several talented artists in the community; dancers, singers, actors, musicians, designers, technicians and the “head of the household”, director Elana Jacobs. Our family is an ever-expanding collective, increasing as we continue to seek working with new artists in each community our work takes us. We seek to take inspiration from one another, in addition to the families and environments with which we work in.

YOUR FAMILY

An integral part of any CabinFever performance is the family who chooses to open up not only their home as a performance space in which a new and original work will be created and presented, but to share with us the history of the house, the family(s) that have inhabited it, and the permeating stories and memories that have filled it over the years. At the end of the experience a lasting, personal relationship to the artists and artistic-supporters in their community is formed through the shared experience of live performance and the untapped power it holds within the intimate setting of the home.

WHAT // THE BLUEPRINT

A CabinFever project begins with what we like to call the Blueprint meeting, where the Director and core-performance members meet with the family to get acquainted, take a tour of the home and discuss preliminary options, explore ideas and stories, and set a general timeline and to do’s for the remainder of the project leading up to the performances.

Our goal is to keep the families involvement as extensive or as limited as they dictate, while still maintaining a consistent flow of communication from both ends. Each experience is tailored to the preferences and engagement of the family, but typically most of the creative work is done outside of the home, and in the week leading up to the performances [The Residency], the company starts to rehearse and set up in the home.

WHERE // THE HOME

Every CabinFever performance takes place within a home. There are no size or location requirements, as we seek to be inspired by the “constraints” or challenges of any space which we inhabit as performers. We do seek to make sure our work can be exposed to as many individuals as possible, and for that reason we require a minimum of 3 nights of performance, with an expectation of at least 20-25 guests at each showing. The way in which we use the home – the rooms, the furniture, the electronics, etc is all up for discussion with the family during our Blueprint meeting and throughout the process. We seek to keep the lines of communication open and want the family to be entirely comfortable with the use of their home.

WHEN // THE RESIDENCY

The Residency period takes place in the week(s) leading up to the performances. After weeks or months of rehearsals, the performers are able to take their craft into the home, and create a relationship and dynamic within the space they will be performing. We also take this time to test out lights, sound and bring in any additional technical elements which have been previously discussed and agreed upon by all parties.

Family Meal

As part of a CabinFever tradition, during our residency the CabinFever collective and the family have the chance to sit down to share a meal together where we can celebrate all the hard work every individual has done to help create the show, and the many exciting discoveries, relationships, and art that has been formed over the past several weeks.

WHY // THE BRICKS & MORTAR

Elana Jacobs & Emily Sferra co-founded CabinFever with the goal of bringing communities together through sharing real stories of King County families in a setting that is relatable, personal, and intimate. Every experience is documented and serves as insight into the process for the community, while acting as a keepsake for the engaged family; a gift honoring their memories in the form of art.

CabinFever is powered by Shunpike

About Shunpike
Shunpike is the 501(c)(3) non-profit agency that provides independent arts groups in Washington State with the services, resources, and opportunities they need to forge their own paths to sustainable success.