Our Journey, Together
❊ Mission
Creating Community Through Celebration
Since 1986, California Revels has brought the unique theatrical, participatory arts-form founded by singer, author and music educator John Langstaff in Cambridge, Massachusetts, more than twenty-five years ago to the audiences of the Bay Area...
California Revels seeks to create a joyful, transcendent experience of belonging and human connection through meaningful, participatory engagement with tradition and cultural diversity, in recognition of our deep alignment with the rhythms of Nature, universally held values, and collective future.
This vision is crafted artistically, through the production of theatrical, musical, educational and social events that draw upon powerful histories, stories, rituals and traditions of diverse peoples and cultures, to reveal timeless human values and bring them into the present with renewed relevance to be shared by all.
California Revels is committed to the principles of
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Action (IDEA)
❊ Themes in Revels
Above: Revelers in the Abbots Bromley Horn Dance, one of the oldest surviving English folk traditions, first recorded in 1226 at the Barthelmy Fair in Staffordshire. It’s widely believed to be a pre-Christian fertility rite or "sympathetic magic" designed to ensure a successful hunting season. The dance was originally performed around Christmas or the Winter Solstice to mark the return of the sun. Today, it continues to be performed in Abbots Bromley every September as a 10-mile procession.
Human Experience (Larger Metaphors)
Revels calls into awareness the greater patterns of human existence by expressing them through music, poetry and ritual. We recognize the turning wheel of the year; the succession of the seasons; sowing, growth, and harvest; the experience of light in times of darkness, and darkness glimpsed in times of light; the finitude of death and the eternal hope of birth.
Below: "Straw Boys", from the mummers’ play portion of the 2024 Midwinter Revels, draws from a centuries-old Irish folk tradition of masked revelers who appear at celebrations, most famously weddings and seasonal festivals. Straw was a readily available material for rural ancestors. Wearing it was part of a "luck perambulation," intended to bring prosperity and health to the community. The use of straw costumes is believed to be linked to ancient fertility rites and harvest festivals, such as Imbolc (celebrating spring) and Samhain (marking the start of winter). Some folklore experts suggest the practice of masking with straw could date back as far as the Neolithic period (roughly 6,000 years ago) when straw was first introduced to Ireland.
Meanwhile, Mummers’ Plays have been presented in many forms in the Midwinter Revels, all with the core theme of death and resurrection, believed to stem from pre-Christian pagan rites. The ritual of a character being slain and miraculously revived symbolized the cycle of nature: the "death" of winter followed by the rebirth of spring and the return of the sun. Nevertheless, it is often one of the most rowdy and comical of any Midwinter Revels show.
Community
Revels urges understanding and celebration of diversity in an inclusive spirit, expressed through participation. We acknowledge those things that make each of us personally and culturally unique. We form a long line of dancers spiraling through the performance space – disparate souls linked for one brief, but glorious moment in an endless chain of connection, fellowship and joy. Many individuals, all different, all connected. Our message is about openness to the bounty that surrounds us, not about constant wanting.
Generations (Family)
We recognize the bonds that extend through time – backwards through generations long gone, forwards to future generations, and sideways as we embrace those dear ones living and sharing the moment with us. Our performances validate the experience of childhood and empower the young, while at the same time honoring the wisdom, gravity – and levity of age. We celebrate the wonder of growing up and growing wiser together.
Continuity (Old Wisdom)
To revel is to interact and share in the celebration of occasion; the delight of comradeship; and the awe of mystery. There is much of value in things known intuitively and passed along through many hearts and hands. These traditions are distilled into ritual and reenacted with reverence to form a powerful part of Revels celebrations and performances. Our performance is most satisfying when it is most inclusive.
Above: ritual sword dance seen in the latest 2025 Midwinter Revels as well as many that came before. In Europe, "hilt-and-point" styles are well-known, where dancers form complex geometric patterns, such as a “lock” or a “nut”. Records of these in Germany date back to at least 1350.
In Middle Eastern traditions like the Saudi Ardah, dancers rhythmically displays of swords to symbolize unity and preparation for battle.
Meanwhile, Asian variations may focus on acrobatic solo performances that emphasize grace, flexibility, and theatrical storytelling within opera or martial arts.
❊ Founding
California Revels is one of nine Revels communities across the United States. Dates of their incorporation or first Revels production are:
Cambridge Revels – 1971
Revels North – 1974
Washington DC Revels – 1983
California Revels – 1986
Revels Houston – 1990
Puget Sound Revels – 1993
Portland Revels – 1994
Rocky Mountain Revels – 2000
Santa Barbara Revels – 2007
California Revels led the expansion of Revels beyond the Northeast and helped make Revels a national community. Our relationship with the other Revels Companies is one of mutual support and encouragement. While we do not support each other financially, we meet together every year to review our Midwinter Revels productions and plan for the next year. Ideas and scripts for shows, tradition bearers and cultural research, props, costumes, and people have been freely exchanged between the companies.
Our California Revels has been an active contributor to the enrichment and diversity of the Revels ecosystem. One constant in this development has been the leadership of Paddy Swanson, Artistic Director of Cambridge Revels, whose contributions were celebrated this Midsummer.
Enjoy this fascinating interview with him, in which he reflects on the meaning of our Revels celebrations. It also contains snippets of Revels productions, including your California Revels and our own recent Artistic Director, Rene Collins.