BY NICOLE SKI

I remember my first Rumpus and Ruckus Revival show in December 2015 at The Oakland Metro. The host, Jamie De Wolf, dressed up as Santa Claus and Co-host, Wonder Dave, as an elf. Leaving the show, I was astonished and blown away by the performers and audience who had the courage to take the stage. Rumpus and Ruckus Revival, formally Tourettes Without Regrets, has been a home for Bay Area and worldwide underground performers to take the stage and show off all their eclectic, wild and rogue talent for over 20 years. It is the longest running variety show in The Bay Area.

Roxy Mirage and Fou Fou Ha – photo by Phillip Pavliger

DeWolf noticed early in his career, there was a need for a space for creatives like himself. Artists that didn’t fit into mainstream media or bookstore/coffee shop poetry slams. He decided to start a variety show in the Benicia/Vallejo area in 1999.

DeWolf says inspiration came from. “I wanted to create a showcase for ALL the styles of performance I loved in one night, from poetry, freestyle rap, circus, break-dancing and comedy, all spun together in one high octane mix. I also have a bizarre sense of humor, so I’d also unleash massive pranks and create wild games that’d involve the entire audience. It was just this drive to create a playground for performance that also encouraged acts that were a little ‘extra’, and you’d never ever see on television,” says DeWolf.

Jamie DeWolf during a Rumpus and Ruckus Revival performance – photo by Phillip Pavliger

Expanding The Crew at Rumpus and Ruckus Revival

With the show now reaching nearly 25 years in existence, DeWolf has a dedicated and expanding crew, some even started going to the show as an audience member and then performing at later events. In 2011, Wonder Dave, who moved to the Bay Area from Minnesota, was introduced to DeWolf through a mutual friend. Wonder Dave found himself in the audience, later competing and winning in The Dirty Haiku Battles, then becoming “Stage Stallion” a term used to encompass the performer/stage manager hybrid job he had to eventually become a Co-host.

Sade Symone – photo by Phillip Pavliger

“The Ruckus and Rumpus Revival is always hungry for new acts and new faces and return feature performers always come with a new act. We encourage new performers to hit us up, touring performers reach out as well. We always have premieres at every show of acts created just for the theme, or folks who’ve never even been on stage before. We love the rawness that comes from that.

There’s always an open element to Ruckus with sign-ups for the slam and the freestyle battle, as that’s how WE all started as performers- just being a name no one knows on the sign-up sheet and being given a stage and an audience to jump on the tightrope. We’ve had tons of audience members who became so inspired by the show, that they are creating acts and on the stage months later, so it’s a wondrous cycle,” says Dewolf.

Twitch and Wonder Dave – photo by Phillip Pavliger

Wonder Dave isn’t the only attendee turned performer.  Easy2BeNasty was selling CDs in Jack London square in 2007 and heard the noise of the crowd from the show, saw a rap battle, competed the next month and has attended ever since, including winning many battles over the years.

“The Ruckus crew are all performers ourselves. I host a gang of variety shows across the US, am a member of the circus company Vau De Vire Society and the clown collective Fou Fou Ha. Stage managers, Little Glitter Bomb is a burlesque performer, and DizzyfromEarlier does sideshow, burlesque, clown carnage, and all sorts of craziness. Our current DJ Prince Xzist is also a break-dancer and game show host. The show often reflects all of our other collaborations, which merge and become something new and special,” explains DeWolf.

Nikki Borodi and Jeremy Vik – photo by Phillip Pavliger

The show must go on: How Rumpus and Ruckus Came Back after 2020

Prior to March 2020, The Rumpus and Ruckus Revival happened every first Thursday of the month at the Oakland Metro. Due to the pandemic, The Oakland Metro had to close its physical doors. DeWolf and crew took the show to zoom, DeWolf shares, “people clearly craved the free expression and the outlet to keep their talents sharp. We were also able to pay artists who were hard hit in the pandemic, which was gratifying.” Wonder Dave says his favorite part of the zoom shows was, “I feel like we did a good job of capturing the chaotic energy of our shows. It was cool to see people who normally couldn’t come see us live tune in online.” 

Jamie DeWolf and Roxy Mirage – photo by Phillip Pavliger

Last fall, The Oakland Metro and The Rumpus and Revival Crew took the stage outdoors. One of the things that I love most about this show and the space that it creates, is the inclusivity and safety for the performers and attendees. The show opens, with what DeWolf tells me his favorite part of the show “as our strange little church ceremony kicks off with our beat-boxer Syzygy roaring my name in that Tennessee meets Tom Waits voice, and my Wu Tang of Weird crew is all behind me”

The crew pumped up and excited the audience, the crowd swings back and forth to the Rainbow Connection song sung by Kermit and then there are a few rules mentioned, one of which is “Ask For It”.  With the outdoor shows, DeWolf has reminded everyone in attendance, to respect the physical space of their neighbors, the performers, and those that remain masked and covid cautious.  As a nurse, I feel that this is one of the safest places for covid cautious people that can be entertained, support the arts and still feel safe.

Ruckus Crowd Shot – photo by Gabriel Hurley

“If you look at new studies on theater attendance, there’s a perception the world came out in throngs once Covid restrictions were lifted and the world of live performance would rally back. There certainly was a brief honeymoon period, but overall, many beloved venues have shut down. Many more are fighting for survival, and producers have noted that nothing has ‘returned’ fully to pre-pandemic levels. Our show is doing well, but overall, the arts world is still rebuilding from the devastation. Sure, big stadium acts can tour again, but your local daredevils and the venues that were a home to them are still rebuilding momentum,” says DeWolf.

Zoe Jakes Dance Company – photo by Phillip Pavliger

When is the next Rumpus and Ruckus Revival show?

The next show is the annual May the Fourth Be with You Star Wars themed show on Thursday May 4th, doors open at 6, the show starts at 7 and will go till 10pm at 303 Castro Street.  There is a full bar and merchandise for sale..

I love bringing first timers to the show, and I hope this spreads the word bringing not only first timers but those who haven’t seen the show in a while to return. This show is alive and entertaining as ever. DeWolf reminds me that the special part of this show is the importance of the live audience, “every show you come to, you’re encouraging all of those performers to continue to create, to evolve even further and hone their talents. YOU are what keeps these independent venues open, YOU are what gets these performers to keep going. That’s how the underground and any movement survives, through each audience member that came out to be a part of a LIVE show, versus staying home and being a passive consumer staring at a screen.”

YOU CAN GET TICKETS HERE FOR THE MAY 4TH SHOW

Where can folks find Rumpus and Ruckus Revival online?

Facebook: The Rumpus and Ruckus Revival
Jamie DeWolf

Instagram: The Ruckus and Rumpus Revival
Jamie DeWolf
Wonder Dave

Twitter: The Rumpus and Ruckus Revival

Web:The Ruckus and Rumpus Revival
Jamie DeWolf

SumofMan Vs B Nasty during Rumpus and Ruckus Revival – photo by Phillip Pavliger

ABOUT GUEST WRITER, NICOLE SKI

Nicole is from New Jersey. She’s lived in the East Bay for 10 years and cherishes all that it has to offer as well as what it’s taught her. She loves to travel, learn new trails in the redwoods, and is a live music aPHISHianato.