Psychedelic Variety Show

The first recorded acid trip took place on April 19, 1943, when chemist Albert Hofmann used himself as a guinea pig and ingested an accidentally discovered compound commonly known as LSD; the day is known as “Bicycle Day” because he then took a bike ride. Madison Psychedelic Society celebrates the day with a variety show featuring performances about or inspired by experiences with psychedelics. Those interested in participating can email madisonpsychedelicsociety@gmail.com; any type of artistic endeavor is welcome, but leave the substances at home.

media release: The Madison Psychedelic Society is excited to announce its first-ever Psychedelic Variety Show. The event is set from 7-9:30 p.m. on Friday April 19, at the Bartell Theatre, 113 E. Mifflin St. in Madison. We’re seeking both performers/participants, and audience members/attendees.

The event is open to the public and everyone is welcome to come enjoy an evening of raw, real, riveting, rip-roaring stories and acts. Tickets are $10 and can be purchased through bartelltheatre.org.

Have you ever written a soliloquy about LSD, or a sonnet while you were on it? Do tryptamines want to make you sing, or have serotonergics encouraged rap lyrics? Perhaps DMT has inspired puppetry, or you have a mime act about a psychomimetic? Does psilocybin bring out your inner-comedian, or do you have a monologue about tripping from a frog? Maybe you enjoy songwriting after mind altering, or dancing while consciousness expanding? Do you have a serenade about a time you took MDMA, or acrobatics displaying what you saw on cactus? Can you depict insights gained on ibogaine with juggling, or are you an illusionist looking to illustrate an encounter on an agonist? Do you have an act about when you took an entactogen, or are you a magician with conjurations about empathogens? Whatever your storytelling medium, whatever your experience, all are welcome to the stage—from seasoned psychedelic explorers to one-time trippers.

If you’re interested in speaking or performing, please email madisonpsychedelicsociety@gmail.com with a title and summary and estimated amount of time you’ll need for your story or act. We look forward to hosting a diverse line-up, and we welcome people of all backgrounds to take the stage.

Your share can be a recent experience or from anytime in the past, about any substance, about an experience you found positive or one you found negative, one that was terrific or one that was terrible, one you'd repeat in a heartbeat or one you wish you'd never had. All experiences are worthy and valid.

This variety show is not a competition—there are no judges or awards—it’s just for fun! So the pressure’s off! Amateur performers are welcome – you don’t have to be a pro to be in the show!

The Psychedelic Variety Show is an evolution of the Psychedelic Story Slam which took place last year and saw nine storytellers share about their past psychedelic experiences to a captive audience.

The Madison Psychedelic Society now invites a wider array of performers and entertainers to come share about their experiences, in whatever storytelling medium feels natural to them. In addition to storytellers, we’re seeking poets, rappers, spoken word artists, songwriters, musicians, comedians, humorists, dancers, puppeteers, ventriloquists, clowns, mimes, acrobats, contortionists, jugglers, poi spinners, hula hoopers, and more. However the individual wishes to interpret or express their experience—from the literary to the theatrical—is up to them! From the power of their voice or movement of their body to the use of props or musical instruments—the interpretations of psychedelic experiences are only limited by their imaginations!

We’re looking for psychonauts to share their most entertaining, engaging, endearing, or enlightening tales and yarns of past psychedelic trips. Whether their usage of entheogens or hallucinogens ended in triumph or tribulation, laughter or disaster, growth or grief—the stage is theirs to share their personal stories such as lessons learned, how those experiences shaped or changed them, or the humor they find in it now. Whether the act leaves the audience chuckling or crying, we want to see and hear it all!

April 19 in psychedelic circles is known as “Bicycle Day,” named in commemoration of when a Swiss chemist accidentally discovered (and ingested) LSD, leading to a hallucinatory commute home and the world's first “acid trip” in 1943. We’re aiming for this show to be as kaleidoscopic as that fateful day.

The Madison Psychedelic Society is a community of likeminded people from the greater Madison area who are interested in discussing the potential benefits of psychedelics from a variety of perspectives including recreational, medicinal, therapeutic, and scientific. Its members include students, educators, researchers, psychotherapists, healthcare workers, shamanic practitioners, and civil rights activists.

The Madison Psychedelic Society does not condone or tolerate anyone possessing, using, seeking, soliciting, buying, selling, or trading drugs, narcotics, or controlled substances of any kind at its events.

General Seating. Performed on the Drury Stage.