Occupy Circus and Film Festival Launches Road Tour of Innovative Protest for the Midwest

April 17, 2012 - PRLog -- New York-based Occupy Wall Street activists and performers have joined forces to launch the Occupy Circus and Film Festival Tour. The first leg of the tour will cover 12 Midwest cities in 2 weeks this May beginning with Chicago, during the NATO protests. The official ramp up begins with the launch of its IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign to raise $25,200 in four weeks beginning April 17, 2012.

The purpose of the tour, according to tour manager and Occupy Wall Street activist Erik McGregor, is to inspire communities around the United States to join forces, share tactics and strengthen the Occupy movement.  “In every city we visit we’ll stage a
protest, exposing a major corporation during the day, followed by a roll out of theater, music and film at  night,” says McGregor. “Humor and entertainment are a powerful way to engage people around the serious issues of economic injustice. When protest and direct democracy are fun, there's a greater chance of reaching more people, increasing momentum, and hopefully effecting lasting change."

Partnering with Occupy Circus are members of noted radical performance troupe, The Church of Stop Shopping Choir, whose international street protests with activist Reverend Billy Talen have been covered by The UK Guardian, The New York Times and featured in the Morgan Spurlock film What Would Jesus Buy? Additional collaborators represent Occupy Cinema, The Revolutionary Games Collective, Times Up and Ithaca Biodiesel Cooperative charged with equipping the Occupy Circus tour bus to run on waste vegetable oil.

Headlining the film festival is the feature length protest comedy We Are the Hartmans starring Richard Chamberlain. Written 2 years before activists took over Zucotti Park, the film centers on an impromptu uprising against the foreclosure of a small town rock club led by its main character who declares, "This is an occupation!" The Huffington Post referred to the film's director, Laura Newman, as "a bit psychic" when the movie premiered in New York City last fall, at the height of the Occupy protests. It went on to call the film, "a joy ride from start to finish, pinked with great acting, witty writing and topics that the 99% can relate to."

Highlighting Occupy Circus’ theme of community building is a contest between Midwest cities within its IndieGoGo campaign. If the campaign reaches its goal, the Occupy city represented by the most funders will receive a custom written and recorded Occupy song by Newman who, as a member of The Church of Stop Shopping Choir, co-composed and sings on the musical version of the Declaration of Occupation entitled We Are the 99% (As We Gather Together).

To learn more about the Occupy Circus and Film Festival Midwest Tour click here: http://www.indiegogo.com/occupycircus1?a=483456

To request an interview contact Cielito Pascual at (917) 554-4849 or occupycircus@gmail.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bPLEiPUkRU&feature=player...



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Occupy Circus and Film Festival is a collaboration of Occupy Wall Street activists and performers touring the US with the purpose of growing Occupy communities throughout the country.