Agile Rascal Bicycle Touring Theatre

Five years ago today, seven brave and stupid souls took off on the first cross-country tour of an original play, traveling on bicycles. Those three and a half months were harder and hotter and funnier and more humbling than anything we could have imagined, but that moment in time, and the people we met in it, will be with us for the rest of our lives. In the past five years, the company has grown and changed, professionalized but still stayed (omg so) scrappy, and now includes people from all over the continent, and it feels like only the beginning. We can’t wait to get back on the road, just as soon as it’s safe, to keep making, sharing and pedaling. Happy Anniversay Rascals! @ Memory Lane, California

Our friend, Scott Slingerland, over at CAT in PA, helped write this thoughtful piece that lays out how we can use this moment to inspire more cycling and cycling safety.

THANK YOU @pedal2thepeople 4 THIS POST! Outside is not free. Outside has never been free. Outside was not free when they began tearing first nations people from their lands.... Outside was not free when Africans were brutally forced to tend to a land for centuries only to one day be promised, but never granted their 40 acres. Outside was not free when they began building walls to keep the others out. Outside is not free when your bike is leisure, and our bike is necessary transportation. Outside has always been paid for by black and brown bodies. Ahmaud Arbery was running as he often did, but on this run he was murdered by white people. Nothing Ahmaud did was wrong. There is no justification for what happened to him. White supremacy is one of many culprits in failing to protect Ahamud. The police--a historically racialized state agency-- failed to investigate his murder. Without a grassroots movement, there would be no investigation. Those white people killed him but now the justice system is failing him. The police failed him, the legal system failed him, the DA failed him. We need to stop failing Black people. We live in a world where Black people can’t move outside safely. The DEI movement should not just be about getting different kinds of people outside. It MUST include keeping people safe while there. A dirty look, an unwelcome gesture, outright racial hostility in the outdoors from white hikers, police officers, and park rangers always has the potential to escalate. We are angry. We are devastated. We are tired. Ahmaud should be alive. We honor him by constantly advocating against state violence and racist policies and practices. Sure there’s a tape, but there have been tapes. There has always been evidence of the injustices past and present. Civil rights legend Fannie Lou Hamer once said that nobody’s free until everybody’s free. While anti-Black racism and violence continue to dominate our society, none of us are free. If you are a white person following this account we ask you to really think about the costs at which your free recreation exists. Are you doing the work? Are you talking to your families and friends about their actions?

Virtual Bike Blessing this morning! We wish everyone and especially bike messengers and delivery people non-denominational safety, freedom, and empowerment today and everyday. #blessthebike

So - this is more of a guide for our European friends, as America is woefully behind not just in ALL things climate change policy, but especially in alternative transportation infrastructure. Write to your local and our federal governments in strong support of walking and bicycle infrastructure in America, so we can make lists like these! And you can enjoy some cool rides. League of American Bicyclists has a lot of info on who to bug.

It's the play that started it all! We toured this play across 4,600 miles of the U.S. and through the heart of darkness of our own psyches! "Sunlight" takes place at a gas station in the desert after a drought in the west has forced everyone east. But with resources dwindling, a group of misfits must choose whether to confront their situation or continue to deny what’s increasingly hard to avoid.

Know an essential worker who needs a bike for transportation? Specialized is giving away free bikes to qualified applicants/nominees on a first come first serve basis. Nominate your hero!!

Like so many artists around the world, wondering just what our world needs right now and how we can help with our own unique practices... we’ll be grounding our solutions here. #6 being a main principle of our work since inception. In the meantime, we have always championed cycling as a way to clear your head and offer a way through the muck of a worried and tense mind.

Check out some hot tips by The Brown Bike Girl to get you safely commuting, shopping, and using your bike as a safe and reliable transportation option in the city and beyond! Thanks Courtney for your work and care!

The title says it all! But here's more: "Despite everything going on right now, it's actually a really great time to get into riding bikes. You can try to set the fastest time up your local hill. You can learn how to fix things. You can strap a bunch of bags on your bike, stuff them with gear and snacks and go camping. You can just ride to your local park and hang out on a bench. There's just an incredibly wide spectrum of ways to ride, skills to learn and things to just spend hours nerding out on."

We created this play in Montana in 2017 and toured it 1200 miles across the state, and over the great divide...twice! Our first musical, "Resonance" tells the story of a mining town that extracts 'resonance,' from the earth to make sound. This resource gives them language and culture, but also causes pain and is easily wasted. When an accident depletes their reserves, Junior, an opinionated 7 and year old, decides to save the day. Starring Jackie Rivera, Sam Cordes, Kean Haunt, Jaren Feeley, John Paul Olsen, Dara Silverman, Sarah Bell and Lelia Johnson

Be a part of this Brigade! Our own @climatequeer (Jackie) is enlisting their steed, and you can too if you’re in NYC. . . Bikes are unusually suited in this moment (and most) to haul and help in moments of crisis. From natural disaster relief to say a global pandemic... ask yourself: how can my bike provide relief today? .... . . Contact @maketheroadny or follow to sign up. #NYC #Epicenter #mutualaid #bikes See more

We created this play in 2019 as artists-in-residence in the Everglades(@airieverglades) and toured it 1000+ miles through Florida. "Pedalers" tells the story of a consumer-capitalist themed carnival that provides an entertaining escape in a post-climate change landscape. But behind the big-top, it explores themes of found family, creative resilience, and the tension between honoring lineage and acknowledging destructive traditions.