Agile Rascal Theatre
Agile Rascal Theatre was founded in 2014 by Artistic Director Dara Silverman as an ambitious experiment: create an original play, load the entire production onto bicycles, and tour it across the United States.
That experiment became reality in 2015, when seven artists pedaled our original play, Sunlight on the Brink, over 4,600 miles, performing in libraries, parks, bike shops, and community spaces in cities and towns from the West Coast to the East. Honestly, it was bonkers.
But the experience sparked nearly a decade of bicycle-powered theater tours, bringing our wildly inventive, musical, and funny plays with an environmental bent to communities across the country. Along the way, we welcomed passionate artist-athletes from across the nation, each contributing their unique talents and perspectives to the work.
In 2021, Silverman relocated to Philadelphia, rooting the company in the city's scrappy, imaginative arts scene and diverse cycling community. Agile Rascal's focus shifted from long-distance touring toward immersive, site-specific "play-on-bikes" performances that invite audiences to ride through the story itself.
Our first Philadelphia production, GHOST RIDE—inspired by the life and death of Philly bike courier Pablo Avendano—sold out all thirteen performances at the 2024 Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Next up: Middle Twilight, premiering in May 2027 along the Schuylkill River Trail.
about
About The Artists
Dara Silverman
Artistic Director, Producer, Writer
Dara Silverman is a playwright, director, and the founding Artistic Director of Agile Rascal Theatre. She loves the rigorousness and absurdity of both theater and bicycles, and is perpetually inventing new ways to intersect them. Since 2015, Dara has led more than 30 artists in creating original plays and touring them by bicycle, performing in over 50 cities and towns across the U.S.
Her work has been supported by a MacDowell Fellowship, The Wassaic Project, AIRIE in Everglades and the Santa Fe Art Institute; she was a 2020 Creative Climate Leadership participant, has led workshops at the League of American Bicycle’s Bike Summit, and has written for Artists and Climate Change and Adventure Cyclist Magazine. She holds an MFA from San Francisco State University and a BFA from NYU.
In addition to her theater work, Dara runs Creative Structures, a consulting practice that supports fellow creatives with branding and design, narrative development, and project planning.
Frequent Collaborators
Former Rascals
Over the past decade, many artists have called Agile Rascal their creative community and artistic home, many over multiple years and several projects. We deeply appreciate the ways these artists have contributed their talent, experience, and expertise to Agile Rascal.