Stay tuned for details on our next outlandish adventure!
Including New Bohemian NYE and The Edwardian Ball.
The Soiled Dove Experience
From The Vau de Vire Society, co-creators of the world renowned Edwardian Ball, Lagunitas Beer Circus, Phantasm Halloween, New Bohemia NYE and a decade and a half of The Bay Area’s most creatively outrageous nightlife events, comes an immersive, circus-infused, scandalous and historic dinner-theater experience that will titillate your every sense.
The Soiled Dove is a one-of-a-kind touring show that takes place under Vau de Vire’s massive 12,000 sq. ft. circus tent, the Tortona Big Top!
GANDER
Behold confounding circus performers, delicious dancers, salacious singers, voracious villains, hapless heroes, and masterful musicians, all of the highest caliber!
FEAST
Indulge in an extraordinarily tasty 4-course dinner brought to you by local culinary phenoms, Work of Art, and hand-delivered by the cast!
SWILL
Join in the carousing via a wide array of debaucherous adult beverages, nary an arm’s length away at our Soiled Dove Saloon!
SWAY
Treat your ears to a Wonka’s worth of musical confectionery via the original Soiled Dove score composed and conveyed by Oakland’s acclaimed Jazz Mafia.
INDULGE
Step foot into the whimsical Barbary Coast-flavored world we’ve created and you instantly become one of us, as much as part of the theatrics as those four aerialists floating overhead.
TIME-TRAVEL
Visit a bygone era nearly 150 years past, dripping with questionable behavior, loose morals, and all manner of other delectable goodies.
The Players
Vau de Vire Society
Spawned from the depths of the Bay Area’s thriving circus and dance subcultures, Vau de Vire Society has ravaged and redefined live entertainment for more than 20 years, causing jaws to drop in awe and garnering admiration around the world. This avant-cabaret collective consists of classically trained dancers, some of the nation’s most acclaimed acrobats, aerial artists, contortionists, and circus sideshow acts, an array of unique fire performers, a bevy of gifted thespians, and a barrage of the most enticing go-go’s.
Jazz Mafia
Providing the musical accompaniment for The Soiled Dove is Jazz Mafia’s Heaviest Feather – just voted “Best Band” in the annual “Best of the East Bay” poll. Fresh off a performance at the Kennedy Center in DC, the brass-heavy octet of Jazz Mafia veterans and rising stars is joined by a lineup of some of the West Coast’s most talented vocalists. Led by musical director Adam Theis, dance/musical liaison Shaina Evoniuk, and vocalist Trance Thompson, Heaviest Feather’s rollicking, theatrical approach makes them natural collaborators with The Vau De Vire Society.
Work of Art
San Francisco-based green catering company, Work of Art, shapes an integrated, experiential culinary event. Joining visionary forces with Vau de Vire Society, WoA creates an immersive adventure that encourages guests to participate in the four-course dinner-theater performance from the Barbary Coast era. The Soiled Dove guests experience the chaos of the times with presentations from food hawkers, scooping delights from rustic California gold pans, and finishing with a goblet of chocolate mousse (vegetarian options are available upon request).
Testimony
Fans of interactive theater and living history who want to commune with their inner Edwardian in a raucous, Barbary Coast bordello atmosphere need look no farther than Vau de Vire Society’s ‘The Soiled Dove.’ A dinner-entertainment event that’s similar to – but more raunchy and informal – than the late, lamented Teatro ZinZanni.
It is what The Barbary Coast might have been like in someone’s wildest fantasy. It is the sexy, talented, great food version of that era. Guests can expect an engaging evening filled with danger, decadence, circus, and a culinary spread worthy of royalty … a very unique show.
Nowhere in the Bay Area can you now see the vaudeville delights that come with a ‘The Soiled Dove’ ticket under the big top circus tent at Alameda Point. It is wild with delightful and sultry singing and dancing, a scrumptious dinner for those who can splurge and, perhaps most important, mesmerizing with acrobatic feats seen only here outside of Cirque de Soleil.
‘The Soiled Dove’ spills over with talent and action for those who like their entertainment more lavish and frantic than a three-ring circus.
Tantalizing, titillating, terrifying. ‘The Soiled Dove’ is all that and more. Be prepared for an evening of thrills, trills, and toe tapping as circus performers, musicians, and dancers provide a variety of entertainment. And enjoy a sumptuous feast and tasty swill as you absorb the evening’s amusements.
What do you get if you cross a Cirque du Soleil acrobat with a Las Vegas showgirl, then have her cut loose to avant-cabaret tunes? A Vau de Vire Society performer, of course! Mike and Shannon Gaines’s bawdy, sophisticated outfit has been titillating Bay Area audiences for a decade, whether at the renowned Edwardian Ball, at one of its kinky New Year’s Eve shows at the Armory, or at Soiled Dove, a ribald tribute to the Barbary Coast. A Vau de Vire show delivers equal measures of eroticism, athleticism, and wit, served up with panache.
The Soiled Dove is more than circus or vaudeville revival. It’s beyond your wildest idea of what a burlesque dinner theater could be. It turns the concept of a historical musical like Hamilton inside out and places you in the center of the action. When you enter the Soiled Dove you embark on a journey into a world of wonders that transcends time and space.
Videos
Photos
FAQ
NEW THIS YEAR!
Distinguished Dinner Guests pick your own table. The seating chart is shown in the image gallery on the ticketing site and in each dinner tickets “More Info” section.
Also there is now a new ticket tier for reserved seating in our Grandstand for the Main Show!
What’s the address of the event?
The Soiled Dove is a one-of-a-kind touring show that takes place under Vau de Vire’s massive 12,000 sq. ft. circus tent, the Tortona Big Top! We just completed our fall show in Downtown Oakland and will have soon have updates on our next location. Stay tuned!
What are some of the logistical details I should know?
The Soiled Dove is a unique immersive experience where patrons move freely through the venue. Seating at your chosen table is on a first come basis.
For our Distinguished Dinner Guests enjoying our scrumptious 4-course dinner, the venue opens at 7:30PM. We ask that you arrive between 7PM and 7:30PM to line-up so we can scan in all the tickets before doors open at 7:30pm. From 7:30pm until 8:00pm the first course is passed appetizers. Please seek out any server passing appetizers in the room.
For Soiled Patrons, doors open at 9:00PM for the Main Show.
Are there ID requirements or an age limit to enter the venue?
This is a 21+ event. Please bring a valid ID (driver’s license, state ID, military ID, or passport).
Does the bar take credit cards?
The bar takes cash and credit/debit cards. There will NOT be an ATM onsite.
What are my transport/parking options getting to the performance?
We just completed our fall show in Downtown Oakland and will have soon have updates on our next location, including parking and transportation options. Stay tuned!
Is there a dress code?
We highly suggest coming adorned in thematic attire! The time period for The Soiled Dove is turn-of-the-20th-century San Francisco, during the California Gold Rush. The scene is the Barbary Coast, the infamous red-light district, a place of decadence, debauchery, and drinking!
Who do I contact with a special meal request (vegetarian, vegan, gf, nut allergy, etc.)?
Please email info@thesoileddove.com with details, and include your name, confirmation number, and the date you are attending.
Is photography allowed?
Cellphone picture taking is allowed. No flash photography! No cameras with attachable lenses!
Who do I contact with any questions?
Please email info@thesoileddove.com and include your name, confirmation number and the date you are attending.
Connect
To catch all the exciting adventures planned for 2019 and beyond:
