The annual Granfalloon festival kicked off earlier this month and includes a variety of events aimed at building community and sharing the importance of creative expression.
Started in 2018, Granfalloon celebrates the work of Kurt Vonnegut Jr., a prominent Hoosier author born in Indianapolis. This year, the festival focuses on his 1973 novel Slapstick or Lonesome No More, a satirical work exploring themes of loneliness, connection, absurdism and comedy.
Events began this month and will run through the end of August. Granfalloon's main concerts will now be held at Switchyard Park instead of Kirkwood Avenue and occur on June 20, July 18 and Aug. 29.
Many organizations at IU such as IU Theatre, IU Cinema, and IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology are participating in the festival. The Union Board is also collaborating with Granfalloon to host a talk with comedian Caleb Hearon on April 14. On May 6 and 7, IU Theatre and Drama is hosting an adaptation of Vonnegut's novel.
Grant Goodman, professor and director of IU Theatre’s reading of Slapstick, said that Vonnegut’s work feels especially relevant in a modern world that’s only a few years out from a worldwide pandemic.
“I think the novel is extremely prescient and does have a lot to say about us in America today, about community building and how when things go wrong, we need community,” he said. “It’s a timely story.”
Granfalloon helps connect IU and the city of Bloomington by celebrating work from both students and members of the community, such as an exhibition at the Gayle Karch Cook Center featuring local art inspired by Granfalloon’s theme this year. The festival serves as a way to highlight the rich culture in Bloomington and introduce Vonnegut's work to those who are unfamiliar with it.
Goodman appreciates the way arts converge in Granfalloon and is excited to share Vonnegut’s ideas with others.
“We were poised in a unique place to bring a novel to life that not many people have seen,” he said. “This is a really interesting opportunity for us to bring Vonnegut to life.”
