Ithaca College

Welcome to the new vaudeville, La Cerise Noire, created by Scott Hitz and the Mighty Mickie Quinn '94 (and current Director of Park Promotions) featuring a tantalizing variety of delectable delights: burlesque, drag, comedy, circus, belly dancing, grown-up puppetry, magic, and much more to tickle your fancy.

 La Cerise Noire will be hosted by Benny Black (Hitz) & Cherry Bomb (Quinn) with Nate “the Great” Marshall providing musical delight.

Featuring the talents of:

Benjamin Klopcic '19 (juggling) • Regina DeMauro '05 (belly dancing) • The Amazing Stanley (magic) • Dizzy DeScretion (drag) • Gustave Guignol (puppets) • Acrolette (featuring Lisa Trent MS '00) (acrobatics) • Monsieur Merlot (boylesque) • Joey Steinhagen and Jeremy Pletter (comedy)

By Summer 2018, both Scott Hitz (The Snow Queen, George Kaplan) and the Mighty Mickie Quinn (Pop’d at the Cherry) were already become part of the fabulous Cherry family of artists— it was only a matter of time before these two creative masterminds found their way to the same project at the same time and lightning struck! Between Hitz’ expertise (puppetry, theater, comedy) and Quinn’s (emceeing, curating, performance), a vaudeville show was the obvious choice for their combined talents.

“Working with Scott has been a dream,” shares Quinn, “His sense of humor and timing has helped us develop a great story that ties the whole night together. I love creating a space where a variety of performers can showcase their talents and have the opportunity to elevate and push the boundaries of their art.”

Hitz has been performing and producing theater using puppets for many years. In 2011 his production of The Little Prince played NYC at The New Victory Theatre, and his experiences on television (performing for Disney, Comedy Central, and others), and off-Broadway (Avenue Q), has helped hone his sense of what puppets are truly capable of.

“Mickie is an amazing force of nature, and the moment I saw her on stage I knew I had to find a way to work with her!” says Hitz. “The woman doesn’t disappoint when it comes to energy and ideas, and as a performer she absolutely shines. I can’t wait to share the stage with her as Cherry and Benny!”

“The Mighty” Mickie Quinn is an event producer and emcee who hosts and produces a wide range of events in Ithaca and beyond. She curates The Cosmic Joke Collective (a monthly artists' salon), produces the annual Miss Ellie's Night of Mischief and Mayhem variety show, hosts Trampoline (a monthly competitive storytelling event), and co-produces and hosts the pop-up nightclub POP’d at The Cherry. She has been a guest performer with Whiskey Tango Sideshow and The House of Merlot, and emcees the main stages of the Ithaca Festival and Wizarding Weekend. It has been her lifelong dream to co-host with a puppet.

The Cherry Arts is a not-for-profit arts company that programs the Cherry Artspace: Ithaca’s home for innovative performance. Behind the scenes of La Cerise Noire feature even more Ithaca College alumni - Jennifer Herzog '00 (Cherry Arts Associate Artistic Director) and current IC faculty, teaching Acting in the Department of Theatre Arts since 2010; and Sarah Chaneles ‘17, Marketing & Publicity Associate for The Cherry. 

Tickets to La Cerise Noire and memberships to the Cherry Arts are available at TheCherry.org.