Bubble Lady

 Here's something you don't see every day: a lady who makes a living blowing bubbles:

It was “love at first bubble” for Madison-area performance artist Michelle Hackett, who first became acquainted with interactive bubble shows nearly a decade ago.

Hackett, who goes by “Marvelous Michelle” to her audiences, tagged along with her artist friends in 2018 to attend the Ashley for the Arts festival in Arcadia. It was there she met Steve Langley, the founder of Soap Bubble Circus in North Carolina.

“I had no idea you could do what he did with bubbles,” Hackett told WPR’s “Wisconsin Today.” “I went and trained with him, and that’s how I got into bubbles.”

Kate Archer Kent: Your audiences are not passive observers. You let them get their hands wet and make bubbles of their own. Why do you let them be part of your show?

Michelle Hackett: One of my performance options is the interactive table experience, and it’s because people don’t want to just sit and watch people make bubbles. They want to make bubbles. They want to pop bubbles. They want to get their hands dirty, especially little kids. It’s wild to see the change in people. 

KAK: When was that moment you realized you could make a career as a bubble artist and perform full time?

MH: Really early because everybody loves bubbles. I have performed at celebrations of life, weddings, bar mitzvahs, birthday parties, festivals of all kinds — there’s not a place where bubbles don’t necessarily fit. It’s an absolute privilege to be able to bring this to the community.