The inspiration for Bushwackers’ 2026 program was hiding in plain sight.
For years, the corps’ uniform has featured a black-and-white striped sash — a visual rooted in the look of piano keys. It’s a design choice most fans recognize instantly, and one the organization has carried with it across generations.
But during early design conversations this offseason, that familiar pattern started to take on a different meaning.
“We have this black and white pattern stripe that goes across the uniform,” program coordinator Lauryn Heller Griffin said. “It just jumps out in the uniform. So, we’re thinking about, visually, what kind of show we could create that would lend itself to that look? And then hypnosis came up.”
By that point, plans were off and running. Bushwackers’ 2026 production, “Hypnotic,” has leadership, staff members and corps members alike excited for a fresh new step in the corps’ evolution.
Structurally, the production unfolds in stages — mirroring the progression of hypnosis itself.
Each movement represents a different phase of that journey, gradually moving from initial suggestion into deeper, more complex states of awareness. The show begins with an induction into hypnosis before transitioning into a trance-like state, where the sense of control starts to slip away.
“We’ll play with sound effects and find ways to shift the look, and show that we’re entering something new,” Griffin said.
That progression leads into the show’s deepest point — what Griffin described as a “deep mind” movement that represents the core of the hypnotic state, where clarity, realization and self-discovery begin to take shape.
To close, the production works its way back out of hypnosis, closing with an “awakening” that returns performers — and the audience — to reality, now altered by the journey they’ve experienced.
“It’s all about coming back up and re-entering your reality,” she said of the show’s finale, “which is now different because you went under this journey.”
Musically, “Hypnotic” blends a mix of contemporary and classical source material to match each phase of the show’s progression, creating a soundscape that evolves alongside the visual and thematic journey.
“Hypnosis Theme” by Wax Tailor — a prominent French producer — will provide much of the show’s contemporary flair. Bushwackers also plan to use works by the likes of Danny Elfman and Steve Reich, both of whom have been regular staples in recent drum corps setlists.
Seminal to the show’s overarching theme, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ rendition of Nina Simone’s “I Put a Spell on You” — featured across recent drum corps history by the 2024 Mandarins and 2025 Spartans — also graces Bushwackers’ repertoire listing.
“It matches the theme, and we’re excited about that,” Griffin said. “But we also think that it kind of touches on the tones feeling like you’re under the control of something else — it’s not just limited to hypnosis. You could find it in love, you could find it in life, you could find it in all sorts of places.”
Visually, Griffin said the show will lean heavily into the black-and-white patterned imagery that sparked its creation, building an environment that feels immersive and constantly shifting. From spirals and pendulum-like motion to evolving use of color, the design is meant to mirror the sensation of going under — and eventually coming back out — of hypnosis.
“So, obviously, we’re playing with a lot of the black and white spiral, a very recognizable motif,” she said. “We’ll be representing that in different ways. I don’t want to give away too much, but you’ll see the black and white spiral on the field, and you’ll see it present itself across the set. So it should feel like a landscape of sorts.”
Ultimately, Griffin and company see this year’s production as an exciting step forward for a growing corps, and response from corps members has followed suit.
“As they’re learning the music, and they’re learning choreography to the music, there’s definitely a buzz,” she said. “They’re starting to see how this is a nice, fresh step in the next direction for us. And I think they’re latching on to it.”
Bushwackers will debut “Hypnotic” June 27 in Shelton, Connecticut, kicking off a touring slate that stops in eight cities.
