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TL;DR
MILKMAN ZERO opens in one month. December 3–13 at Mitu580 in Brooklyn. Only a few $20 tickets are left for week two, and week one is going fast. Code CHUG gets you $25 tickets to any show. Grab yours.
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Hi!
Wowee. One month from today, MILKMAN ZERO opens. I've spent the fall in Omaha, Nebraska, doing an artist residency at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts, writing, coding, testing, and generally getting the milk ready for delivery. 👍🏻
Last week we ran the whole thing for the Bemis staff and residents. I don't want to give anything away, but the words people used afterward were “trance-like,” “hypnotic,” and “a little fucked up.” I'll take it.
I'm back in NYC on November 13, rehearsals start at Onassis ONX on the 16th, and then it's showtime. Here's what I've been up to while I've been out here (followed up with some recommended shows from good friends and past collaborators).
Matt
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September: locking in on writing
One floor of a five-story former factory, a laptop, a legal pad. Nothing to do but write.
Bemis gives us a live/work studio but there was also an entire floor of a factory available to us so of course I decided to use that. September was all script: taking the earlier work-in-progress showings, figuring out what worked, and expanding the story into something bigger, bolder, scarier, and funnier than it was before. A lot of it happened on paper first, and then I transferred it to a google doc (off-line mode so I could stay focused).
This was absolutely a staged photo. Photo: Colin Conces.
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October: getting my coding game off the ground
Then the script had to become a game. A working text adventure that also interfaces with the lights, sound, and projection systems of the theater. To do this I needed 3 monitors (4 if you include my laptop). I know it looks excessive but I assure you it was completely necessary.
“Pretend you're coding or something.” Photo: Colin Conces.
If you're curious how the show is built or what's running under the hood, reply to this email. I love talking about this stuff, and maybe a post-show email will do a breakdown of the system for all you tech heads.
Once there was a solid rough draft, our director Jerry Lieblich flew out for a three-day work sprint. We got a huge amount done, got very excited about where the show is heading, and also did some extremely serious research.
Research. Jerry and me surviving the Dungeon of the Damned.
On Jerry's last night we ran a rough draft of the show for the Bemis staff and residents in Low End, their music venue in the basement. We learned a lot. Most importantly, it seems like this show has some real juice (milk?). Getting to hear the sound design thus far on the music venue's sound system was extremely exciting. The jump scares really jump. ;)
Run-through attendees praised the depth and layered critical dialogue of the piece.
I'm spending my last week here editing the script, building in new ideas, and working with our wonderful designers and production team to flesh out every sound, light, video, and set moment before rehearsals start.
“Just keep typing.” Photo: Colin Conces.
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Meanwhile, Omaha
It may sound like I mostly worked, but I also got to have fun in Omaha. We went to galas. We hosted quite a few barbecues. I made some new friends. A few highlights:
The Bemis gala. Photo: Ben Semisch.
Pumpkin Destruction Day.
My partner Benita (an accomplished pumpkin destroyer) visited from New York City over Halloween weekend. We went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch, where every November 1, the day after Halloween, it opens its fields to the public to enact carnage on every pumpkin that didn't get picked. It was a blast. (Although the rotting stench of massacred pumpkins starts to get intense.)
Carnage.
The Alpine Inn.
A bar on the edge of town that feeds its leftover fried chicken to raccoons. Very large and plump raccoons right outside the window, while you eat your own fried chicken. It's a lot. It is also, I think, a must-visit. (Shout out to Peter Burr for the recommendation)
Our plump and furry friends / Katja Zimmer posing outside the storied establishment.
Barbecues galore. You can see all the other Bemis residents and their work on the Bemis residency page.
Sad my time here is coming to an end, but grateful to Bemis and all the people I met here for such an incredible, warm, and productive residency.
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Come see it
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Week 1 · selling fast
Thu Dec 3 · 7:30pm (Opening)
Fri Dec 4 · 7:30pm
Sat Dec 5 · 7:30pm
Sun Dec 6 · 2:00pm
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Week 2 · few $20 left
Thu Dec 10 · 7:30pm
Fri Dec 11 · 7:30pm
Sat Dec 12 · 7:30pm
Sun Dec 13 · 2:00pm
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MITU580 · 580 Sackett Street, Brooklyn
$30 general · $20 early bird (first 10 per show) · code CHUG for $25 · 80 minutes, ages 18+
Get Tickets
Can't make December? MILKMAN ZERO returns January 20–24 at Mitu580 as part of Under the Radar's Under Construction series. January tickets.
It's a 60-seat room and word of mouth is everything. Invite a friend, forward this email, or share milkmanzero.com.
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Also go see
DUMMY by Walker Caplan
My Castle Door collaborator Walker Caplan has a new play produced by New Relic Theatre, November 13–22, at IATI Underground. I'll be there on November 20. Come sit with me. Tickets.
Melt.Punish by James La Bella
Our dramaturgical consultant (and my God Mode collaborator) James La Bella brought his show Melt.Punish to Ars Nova's ANT Fest in early September, and I was lucky enough to direct the production. It was one night only, but we have big plans for this sly little weapon of a show. More here.
CATCH 83: The Hundredth Catch
CATCH is about to have its 100th show, at Life World on December 5. Thanks to some past naming conventions it is, weirdly enough, called CATCH 83. I've been working with CATCH since 2012, and sadly I can't make this one because I'm in a show (MILKMAN ZERO, you may have heard). But it's an absolutely stacked lineup and I really encourage you all to go. More here.
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