Dark Matter...who, what, when where and why...

Dark Matter: Five Gothic Tales of Horror by Don Nigro

Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company takes a journey to the dark side of
romance this summer with five short plays of gothic horror by Don
Nigro.

The plays include:

Lucy and the Mystery of the Vine Encrusted Mansion. An eccentric
comedy that is a "Gorey drawing come to life" in which a girl,
'sixteen and lost', becomes entangled in a tale of her own invention
that may not allow her to return from it sane.

The Malefactor's Bloody Register. A true story of abuse and murder
from the pages of the notorious eighteenth century compendium of
crime...

Joan of Arc in Autumn
July 5th-7th, 9th, 12th-14th, 16th, and July 19th-21st

Midtown Art Center, 3414 LaBranch at Holman

Preview Show: Thursday, July 5th - Pay What you like
Click Here For Tickets
Saturday July 7th, Opening Night Party and Show: $25.00

$10.00 on Thursdays

$12.00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

"Pay as you like" Mondays, July 9th and July 16th

so, at the bar tonight with some other folks who worked on the show...
and a flier is handed to someone who sits at our table...
a flier for the show -
it has who, what, when, where and price...
no why?
he asks, "where is the why?"

I thought about it a lot on the way home,
and there are certain whys to see theatre,
and whys to see this show...
here is a drunk and rambling combination of the two...

theatre,
like all art,
holds a mirror
up to you -
if it is good,
and you are willing
to look -
it can show you
not just things
you've never seen,
but things that you
never would have
imagined were there.

It does some other very specific things too -
and I'm still trying to nail them all down,
but I'll tell you this -

you are watching
real people
go through
real things
on stage
and when we fire
on even half
our cylinders
we can give you things you'll never get
once removed
through a screen...

This show
is about
the nature of time,
the relationship
between power
and gender,
the things one might
be willing
to sacrifice
in order to feel
"in control",
the true nature
of the unseen world,
what it means
to hear voices -
to have vision -
and the horrible things
we are capable of -
how we can break
others as we are
broken and all
in the name of the lord
(have no doubt,
the monsters are human,
even if they claim to be
punishing you for your sins...)

and oh yeah,
it's a helluva show...
funny, creepy, unsettling, thoughtful, beatiful, real,
and yes,
entertaining...

and it's cheap,

inexpensive tickets
mean you can take me out
and buy me a drink after...

how's that for a deal?

Kid Ornery

(mike switzer - stage manager and a.d. on Dark Matter)