ANHEDONIA ROAD

Written and performed by Chris Harcum
Directed by Melissa Denton
Chris Harcum brings his fourth solo performance, Anhedonia Road, to the Brick’s Hell Festival this summer. This monologue play is a comedy about one man’s death-defying journey through the Heartland. Employing his “innate gift for dialect and impression” (The Fervent Fringer, Vancouver), Chris will transform physically and vocally to bring the ten characters in this adventure to life.

Sunday 8/1 8:15
Tuesday 8/3 7:00
Saturday 8/7 8:15
Saturday 8/14 6:30
Wednesday 8/18 9:15

ANIMAL (excerpts)

Written and created by Kevin Augustine
In ancient tribal cultures, a shaman was led by an animal spirit into the lower world to find restorative power to combat illness and death. In this future world, a contemporary shaman embarks on a journey towards self-healing from mental illness. His vision leads him deep into the bowels of a bio-research laboratory where his animal guide is an incarcerated test subject

Monday 7/26 8 (w/Step on Beelzebub’s Toes)
Tue 7/27 8:15 (w/Balleto Inferno)
Fri 7/30 8:15 (w/Balleto Inferno)

BALLETO INFERNO

“Balleto Inferno” is a dance/theater adaptation of Dario Argento’s classic horror film Susperia. A young girl leaves the bosom of her family to attend a prestigious dance academy where she quickly discovers that the students and faculty are not...quite...right. The bastard child of homage and spoof, “Balleto Inferno” is fifteen of the most delightful minutes you will spend in Hell.

Tue 7/27 7:00 (w/How to Invoke Pan and Evil Is Kewl)
Tue 7/27 8:15 (w/Animal)
Thu 7/29 8:15 (w/Bargain and Rage)
Fri 7/30 8:15 (w/Animal)

THE BITTER POET: LOOKING FOR LOVE IN HELL

“The Bitter Poet act is performance art in a genre by itself, comprised of many diverse elements. Kevin Draine himself is a capable singer and spoken word artist. His songs/poems are backed by guitar, bass and drum, playing blues, jazz and rock at a truly virtuoso level. Various exotic dancers/acrobats join him on-stage for certain specific skits. Draine's monologues (or the occasional dialogue with one of these beautiful female accompanists) cover the gamut from problems with dating to the tribulations of life as an aspiring performer, and from the enigma of sex to existential despair.”

Fri 7/30 10:45
Sat 7/31 10:30
Sun 8/1 4:45
Wed 8/4 9:00
Sun 8/8 8:00

BLUE PUPPIES IN HELL

Written and directed by David Vining
Performed by Karen Grenke, Andrew Hurley, Christine Nicosia & John Grace
A nuclear family goes to the dogs in Cagey Productions’ BLUE PUPPIES IN HELL, a new comedy by David Vining. The second installment of the absurdist serial BLUE PUPPIES follows Tom and Pamela Christianson and their all-powerful talking blue dog, Rudolf, as the family gets a visit from Lew C. Frrrr. Can Rudolf protect the bumbling Christiansons? Will Pamela take off all her clothes? And just what the hell are the mysterious Mr. Frrrr's motives anyway?

Sat 8/7 5:45 (w/Lucifer Is Jesus)
Sun 8/8 2:00 PM (w/Suicidal Violinists and Hell Inside)
Sun 8/15 4:15 (w/Hell Inside and How to Invoke Pan)
Tue 8/17 7:00 (w/Lucifer Is Jesus)
Sat 8/21 8:45 (w/Lucifer Is Jesus)

Mountebanks presents

COLD FIRE

Written and directed by Trav S.D.
Performed by Trav S.D., [Zero Boy], Ian W. Hill*, Peter Bean*, Moria Stone, Bryan Enk, Matt Grey and Art Wallace
Originally to have been presented at Collective Unconscious in September 2001 (opening night was to have been the 11th), the aborted Cold Fire has sat in cold storage for nearly three years. This faux “radio” production tells the story of paranormal investigator Ward Burns, sent by two mysterious government agents to solve a mysterious rash of spontaneous human combustions. On a twisty, turny trail that leads him through a forest fire of dry puns, deadpan performances, sexy intrigue, and Tesla science, Ward snoops his way to the very center of the earth, where he learns the true meaning of “Cold Fire”. Bob and Ray meet the Mercury Theatre in this darkest of dark audio comedies.

Sat 7/31 4:45
Sun 8/1 6:00
Fri 8/6 9:45
Thu 8/12 8:15
Sat 8/21 2:30

DEVIL’S WORKSHOP BIG BAND

“Constantly mislabeled as a swing band by those who have seen its mammoth proportions but not yet heard the music, Devil's Workshop Big Band is a 17-piece improvisational band dedicated to blurring the boundaries between jazz, rock, funk and all the other territories of today's Balkanized music scene.”

Sat 8/7 10:45
Sat 8/21 10:00

Token150 presents

EURIDICE’S ABANDON

Directed and choreographed by Rosalie Purvis
Performed by Roxane Heinze, Rosalie Purvis, Eunjee Lee, Paul Newport, Ann Bonner, Brian Picket, Ian Wen
Token150’s versatile performers retell the Orpheus myth with song, dance and an evocative, original soundscape. As a wild band of nymphs dance, Orpheus redefines music and falls passionately in love with Euridice, and eventually even wins Hades over with his song. The company follows Euridice after she is left behind in the underworld and then speculating on her part in the myth’s legacy.

Thu 7/29 8:15 PM (w/Ballet Inferno)
Sat 8/7 7:00 PM (w/Suicidal Violinists and Evil Is Kewl)
Tue 8/10 9:00 PM (w/The Kindly Ones)
Sat 8/14 4:15 PM (w/Suicidal Violinists and Evil Is Kewl)
Sun 8/22 3:00 (w/Hell-O and Middle Feels Like)

EVIL IS KEWL: SATAN'S MESSAGE TO OUR YOUTH, W/Q&A

Written and directed by Alyssa Siemon
Performed by Chris Harcum and Fred Backus
Yes, Virginia, there is a Satan. For the young and young at heart, a very special program with the original Gentleman in Black and his minion Scott. Satan will answer questions and explain why adolescence is a perfect time to immerse oneself in the Art Of Evil.

Tue 7/27 7:00 (w/Ballet Inferno and How To Invoke Pan)
Sat 8/7 7:00 (w/Bargain and Suicidal Violinists
Wed 8/10 9:00 (w/Bargain and The Kindly Ones)
Sat 8/14 4:15 (w/Bargain and Suicidal Violinists)
Sun 8/15 5:45 PM (w/Step on Beelzebub’s Toes and ???)

HELL INSIDE

Written by Jody Strimling
Directed by Don Bill
Performed by Carol London and Rebecca Thomas
Hell Inside is the story of Claire and Clarisse. Claire is giving a party. Clarisse wants her to have a good time. Until she realizes there will be people there. And when Nelson shows up, well, all hell breaks loose. Almost. Will Claire be able to get everything back under control? Will she have more fun if she doesn’t? And who is the demon, anyway?

Sun 8/8 4:30 (w/Blue Puppies in Hell and Suicidal Violinists)
Sun 8/15 4:15 (w/Blue Puppies and How To Invoke Pan)
Fri 8/20 10:15 (w/Step on Beelzebub’s Toes and Suicidal Violinists)
Sat 8/21 7:15 (w/Hell’s Belles and Hell-O)
8/22 3:00 (w/This Is What the Middle and Bargain and Rage)

HELL-O

Written by Dame Lisa Ferber
Directed by Andrea Modica
Performed by Scott Clarkson, Mary Round & Frank Manzi
When Hannah hears an ad for Hell-O brand gelatin, which promises to make a person’s dreams come true, she immediately sends her husband to the store. A recipe mishap leads to a surprise visit by the Lord of the Underworld and an exploration of his childhood issues. Hell-O is about the strength of longtime love and being accepted for who we are. And of course, the importance of buying the right gelatin dessert.

Fri 8/6 8:30 (w/ The Kindly Ones and How to Invoke Pan)
Sun 8/8 3:00 (w/Hell’s Belles and ???)
Mon 8/9 7:00 (w/The Kindly Ones and How to Invoke Pan)
Tue 8/10 8:00 (w/???)
Sun 8/15 5:45 (w/Beelzebub and Evil Is Kewl)

Piper McKenzie Presents

HELL’S BELLES

Conceived and directed by Jeffrey A. Lewonczyk
Performed by Katie Brack, Hope Cartelli, Jessica Gotta, Devon Ludlow & Robin Reed
In the Big City, temptation sashays around every corner, and danger wallows in every gutter. Does our hero have the strength to resist? Or has he already succumbed? Four lovely ladies and one hapless man perform a live silent film to a jazz/folk score, with damning results.

Sun 8/8 3:00 (w/Hell-O and ???)
Sat 8/14 9:45 (w/Lucifer Is Jesus and Middle Feels Like)
Sun 8/15 8:15 (w/This Is What the Middle Feels Like and Suicidal Violinists)
Sat 8/21 7:15 (w/Hell-O and Hell Inside)
Sun 8/22 5:30 (w/Step on Beelzebub’s Toes)

HOW TO INVOKE PAN

Written by Craig Heimbichner & Tom X. Chao
Performed by Tom X. Chao
Tom X. Chao (Cats Can See The Devil) presents an essay co-authored with Craig Heimbichner ("The Occult Debunker") that details instructions for invoking the demon Pan. The glossolalia involved has been hugely popular amongst downtown sophisticates. DISCLAIMER: Pan will not appear. Do not attempt.

Tue 7/27 7:00 (w/Ballet Inferno and Evil Is Kewl)
Fri 8/6 8:30 (w/The Kindly Ones and Hell-O)
Mon 8/9 7:00 (w/The Kindly Ones and Hell-O)
Fri 8/13 7:00 (w/The Kindly Ones and This Is How the Middle feels Like)
Sun 8/15 4:15 (w/Blue Puppies and Hell Inside)

THE IRON WIG

Written and directed by Jonathan Valuckas
Hairstylist Pezzo Rodigliani’s uber-wealthy clients owe him more than just their looks – they owe him their immortality, having used his personalized haircuts to move from body to body for centuries. But tonight, in the penthouse apartment of a corrupt CEO, that’s all about to change. An unexpected visitor has come for their souls… a man in an iron wig.

Mon 8/2 8:00
Sun 8/8 5:45
Wed 8/4 8:00
Sat 8/14 8:45
Wed 8/18 8:15

THE KINDLY ONES

Directed by Michael Freeman
Lita Hall is insane, her baby was murdered and now they live in her mind, they make their demands. An invocation is necessary, of the three, the Grey women, the hounds of Hades, the Flies, Eumenides... Gods fear them, Demons fear them. They have hounded Kings and Angels, have taken vengeance on Worlds and Universes. A work-in-progress with dance, puppetry and text. Make sure you say it nicely, "The Kindly Ones".

Fri 8/6 8:30 (w/Hell-O and How to Invoke Pan)
Mon 8/9 7:00 (w/Hell-O and How to Invoke Pan)
Tue 8/10 9:00 (w/Bargain and Evil Is Kewl)
Fri 8/13 7:00 (w/How to Invoke Pan and This Is What the Middle Feels Like)

LUCIFER IS JESUS or HOLY FRANKENSTEIN!

A History of God, Hell, and Other Gnostic Flaptrap.
by Rev. Jason Robert Bell, M.F.A.
Written and performed by Rev. Jason Robert Bell, M.F.A.
A humors multi-media lecture of infernology and Gnosticism – to help unwash your brain. Drawing upon a number of sources Mr. Bell will cover how the idea of Hell and Satan developed over the last ten thousand years, to how we understand it today. Become an active agent in making your life meaningful by giving God the finger.

Sat 7/31 3:15 (w/Step on Beelzebub’s Toes)
Sat 8/7 5:45 (w/Blue Puppies)
Sat 8/14 9:45 (w/Hell’s Belles and This Is What the Middle Feels Like)
Tue 8/17 7:00 (w/Blue Puppies)
Sat 8/21 8:45 (w/Blue Puppies)

MAN OF INFINITE DESIRE

Written and performed by Christina Nicosia
Directed by Jonathan Van Gieson
Mephistopheles has been having a hard couple of centuries. Abandoned by the desire that created her, she persists without purpose. Her once-popular lectures on alchemy fail to resonate with contemporary audiences. She¹s tried to liven up the act with sex, but given her tenuous grasp of human desire (and lack of genitals) she¹s not sure she succeeded. And then there¹s that corpse.

Fri 7/30 7:00
Thu 8/5 7:00
Mon 8/9 8:30
Sat 8/14 3:00
Thu 8/19 7:00

MARTIAN HOLIDAY

Written and directed by John DeVore
Performed by Mikki Baloy, David Cote, and Robert Honeywell
No Exit on Mars. "Paradise gets boring. All the dead check out heaven, live their pathetic paradise, get bored and come back home. The dead watch us. That's what's waiting." The last two men in the galaxy, stranded on a rat-infested mine of the red planet, wrestle with isolation, and memory in this sc-fi psychodrama.

Thu 7/29 7:00
Sun 8/15 3:00
Mon 8/16 8:00
Fri 8/20 7:00
Sat 8/21 6:00

MOLOCH AND OTHER DEMONS

Written by Jason Grote
Directed by Noel Salzman
PARADISE LOST meets FAST FOOD NATION in this dark fable about demons and angels in a 21st-century Hell. Mahu works in a meatpacking plant that turns undesirables into hamburgers consumed by Moloch, a powerful Republican elder-demon, and his inanimate board of directors. Mahu's daughter, Dawn, wants to bring peace to a world of constant warfare through her dancing, but is forced into hiding with two murderous AWOL angels who speak an English that synthesizes Shakespeare, Nigerian Pigdin and military slang. A politically relevant yet emotionally gripping dystopian phantasmagoria by a major up-and-coming playwright.

Sat 7/31 7:00
Tue 8/3 8:15

THE MYSTERIOUS STRANGER

Adapted, directed and performed by Michael Gardner
A work-in-progress based on Mark Twain’s short story. Tickets are free.

Wed 8/11 7:00

NO EXIT PART II

Written by Todd Levin
Hell is still other people. Its existence long considered a piece of theater folklore, the missing second act of NO EXIT has at last been discovered and exhumed. Join us for a one-night-only reading of the legendary companion piece that Sartre himself deemed too disquieting for post-war European audience. Translated from the original French by Todd Levin.

Tue 8/10 7:00 PM

PUDDLEJUMP

Written and performed by Tanya Krohn
Directed by Sheila Bandyopadhyay
The Tourism Board of Hell is giving away free vacation packages to the universe's newest hot spot. Four adventurous souls, including a kvetching widower, an ADD boyscout, a Russian nanny, and a cursed diva make the journey. One woman plays them all. Laugh! Cry! Laugh again… Where hell is depends on how you hold the map!

Wed 7/28 7:00
Fri 7/30 9:30
Sun 8/1 3:30
Mon 8/2 9:00

RED BASTARD IS A STAR! Are You?

Written and Created by Eric Davis and Sue Morrison
Performed by Eric Davis
Red Bastard is a visual powerhouse of no holds barred comedy. One of the few performers capable of performing in the difficult performance style of Bouffon, his work is celebrated by all who witness. Provocative, outrageous and hysterical, this one-man bouffon show stars Red Bastard as a grotesque, yet disarmingly charming movement instructor, whose enormous ego is matched only be his colossal red ass. In this show, Red Bastard proceeds to take the piss out of elitism, theatre, politics, the audience and even himself. www.redbastard.com

Sat 7/31 9:15
Sun 8/1 9:30
Thu 8/12 7:00
Fri 8/13 9:45

SOCCER MOMS

Written by John DeVore
Dawn and Dotti are super glad to meet you! Suburban harpies, exploding fourth graders, and Lucifer collide in this scathing parody of the American Dream. Determined to see their daughters succeed on the soccer field, two ambitious mothers make separate deals with a mysterious stranger named Lucky. A staged reading. Tickets are free.

Wed 7/11 8:00

STEP ON BEELZEBUB’S TOES APHRODITE, CRUSH THEM

Written and directed by Angela Lewonczyk
Aphrodite and Beelzebub go head to head about the trials and tribulations of heaven, hell, earth, but most importantly love, in this fantastical romp told via the musical stylings of Chanteuse, the singing and guitar playing narrator. Where is hell if not everywhere and nowhere? And at the end of the day, love conquers and saves all creatures, ethereal or not.

Mon 7/26 8:00 (w/Animal)
Sat 7/31 3:15 (w/Lucifer Is Jesus)
Sun 8/15 5:45 (w/Hell-O and Evil Is Kewl)
Fri 8/20 10:15 (w/Hell Inside and Suicidal Violinists)
Sun 8/22 5:30 (w/Hell’s Belles)

SUICIDAL VIOLINISTS

Written and directed by Erin Andrea
The Suicidal Violinists feast on the most deliciously evil desires of human nature. A group of everyday people in a train station is given total power over time, but they pay the consequences when their paradise of freedom evolves into a demonic dance of the damned. Slicing, stabbing and screaming guaranteed. This piece will surely make you look at your clocks twice . . .

Sat 8/7 7:00 (w/Bargain and Evil Is Kewl)
Sun 8/8 4:30 (w/Blue Puppies and Hell Inside)
Sat 8/14 4:15 (w/Bargain and Evil Is Kewl)
Sun 8/15 8:15 (w/Hell’s Belles and This Is What the Middle Feels Like)
Fri 8/20 10:15 (w/Step on Beelzebub’s Toes and Hell Inside)

THIS IS WHAT THE MIDDLE FEELS LIKE

dance piece on the theme of Purgatory.
Created and performed by Leslie Krauss

Fri 8/13 7:00 (w/ The Kindly Ones and How to Invoke Pan)
Sat 8/14 9:45 (w/Hell’s Belles and Lucifer Is Jesus)
Sun 8/15 8:15 (w/Hell’s Belles and Suicidal Violinists)
Sun 8/22 3:00 (w/Bargain and Rage and Hell-O)

TUMMY OF THE BEAST, featuring PROJECT: PROJEKT

Created by Nathan Phillips and Joe Schiappa (Project: Projekt)
Tummy (tum-ee) - n. the stomach
Of (uv,ov) - prep. indicating relationships 1. belonging to or originating from
The - adj. 1.applied to a noun standing for a specific person or thing
Beast - n. 1.large four footed animal called Project:Projekt

Mon 7/26 7:00
Mon 8/2 7:00
Sun 8/15 7:15
Mon 8/16 7:00
Sun 8/22 6:45

23 Elephants presents

THE UNSPEAKABLE ACT

Inspired by an ancient Japanese fairytale, The Unspeakable Act follows an empress on her journey of sexual discovery with an unlikely lover: a hermit-monk turned demonic sex stud. Through the use of improvisation, dance and movement 23 Elephants has created a show rife with physical comedy and throbbing with innuendo.

Sat 8/7 4:30
Sun 8/8 9:15
Fri 8/13 8:30
Thu 8/19 8:15
Sat 8/21 4:45

WHO IS WILFORD BRIMLEY? THE MUSICAL

Written, performed and directed by Jon Bulette, Nils d’Aulaire & Jay Klaitz
Wilford decides at the age of 32 to run away from his home, Salt Lake City, to escape his father’s fate—that of a salt miner. He moves to LA to become a blacksmith, which, incidentally, is not a fictive detail, and winds up entering into a Faustian pact with his “agent.” Wilford is catapulted into a life of 80’s stardom, befriending Steve Guttenberg, bedding Jessica Tandy (and also Steve Guttenberg), and living a life of excess. His luck, of course, soon turns as he struggles between choosing the right thing to do and the tasty way to do it, and he is reduced to huffing gasoline and playing Santa Claus at the Orange County Mall (this is a fictive detail). Having sunk to his lowest point, Wilford is visited by a strange apparition who points the way to salvation. The show consists of 3 musical acts, book-ended by narration and multimedia presentations. The run time is 1 hour. For more information, check out www.wilford-brimley.com.

Sat 8/7 9:30
Sun 8/8 6:45
Sat 8/14 7:45
Wed 8/18 7:00
Sun 8/22 4:15