Author Archive
Read the BroadwayWorld.com article on “Captive Pilgrim” here: https://www.broadwayworld.com/brooklyn/article/Zero-Untitled-NYC-Presents-The-First-Stage-Reading-Of-CAPTIVE-PILGRIM-20180430
Rehearsal discussion
Divided by Zero – Interview Series “The Hunt of the Scarecrows”
We sat down with Dark Tour veterans and stars of the upcoming “The Hunt of the Scarecrows” actors Andrea Lorin, Justin Bennet, and director Michael Verderber to get some insight on this next production. The espionage-based play is a radical departure from the usual horror themed Dark Tours. Dark Tours are Zero Untitled’s name for their immersive production series staged in pitch-black spaces in which audiences travel the space with only dimmed flashlights. Previous productions have been set in Wonderland and Willy Wonka’s factory, but with this latest show, the group returns to the noir, crime-filled world of Emerald City.
DB0: Tell me a little bit about your role in the upcoming Dark Tour.
Andrea Lorin: Everyone in this show, myself included, plays a different role every night. So if you want to learn more, you’ll just have to come all three nights and see for yourself!
Justin Bennet: I play Finch, a detective and Finch is just trying to set things right after years of being a corrupt cop.
Michael Verderber: In addition to co-writing and co-directing, I will be a handler for the show.
DB0: What’s a handler?
MV: Oh, I will be helping out with the technological aspects of the show. Some audience groups will be required to go online and connect with an Operative who will give them mission directives.
DB0: What can audiences expect from coming to this show?
JB: The audience can expect wall-to-wall action and feel like they are making a difference in the story.
AL: Audiences can expect lots of walking, espionage, and clues that will keep you guessing.
MV: A different sort of work. Katherine (co-director and playwright) and I wanted to venture into new territory; away from horror and to tread something new. But like previous shows, the immersive element is what will make it fun. The difficulty is, will the audience miss something? So, definitely confusion and mistrust, but that is by design.
DB0: Can you expand on that?
JB: (Laughs)
MV: Yeah, the show has a timing element where certain events happen at certain times, so if the audience isn’t where they are supposed to be, they might miss out.
JB: Like in a scene that I am in, some groups will see it while others will not.
AL: Same here.
MV: So seeing the show which has four different “paths” is the best way to get the big picture.
DB0: How does this show differ from other immersive Dark Tours that Zero Untitled has done?
AL: A traditional Dark Tour is often indoors and meant to scare you while also telling a story. The Hunt of the Scarecrows, an outdoor experience, is meant to make you think and think quickly, as you only have a certain amount of time to complete your mission. There is also no “tour guide” as in most of our Dark Tours, taking you from place to place – the cryptic clues you receive are your only guide, along with your wits and knowledge of the TAMUK campus.
JB: What set this different than other Dark Tours from the past is that we are giving the fate of the play into the hands of our audience. Plus the audience now has freedom to move more freely, because in the past the audience was confined into a close space. But with this Dark Tour, we give them for freedom to interact with our characters and their environment.
DB0: Thanks, gang! “The Hunt of the Scarecrows” has two performances per night at 7:00 and 8:15 on May 7, 8, and 9.
M-A-Y
As you can see, we have a ton of back-to-back shows in May. So you will have 9 chances to catch some of our shows in Texas and in New York City.
Preview image for “Scarecrows”
Preview image for “Scarecrows”
Here is the official flyer for the 10th Dark Tour, the immersive, vehicular, on-foot, and on-line based spy theatrical experience – “The Hunt of the ScareCROWs”!
Return to the seedy world of Emerald City, a noir-crime world riddled with suspicious characters and events. Navigate the performance by following directions (scavenger hunt style) in multiple path ways that intersect and unfold the complete story. If you have seen our shows “Nightmare of Oz” and “Night at the Opal”, you have an idea of the kind of crime drama that is being developed. But, what you see might not be a part of the show…
Take the multiple paths and find out how to hunt down Dorothy, fend off the Tin Men, and infiltrate the ScareCROWs. Each performance and each path are all different.
Here is the first look at the flyer for our upcoming ZU-NYC staged reading of “Captive Pilgrim”, a new dramatic offering from NYC playwright Anel Carmona and under the direction of Paul Edwards.
And here is the more completed flyer with more Zero Untitled information on it.
And here is the promotional blurb, written by Anel Carmona: Zero Untitled – NYC presents the first stage reading of “Captive Pilgrim”. The Big Apple’s branch of the seasoned Texan company, Zero Untitled, presents the first stage reading of the new play “Captive Pilgrim”, by Anel Carmona. Based on the short story by Gabriel Garcia Marquez “I Only Came to Use the Phone”, “Captive Pilgrim” sets us back to 1970s Spain where a woman named Maria mistakenly rides a bus that leads her into inexplicable confusions that will change her life. Directed by Paul Edwards and with a full Hispanic cast, “Captive Pilgrim” deals with the subjects of credibility and mental health from the perspective of both: people who should be believed in and people who should believe. The question is which is which? The reading, followed by a brief Q&A and a small reception, will take place on May 11th at The New Gallery located at 127 Tompkins Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. Admission is free with required RSVP to captivepilgrimtheplay@gmail.com Space is limited.
A HUGE shout out to Katherine Orozco-Verderber for being an official FINALIST for “The Josephine Foundation Excellence In The Arts Award For Best Performance Of 2017 By An Adult Female” for her performance in “Unending Repetition”!
Test audio for “The Hunt of the ScareCROWs”. Agents, please listen.
Julio Martinez and Annette Otero Otero in rehearsal.
If you have followed ZU, you’ll recall us doing a beta test run of a forthcoming project a few months ago. Well, that time is upon us. The second official rehearsal for the spy-game Dark Tour “The Hunt of the ScareCROWS” occurred on Wednesday night.
This Dark Tour will not be restricted to one playing space, but instead will occur in various locations in Kingsville, TX. Performance is slated for later this month and more details are forthcoming.
Justin Bennett and Katherine Orozco-Verderber making the walk
Ava and Katy singing for “Coffee Shop Girl: The Musical”.
Allan Guzman came in to work on some lead solos for a metal song.
David and Zeta working on “Coffee Shop Girl”
So, Zero Untitled has dedicated all of March to “March Music Month” to allow our talent individuals to work on all of those music projects we just don’t have time for. So, now, there is no excuse! Robert and Andrea are working on piano music, Michael is working on some score and a metal song, Zeta and Julio are working on some hip hop tracks, a new musical is in development, and long-time collaborator, DJ Oringe, is developing some new music as well. Plenty is going on so here are some pics from last night’s rehearsal.
Here are some pics of just a few of the works in development.
Cover art for DJ Oringe’s “Pummel”
UPDATE: Here is the newly released song “Pummel” by DJ Oringe! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I2dR1oRItfo
Octavio Quintanilla
Octavio Quintanilla, poet of several of ZU’s poetry videos, was recently named San Antonio, Texas’s Poet Laureate! Congratulations to him on this FANTASTIC award!
See his videos here on one of our YouTube pages. You can watch “Message”, “Mal de Ojo”, and “Cafe Triste”! https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeroUntitledFilm/videos
A link to the article can be found here: https://www.mysanantonio.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article/City-s-fourth-poet-laureate-announced-12768479.php
