The flashback scene with the Ghosts. Clockwise from top left: Luis Zaragosa as Ghost Cowell, Julio Martinez as Cowell Lyons, Baron Kiespert as Ghost Oz, Antone Verastegui as Ghost Crowe, and Olivia De Bosque as Dorothy.

With an attendance in the upper 200’s, “Nightmare of Oz” concluded after the two scheduled performances.  Both shows lasted over 5 hours (each night).  Monday’s opening performance ran from 8 pm until 1:35 am.  Tuesday’s performance ran from 8 pm to 2:27 am. 

Despite some trepidation about the show (it was a departure from the horror-driven roots of “Into Hell” and the “…Wonderland” series), the show was a huge success.  “Nightmare…” was far more murder-mystery than horror, although some scares and gore were evident.

“On Tuesday night, the crowd just kept coming.  It was almost impossible to keep up,” said playwright Katherine Orozco, “Every hour or so, I’d take a peak out the window to take a look at the waiting audience and the line never seemed to get shorter.  I saw people get right back in line to see it again.”

That feat is better understood due to the wait in line.  The average wait for the audience was roughly two hours. 

“To think that people waited two hours in line, just to get back in line and wait for another two hours is a testament to the fun of the show, “said Orozco, who also played one of the “bad cops” Detective Linda Wolffe.

Seated clockwise from top left: Stephen Clark and Vince Chavez as the Henchmen, Chelsea Tovar as the Secretary, Samantha Garcia as Ava Westfield (Wicked Witch), and center is CJ Lillie, playing Sherwood “OZ” Payes.

“Seeing the people’s faces made the issue of time irrelevant.  The length of time seemed to pass by quickly once you saw the audience’s intrigue and fright,” said Baron Kiespert, who played the role of Ghost Oz.

Julio Martinez, who played the role of Cowell Lyons, stated, “It was definitely an interesting trip to adapt a children’s story into an adult-driven murder mystery that was still somewhat scary.”

Michael Verderber’s last firebreathing show (the tenth show was simply called “X”) ended up having an interesting twist in terms of being “last”.  Roughly 4 minutes into the performance, the group was shut down due to safety reasons.

According to Verderber and Luis Zaragosa (the other firebreather), the wind was problematic, the crowd was too close, miscommunication with university officials, and Luis’s fire stick kept extinguishing itself.

“Safety is a big issue with the fire shows.  The university officials thought it best to shut it down, which I’ll concede was the right choice to make.  It’s their event, we have to do what they say and if it makes the event safer for people, all the better,” stated Verderber.

Below is a link to a video uploaded to youtube that shows the brief performance.  Thanks to Anissa Medina for the video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kY8pJawHHdw&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Here is our second “Nightmare of OZ” trailer, called “The Rules of Emerald City”. Warning: adult language.

Nightmare of Oz – Rules of Emerald City

[jwplayer mediaid=”1937″]

Been waiting for a chance to see some firebreathing?  Wait no more.  “X: A FireBreathing Showcase” will be Zero Untitled’s tenth firebreathing performance!  Come watch the action tonight at 9 pm at Texas A&M Univ – Kingsville’s annual Fall Festival.  This is a FREE event.

Enjoy!  A second teaser is on the way, too.  Check back in a few days!

Zero Untitled’s 2004 production “Flowers in the Fall” (ZERO-006) will be getting revived for a joint production (and mini-Textual Overture) with the organization The Poetry Cafe of Kingsville.  Performance is scheduled for September 28 at the RailRoad Gazebo in Kingsville.

Rehearsals have already begun and feature a cast of several T.O. usuals. Rehearsal pictures coming soon.

ANGELINA – Beth Cantu (“All the World’s a Stage”, “Relapse…”)

PEDRO – Dylan Ochoa

RAUL – Felix Cruz III (“Flight 1826”, “Violin”) 

TERESA – Olivia Del Bosque (“Wandering Blvd”, “Forest”)

YOUNG TERESA – Jasmin Resendez

DIRECTOR – Jacob Elizalde (“Heart and Stole”, “Into Hell”)

STAGE MANAGER – Rebekah Ramos (“Acoustical”, PrePunch)

CREW – Ryan Snodgrass, Jasmin Resendez

Last night’s production of Premature Punchline’s “Fish and Giggles” (and our 63rd production) went off without a hitch. Well, maybe a few comic hitches.  New to the cast and crew of PrePunch was Rolando Rios, who previously appeared in “Into Hell”, and Rebekah Ramos, who previously appeared in “Relapse in Wonderland”.  Making his acting debut for PrePunch was writer Julio Martinez who played the role of Professor Caffeine in the skit “True College Learning”.

From left to right: Aaron Salinas, Rolando Rios, Joshua Cavazos, Andrew Frimpong (on bottom), and Nicholas Zaragosa during the game “Penalty Hat”.

Next up on the ZU schedule is the editing for the film “Unheard”, which was filmed in the summer in Austin, TX.  And in addition to that, the next mainstage production “Nightmare of Oz”.  Look for those soon.