playbill vip

Four years ago, I decided to direct Evil Dead: The Musical for the first time. In preparation, I went to the resident showing in Las Vegas. People always say, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas." As far as this show was concerned, I couldn’t have agreed less! I found a something I wanted to share with the world (or at least with the people in my small part of the world).

Here we are four years and three productions later, and it still hasn’t gotten old. I never expected that Evil Dead, a show based on of some of my favorite movies, would actually become more than a simple one-and-done.

A large part of my love for this show is you, the audience members. I live in a world full of people who love theatre. You eat, sleep, and breathe theatre. You post memes about theatre on social media. You come to see shows because there is a show to see. You come to see shows because you have friends that you love supporting, just as they come to support you when you are in a show… and I am terribly thankful to you.

But then there’s the OTHER type of audience members. The Evil Dead FAN. And yeah, that full caps is on purpose. You drive from states away to come see this show. You look at audience members who are draped in ponchos and shake your head. You know how this is supposed to go. It may not end badly for our hero, but it always ends bloody. You point at a prop or a set piece and laugh at the Easter eggs hidden here and there. You don’t care about theatre, you care about EVIL DEAD…and I am just as thankful to you.

The two of you together form a large chunk of everything that is important to me in my life. I consider myself an artist. I design and build sets. I have the great privilege of helping young artists on the path to improving my industry. I have a wonderful career doing the things I am fortunate enough to be good at and enjoy. I am a horror fan. I revel in getting to cover an audience and cast members in blood. I can’t believe I am lucky enough to be putting a man on stage with a chainsaw, and watching him decimate a flock of Deadites…and nobody looks down on me for that. Thats because of all of you.

(cont.)