"Bug" An Infinite Abyss Production (Pic Heavy) in FILM / THEATRE / VIDEO WORK & CORPSE NATION

Harken back to a previous post where I stated that I would share with you some of my theatre experience.

I’ll be writing about and sharing pics (sometimes video) including behind the scenes shots of a singular production per post. Some pics may be (NSFW).

Now, although I do occasionally act in some of these productions, it’s not something I ever volunteer to do, but usually do if we are short an actor, I’ll go that extra mile to help out because The Abyss Theatre is home to me, and Erynn the theatre owner is a good friend and like family.

That said, I was not an actor in this particular show.

I was the special effects supervisor (did all the gore, bug bites, scratches etc…) and was the Assistant Director. I also did some of the staging (the floor). It was black originally, I painted it to look like an old, dingy wooden floor).

This is what the set looked like right before the show was about to start.

I don’t have much room backstage, but this is about 1/3 of my make up area (where the magic happens).

For those not familiar…

“Bug” is an award winning theatrical screenplay written by Tracy Letts; it was also a film starring: Ashley Judd, Michael Shannon & Harry Connick Jr. (Michael Shannon was also in the original theatrical production).

We brought this amazing script to our little black box theatre “The Abyss”.

In short, the story takes place in a seedy motel room. Lonely cocktail waitress Agnes lives there, hiding from her violent ex-con ex-husband Jerry Goss. One night, her lesbian biker friend R.C. introduces her to Peter, a Gulf War veteran who might be AWOL. She gets involved with Peter, who grows increasingly paranoid about the war in Iraq, UFOs, the Oklahoma City bombing, cult suicides, and then secret government experiments on soldiers — eventually drawing Agnes into his delusions. The play deals with the issues of love, paranoia, conspiracy theories, and Agnes’ slow descent into insanity under Peter’s influence.

The reviews are in and the critics are raving about BUG at the Abyss Theatre, the production that New Times is calling “…one of the most visceral, most alive theatrical experiences of the year.”

The Miami Herald and Sun Sentinel have also described BUG as “intense,” “creepy,” and “rattling.”

For those interested in reading a couple of professional reviews you can click on the following links.

(The first one was reviewed (at a preview show) before the play officially launched. The set wasn’t complete and we were still working the bugs out (sort to speak)).

http://www.miamiherald.com/entertainment/performing-arts/article31107254.html

http://www.southflorida.com/theater-and-arts/sf-wilton-manors-theater-bug-review-20150819-story.html

This is Dominick, a friend of mine (He’s in a lot of productions here at the theatre).

During rehearsal I would be in back testing out different bug bite effects using makeup and running it by the Director. Once she approved, I was then challenged to recreate them on the actors in record time (that’s the hard part!!!)

In the 2nd act, the gore really ramped up. I had to create more bug bites, faded bug bites plus fresh scratches as well as scabs.

No drugs were of course used, they were fake / simulated.

Some more bts shots…






The main cast & crew

and a bow…

If / when I can regain my health and move back, I look forward to picking up right where I left off. I was heavily involved in every single production put on at The Abyss Theatre since the doors opened in Dec 2014 all the way up to getting sick and being hospitalized in 2016.

Theater is so much more difficult than film or video production, I love the challenge, it keeps me on my toes and there’s always something new to learn. If you’re a creative person, an actor or do lighting, sound etc… and you haven’t done theater or haven’t done it since grade school, I recommend trying/getting get back into it!

I’ll tell you… I can’t wait to get back to my Abyss family!!! Silly as it sounds, I miss the stress!

Last updated July 27, 2017