THEATRE | MARCH 21–23 | 7 PM | PAY WHAT YOU WISH
Blackout Theatre Presents Menarche in the U.K.
Blackout Theatre is bringing their production of Menarche in the U.K. by Caroline Toby Graham to FUSION | 708 on March 21–23 at 7 PM.
Stoz is British, nonbinary, and extremely cool. Prinkey is on her period and everything is terrible. Can they make it through anxiety, social pressures, and really bad cramps to just be weird together?
Blackout Theatre is proud to present the world theatrical premiere of Menarche in the U.K. by Caroline Toby Graham, directed by Amelia Ampuero. A coming-of-age dramedy meets a late-night sketch show meets feral Muppets in a DIY punk band, Menarche in the U.K. is an absurd, raunchy, unapologetic celebration of queer joy, a cringy love letter to the awkward years, and an examination of the ways we cope when systems fail us.
PERFORMANCES
Friday, March 21 at 7 PM
Saturday, March 22 at 7 PM
Sunday, March 23 at 7 PM
(This will also be performed on April 4 & 6 at 7 PM)
Cast: Angelina Ortiz; Evening Star Barron; Josh Browner; Kane Distler; Ana Rios; Sebastien Moulton; and introducing Maya Urrutia.
Production Team: Amelia Ampuero, director; Caroline Toby Graham, playwright; Emma Ziegler, stage manager/scenic designer; Jordyn Palma, lighting/props designer; Marion Crouse, costume designer; Santiago Chacon, sound designer; Hailey Tolleson, dramaturg; Stephen Armijo, Blackout production manager; Gavin Barrera, technician.
Tickets are Pay What You Wish!
PARENTAL/CONTENT ADVISORY
This play contains adult language & themes, including technical & informal discussions of sex; abstract representations of blood; bullying/verbal harassment; discussion of solicited and unsolicited nudes; implied masturbation; internalized homophobia; one anthropomorphic sex toy; and smoking.
COMPANY BIOS
Angelina Ortiz (she/her) has a deep love for acting and storytelling. She’s been fortunate to play roles in Blood Wedding, Alice in Wonderland, and She Kills Monsters. After some time away, she is excited to return to the craft with renewed passion and experience. Angelina is ready to shake off the rust, embrace the chaos and dive back into the dream of performing again.
Evening Star Barron (she/her) is a local actor, burlesque performer, intimacy director, and stage combat artist working in ABQ, NM. She is a Resident Acting Company Member with Duke City Rep and has worked with them professionally since 2013, as well as many local companies including Theatre 3, FUSION, and now is happily adding Blackout to the list! As an intimacy director, Evening Star coordinates intimate moments, whether they require physical touch or not, in a way that is safe, repeatable by the actors, and serves the story of the play and production.
Josh Browner (he/they) is a local actor mostly known for their work with Duke City Rep in various Bard Crawls, last seen in King Lear as the Earl of Gloucester. You can also see Josh do Improvised Theatre with their independent team "Left On Read" or The Box's house Harold team "The Nightcap." This is Josh's first show with Blackout Theatre.
Kane Distler (he/him) is an actor, musician, and audio/visual technician based out of Albuquerque. He has performed with many theatre groups around town, including Duke City Repertory Theatre (Bard Crawl: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, As You Like It, King Lear), FUSION Theatre Company (The Real Inspector Hound, Ms. Holmes and Ms. Watson Apt. 2B, Hotel Cassiopeia, The Seven), and Quarantine Productions (Quarantine: X). Kane also played Mr. J in Vera Drew’s 2024 film The People’s Joker, which premiered at TIFF in 2022 and is distributed by Altered Innocence.
Ana Rios (she/her) has been a frequent partner with Blackout since 2023 and enjoys acting and performing. She graduated from UNM with a bachelor's in English and a double minor in Theater and Interdisciplinary Arts. Her journey has included being a Kindergarten teacher and a Middle School English and Theater teacher. When she is not teaching or acting, she enjoys spending her time with her loving and supportive family and friends, especially her dog, Benji. He’s her favorite.
Sebastien Moulton (he/him) is a local filmmaker, poet, and actor. Originally from Taos, Sebastien has been acting in the theatre for over a decade. He has also been in a number of independent and studio films, most notably Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer. At the heart of his acting is a love of storytelling, that is also expressed through his films and poems. He graduated in 2021 from the University of New Mexico with a degree in Film and Digital Media. Sebastien spends his free time hiking, skiing, camping, and enjoying the beautiful landscapes of New Mexico.
Maya Urrutia (she/her) is originally from Las Cruces, NM and has been residing in Albuquerque for the last 8 years. She is a sticker artist, painter, caricature artist, florist, and drummer in a local band called Sourdough. She's a dreamer and finds magic in all of the nooks and crannies that is life. Menarche in the UK will be her theatrical debut.
Amelia Ampuero, Director (she/her) is an actor, director, and the founder and Artistic Director of Duke City Repertory Theatre. She is the first-generation daughter of Bolivian immigrants. She has also worked with several companies in Albuquerque and beyond including Working Classroom, Albuquerque Little Theatre, FUSION, New Mexico Shakespeare Festival, Barter Theatre, and Nebraska Shakespeare.
Caroline Toby Graham, Playwright (they/them) is a queer and nonbinary writer, actor, and dramaturg newly serving as Blackout’s Artistic Director. Produced plays include Low Moon (CNM, Vortex); Stargazing (Theatre on the Farm); The Great Maverick Adventure of 2007 and Fiberglass Burning (UNM), and many short and co-devised works. They wrote for the television show Free Spirit and award-winning web series Thank You, 5. Caro has also performed with FUSION, Duke City Rep, The Vortex, New Mexico Shakespeare Festival, and of course Blackout many times over.