Apocalypse! (show)

Apocalypse! (show)
Theater	Salvage Vanguard Theater
Directed by	Brandon Salinas
Produced by	Gnap! Theater Projects
Cast	Aden Kirschner Andreas Fabis Audrey Rachel Sansom Avimaan Syam James Roberts Jason Vines Julie Gillis Justin Davis Katie Thornton Madi Goff Mark Carpenter Meghan Wolff Michael Thomas Topping Haggerty
Crew	Audrey Rachel Sansom
Run	Mar/Apr 2010

This page refers to the Gnap! Theater Projects mainstage show based on post-apocalyptic fiction. For the similarly-themed troupe that performed a La Ronde set in a post-apocalyptic world, see Apocalypse (troupe).

Apocalypse! (show) refers to Apocalypse! (often written all-lower-case: apocalypse!), an improvised longform mainstage show based on post-acopalyptic stories such as The Road Warrior and The Walking Dead.

Summary

The show's concept was to stage a three-act narrative based on postapocalyptic fiction. Each night, one audience member spun the "Apocalypse Wheel" (constructed by Michael Thomas). Nailed to each wedge of the wheel was an apocalypse type, e.g. zombies, gray goo, meteors. The cast was unaware of the possible apocalypse types, so each night was a surprise to them.

For the final performance, since they had not had "zombies" as an apocalypse scenario for the entire run, the wheel was secretly loaded with eight different types of zombie scenarios, each of which was then covered with other non-zombie suggestions. After the wheel stopped spinning, the true (i.e., zombie) scenario was then revealed.

The show's structure was heavily influenced by The Road Warrior, in which a lone hero meets a band of survivors and acquires a sidekick/love interest/protégé. That hero then meets a band of villains who threaten the initial survivors, hero, or protégé. The hero is brought low, then must rise up to conquer the villains.

A narrator brought a mythic quality to the show, along with focus and structure where necessary. Each night, the roles of Hero 1, Hero 2, Villain, and Narrator were decided beforehand.

History

Brandon Salinas pestered Shannon McCormick about this concept for months before Shannon agreed to let him stage it as one of Gnap!'s mainstage shows. A small group workshopped the show in December 2009. The format was formalized over the course of full rehearsals, which began in February 2010. It then ran Fridays and Saturdays, from 3/26/2010 to 4/17/2010. Audrey Rachel Sansom ran lights for the show, and Courtney Hopkin created its costumes.

Casts

Workshop Cast

• Avimaan Syam
• Jason Vines
• Julie Gillis
• Madeline M.
• Michael Thomas
• Topping Haggerty

Show Cast

• Aden Kirschner
• Andreas Fabis
• Audrey Rachel Sansom
• Avimaan Syam
• James Roberts
• Jason Vines
• Julie Gillis
• Justin Davis
• Katie Thornton
• Madi Goff
• Mark Carpenter
• Meghan Wolff
• Michael Thomas
• Topping Haggerty

In addition, Sarah Marie Curry and Courtney Hopkin appeared as guest cast members.

Media

Photos

• Photoset by Roy Moore of the 3/26/10 performance. ("Gray Goo")
• Photoset by Courtney Hopkin of the 3/26/10 and 3/27/10 performances.
• Photoset by Roy Moore of the 4/3/10 performance. ("Giant Comet")
• Photoset by Andreas Fabis of the 4/10/10 performance.
• Photoset by Roy Moore of the 4/16/10 performance. ("Killer Plants")
• Photoset by Brandon Salinas of the 4/17/10 performance. ("Invisible Zombies")
• Photoset by Roy Moore of the 4/17/10 performance.

Publicity

• Trailer for the show.
• Photos from the trailer shoot.