THEATRE UNLEASHED PREMIERES TATTERED CAPES AT FRINGE
Tattered Capes
In 2013, Gregory Crafts wrote a short (but epic) superhero script about M-Pulse, the Eminence of Electromagnetism, to be mounted as part of the Theatre Unleashed show Play/Time. A couple years later, M-Pulse’s story went to the inaugural Short + Sweet 10-Minute Play Festival in Hollywood and not long after, it expanded—along with M-Pulse’s universe—as part of Serial Killers with Sacred Fools.
“During all of this, I realized there was a lot more story to tell,” Crafts said. Two years later, Crafts and Theatre Unleashed are proud to present the full story with Tattered Capes, making its world premiere at studio/stage this June as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
In Tattered Capes, it’s Kevin and Stephanie Connolly’s fifth wedding anniversary, and Kevin has a night of celebration planned for them. Of course, this means he won’t be going out on his regular patrol of Metro City as his alter-ego, M-Pulse, the self-appointed Eminence of Electromagnetism. But things should be fine without him for one night, right? Wrong. One would think that there could be no secrets left between a husband and wife after five years of matrimonial bliss, but when a powerful supervillain’s attack interrupts Kevin and Stephanie’s date, a hero’s unmasking bears significant consequences for the Connollys…consequences that will resonate and redefine their relationship forever.
“Theatre Unleashed is the only producing entity to have brought a show to The Hollywood Fringe every year for the past 10 years and we strive to bring an original work that pushes the boundaries of the typical Fringe fare,” said Artistic Director Jenn Scuderi Crafts. “Tattered Capes combines a relatable, tragic love story with the epic spectacle of a Marvel movie. For our tenth Fringe, we wanted to bring something completely new and bigger than anything we’ve brought in the past. Tattered Capes fits this bill.”
Tattered Capes is the latest from Crafts, who is well-known for his work at Fringe, including his other hit works Friends Like These and Super Sidekick: The Musical, as well as several acting and directing credits, including last year’s Best in Comedy award-winner A Very DIE HARD Christmas.
This production is full of surprises, not the least of which are the stunts and effects that will be incorporated into the show. Putting on such a spectacle of this nature is a rarity in small theatre, as is a story within the superhero genre in general. But the producers and Director Corey Lynn Howe ([title of show], Next to Normal, The Best of Albuquerque Fringe 2025) are quick to point out that Tattered Capes is not all flash without substance. At its core is a deep and tragic love story that will ring familiar with patrons.
“First, I love Greg’s writing; his material has the capacity for tremendous fun and silliness, and great depth in equal measure, which to me is essential in portraying the human experience,” Howe said. “Tattered Capes is no different. There’s a vulnerability inherent in sharing your life with someone on any level, peaks and perils are inevitable. Taking something so fundamental as the function of trust in relationships and placing it in the fantastical realm of superheroes is a concept so extraordinary and yet still so relatable.”
