“Rectangles” is a punk performance-art musical about how hard it is to eat RECTANGLES. Ever tried? They’re sharp! But I just keep putting them in! Though, for the character of Maddie Mutations, rectangles aren’t just blocks, they’re the sharp needs of others, real and imagined, that she struggles to reject as they pile up undigested. Within this musical, I scream at them, I love them, I eject them, I paint myself the mutating jester of the room, comically and emotionally depicting this battle within myself. For 30 minutes, I stuff red, yellow, and blue blocks into my maximalist costume, belting and crooning my staggeringly strange yet surreally sincere songs to gawking eyes. Then, a Seuss-ian puppet is rambunctiously revealed in a surprising ending.
I’ve been workshopping this piece since 2021 and audiences say it’s something they’ve never seen before. From avant-garde lullaby punk songs like “Scronch my Haunch” to Lynch-ian synth ballads like “Mistake”, these songs slap people awake with weirdness and then pull them close with their hauntingly rich harmonies. Endearing neurodivergent rambling narrations, ruminate on this strange pain in my belly, what the point of my butt surgery was, and explore the core metaphor that compares the damaging act of eating blocks with the real life harm my people pleasing behaviors cause me.
I start the show with eyes closed, chanting myself through an introverted seance. Manic and peculiar, I whisper and then shout “RECTANGLES”, and slowly start selecting blocks to eat from a pile beside me. The Rectangles lore begins. You’re in my head, my deep husky voice hugging your ear – a stark contrast to the BANG in your ear my lewd hip hop dance number will hit you with later. It feels chaotic! And so is changing your mental patterns.My puppets and props help us see muddy internal parts of myself clearly and actualize intangible concepts.
Throughout my time performing this piece, I’ve played for packed backyards, loud bars, and underground art warehouses, working through the kinks with each new pair of eyes. I’m always in a mindset of growth and for Fringe, I plan to take on ambitious updates to my set. Currently the setup is quite minimal – me, a mic, and my small footprint of props. I’ll be working on the following elements of ‘Rectangles" to show this piece at the Hollywood Fringe Festival.
- Releasing the completed soundtrack prior to the show
- choreographing my movement and puppetry in more detail
- Making additional boxes to surround me with internal surprises I’ll engage with
- Incorporating a full projection video behind me
- merch and giveaway blocks to be sold or thrown at audience members during the performance
Learn More at linktr.ee/MaddieMutations
