On Nov. 22, the immersive live experience Pink to Black, a collaborative project between Thunder River Theatre Company (TRTC) and El Dorado, returns and is sure to get the audience moving to the sounds of electronic music, with Heady Hooligan opening for Magic Beans on TRTC’s black box stage.
On down the line, Pink to Black audiences can anticipate the ambient sound of Chilean-American rock group Kiltro on Jan. 16, and local-act Dank Cilantro opening for the genre-fluid indie group Houseplant on March 21, wrapping this run up.
With this second season, members of the Pink to Black team, including El Dorado owner Mike Arnold, TRTC’s Artistic Director Missy Moore and Pink to Black booking agent Aly Sanguily, plan to take what they learned from the first run and to put the pedal to the metal.
“We have our stuff figured out. We don’t have to redo all the branding and marketing,” said Arnold. “Hopefully, we create a brand and a name that resonates with people, [and] they’re going to show up every year, no matter who is booking. Even if they don’t know the band or even if they don’t like that genre of music, they’ll trust what Pink to Black means.”
Sanguily piggybacked on this sentiment, sharing how the team was able to get their ducks in a row with the last run and is hoping to keep things casual through what she described as a “fun marriage” between herself and El Dorado and TRTC crews.
“It’s been a fun marriage between us hardcore music fans and the theater side of it. We rely on each team to bring their A game,” she said. “I thought all three shows [last season] were incredible. Yes, we wish that we had more people there, but the people that came were like, ‘Oh, cool. I’m going to keep coming if you guys keep doing this.’”
In addition to elevating the experience for audiences, Moore said she and the team remain dedicated to providing the same inviting experience for the talented performers. Moreover, she hopes this partnership will enhance the space during the winter months between the theater’s own productions.
“TRTC, yes, is a theater company, but a venue that is in the heart of a creative district,” said Moore. ”The more that we continue to uplift, uplift and amplify creative voices — be it in a music realm or a theatrical realm or whatever — there is no ceiling … If there is, we’re going to shatter it.”
Moore and TRTC Technical Designer Taylor Barr, who was responsible for the plethora of bicycles at the Pink Fuzz show back in January, shared how the process of designing these shows starts with learning the band’s vibe to help with the aesthetic and the ambiance.
Barr shared that he has more time to explore this creative process this time around, which he expressed with a lot of excitement.
“The process includes me listening through the bands and their discographies as much as I can before they arrive in town,” Barr said. “I’m lucky enough that this time, we have an entire week to put it together before anyone’s even in the space, whereas last year the most time I had was three days. I’m really looking forward to having more time and wherewithal to put up something cool and bigger.”
To purchase tickets for upcoming Pink to Black experiences, including the first gig, featuring opener Heady Hooligan and headliner Magic Beans, on Nov. 22 at 8pm, visit www.thunderrivertheatre.com