Applied Mechanics

Applied Mechanics explores the fields where we grow crops and the tables where we break bread. Seeds are time capsules, recipes are histories, and food unlocks rituals for communing with the dead. A cast of three plays out a host of edible narratives. Bring your appetites: this is a play you can eat.

Applied Mechanics makes plays that you can walk through, with immersive sets that you are invited to explore. Many stories unfold simultaneously and each audience member is free to choose how to watch them. Whether you rummage through a character’s suitcase, eavesdrop on a conversation, or read the writing on the wall, no two people see the same show. We build alternative worlds, in intricate full-surround detail, and invite you into them. Our process is highly collaborative and based on a commitment to organizational and artistic innovation. We are inspired by dioramas, theme parties, choose-your-own adventure books, zines, feminism, collectivity, and social justice movements. We have toured from Texas to Maine with our invasion play Portmanteau (2010), condensed the Napoleonic Empire into an hour-long movement opera in Vainglorious (2012), and launched a feminist punk revolution with We Are Bandits (2014). Our other original works include Selkie: A Homemade Play (2009), It’s Hard Times at the Camera Blanca(2009), Ses Voyages Sauvages (2010), Overseers (2011), Some Other Mettle (2013), and Blackmarket (2015). We also cook bi-annual Community Dinners, providing a free meal to anyone who chooses to attend.

You can see Applied Mechanics videos here.