COMING SOON: UNMASKED

Producer Matt Dorado made a name for himself during LA’s immersive salad days with the Drunken Devil series of horror themed parties, attracting an audience looking to soak up spooky vibes and craft cocktails.

Post-pandemic Dorado moved on from the format, with a decidedly different kind of party — MONSTER PARTY — a show that used horror tropes to talk about being queer in a time when that was culturally oppressed. While set in the past, MONSTER PARTY is decidedly talking about an emerging present.

Dorado is looking to bring back MONSTER PARTY for another run, and to get there he’s breaking out his party throwing skills in the form of UNMASKED — “a Halloween party that combines immersive theatre, cabaret-style performances, and haunting revelry,” which will serve as a gala fundraiser for MONSTER PARTY.

We caught up with Doroado about, well about all the parties, starting with the one that comes up this October 18th at RiTA House in LA.

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NO PROSCENIUM: So you’re back in the party game with UNMASKED, tell us a little bit about what folks can expect?

Matt Dorado: Yes, and I couldn’t be more excited! UNMASKED is likely the most straightforward event I’ve ever produced. There’s some light lore to the show that will be explained prior to entry, but essentially: you’re going to a masquerade party at an (alleged) haunted house, one built in the 1920’s and restored in modern times. There will be the usual trappings of my old parties like roaming magicians, performances, music, and an open bar. But this time… there might be some ghosts there, too. And if you see one, and are convinced to follow them through the haunted halls into the bowels of the house… I can’t be held responsible for what happens. Party if you dare.

NP: This is a fundraiser for another run of MONSTER PARTY, what moved you to bring the show back?

MD: As soon as I wrapped MONSTER PARTY last year, I knew I had to do it again. I was so proud of what we all accomplished, and I realized that this show was something special that deserved to be nurtured, workshopped, and brought back on a bigger scale. I took all the praise, criticism, and feedback from last year’s show and spent time developing the new iteration, and I’m really excited to show audiences how it’s grown.

On another, more thematic level… the election happened a month after the show. And somehow, within a year, America has spiraled into a Twilight Zone-esque reality full of violence, cruelty, and division. We’re experiencing a new and more extreme version of McCarthyism. MONSTER PARTY is an exploration of how Western American systems — like war, religion, patriarchy, greed — turn ordinary people into monsters, terrorizing one another while those in power benefit. So it almost feels artistically irresponsible to not do this show again.

NP: You put DRUNKEN DEVIL behind you, is it odd to be jumping back into horror themed party planning, or does this feel like coming around full circle?

MD: Can I say both? I definitely didn’t intend to jump back into creating these parties. But I think because I’m doing it from a fundraising standpoint, it makes much more sense.

The next run of MONSTER PARTY is my first time creating a show as a fiscally sponsored artist. I’m working with a nonprofit that has, essentially, extended key 501(c)(3) benefits to me. For instance, any donation made to support MONSTER PARTY is tax-deductible because it goes through the nonprofit (which has been a game changer for creating this type of work). Anyone who has worked at a nonprofit knows that the centerpiece of any fundraising season is an annual gala. So I’m doing my own thing, holding a fundraising party that just so happens to have DRUNKEN DEVIL energy.

A friend of mine told me that one of the things he loved most about DRUNKEN DEVIL was that, over the years, the events had organically developed a community; community is key when it comes to trying to get your art made. So while the intent is obviously to raise money for next year’s show, it does feel like I’m coming around full circle by bringing this community together once again, and hopefully winning over some new supporters in the process.

NP: What do you feel like you learned on the first run of MONSTER PARTY that’s going to influence the next?

MD: I learned many, many lessons. But if I could pinpoint one of the most important, it was that I needed to shift my mindset as a creator. When I was planning MONSTER PARTY last year, it was my first time back in the producing game after many years, and I was still operating in an old mindset. My frame of reference for creating work for so long had been DRUNKEN DEVIL — one-off experiences, often produced under tight timelines, without adequate room for the narrative and characters to develop properly. In fact, the storytelling often took a back seat to the party elements, but this worked for the format of DRUNKEN DEVIL shows.

MONSTER PARTY was a different beast, even if I didn’t fully realize it at the time. And after the first run, I’ve completely shifted my mindset of how I’ve approached it. It’s a complicated show with rich characters that deserve to be fleshed out, and a storyline that calls for a unique format that I didn’t give myself enough time to develop. But, as I mentioned before, I’m so excited to show everyone what this has become. It’ll be bigger (literally, taking place at RiTA House instead of a singular room in the back of an art gallery), and feature multiple narrative tracks and show moments, all within the context of a wild soirée. I can’t wait!

But, I suppose, one party at a time.

NP: What can fans who are coming to this, or thinking about coming to this, do to get into the mood of the experience?

MD: If you haven’t gotten into the Halloween spirit yet (which feels impossible if you’re in LA, because Halloween basically started at the end of August), I feel like that’s step number one. Put on an old monster movie (I humbly suggest Universal’s 1925 classic, The Phantom of the Opera), light some candles, and dive in.

Whenever I plan a project, I always create a correlating playlist to help get me in the mood. I extracted 20 songs from my UNMASKED playlist for the NoPro crowd, featuring spooky disco and haunting old jazz — have a listen as you get ready to party!

On top of all the things I mentioned in my previous answers, UNMASKED is an opportunity to celebrate, to gather in-person and in community, and let loose a little. It’s a party! Go all out. Plan an outfit. Find the wonkiest or creepiest mask you possibly can (or, if you have time, make your own!) I’m excited to see everyone there and to revel in Spooky Season with you all.

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