The Arthropologist
Horse Head Theatre Co. comes out of hibernation with a dark comedy, Your FamilySucks
Melanie Martin, Greg Dean, Caroline Menefee and Reagan Elizabeth star in HorseHead Theatre Company's production of Your Family SucksPhoto by Darci McFerran
Dean plays Joseph Taubin, a dad with a drinking problem, in Your Family Sucks.Photo courtesy of Horse Head Theatre Company
Amy Burn and Troy Schulze in the Horse Head Theatre Company production of AdamRapp's Red Light WinterPhoto by Anthony Rathbun
Horse Head Theatre Co. rises from the dead — or a long sleep — with its production of Abby Koenig's Your Family Sucks, which runs from Dec. 6 to 22 at War'Hous Visual Studios.
Koenig's dark comedy ends a near two-year quiet spell for the theater company, who we hadn't heard a peep from since they canceled their production of Juarez, based on Terry Allen's concept album, last summer.
Like most Horse Head events, this new production is anything but theater as usual. Koenig's play takes place within a game show, and the audience, which rarely sits on their butts in a passive stupor during a performance, plays the contestants. "It's going to be a grand mess," laughs Koenig, in thinking about her chaotic, wild ride of a play.
A Brief History of Horse Head-ology
The storied troupe had "it" theater company status for a while before going into hibernation. Mostly a boys club of designers, Horse Head charged out of the gate in 2009 with a robust production of Adam Rapp's Red Light Winter at Frenetic Theater, which was temporarily transformed into the red light district of Amsterdam. The production went down in Houston theater history as one of the most solid launches of a new troupe ever. People (myself included) are still talking about Drake Simpson and Troy Schulze's performances in Rapp's brutal drama.
The storied troupe had "it" theater company status for a while before going into hibernation.
Fault Lines, a play about a bunch of guys hanging out in a bar, took place in a bar, as the Brewery Tap became a makeshift theater. Even more "out there" was Among the Thugs, which went down in the Magnolia Ballroom's dank and dingy basement club, the Kryptonite.
Their last but least successful play, Essential Self Defense, returned to Frenetic and included a karaoke bar. Then, they set out to turn the iconic Allen album into an epic show. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, they had to put it off because the band got a better gig. Juarez is slated for the summer with a newly-formed band created especially for this play.
The collective took a devastating loss in the tragic death of Jeremy Choate, the lighting designer who collaborated on most of the projects. Founding members Anthony Contello and K.C. Scharnberg left the city. Holden became a father, and now has a full-time job building a theater department at San Jacinto Community College. It was a difficult year for Horse Head.
The Koenig Connect
Koenig got to know the troupe when she helped with the writing of Juarez. When the project got postponed, Holden asked her, "Got any other scripts?" She did, he read it and Horse Head was back in biz.
"We loved Abby's play," says Holden. "And we thought we could turn it into something Horse Head-y. The concept of a dysfunctional family inside a game show is just the kind of immersive atmosphere we like."
The tag line for the piece is "a play about a family just like yours."
The tag line for the piece is "a play about a family just like yours." Meet the Taubins: Dad's got a drinking problem, mom's got a shopping problem, big sis is sexually confused and little sis needs a reality check — her imaginary friend, a Hebrew pop star, makes her bulimic. Yes, just another day in any of our homes.
Is this play based on Koenig's family? "A little bit. But it's more based on my perception of my family," she admits. "Everyone has memories about their eccentric family as a train wreck, and they all kind of suck."
Your Family Sucks is a departure for Horse Head in many ways. It's their first original script, their first comedy and their first play written by a woman. That's a lot of firsts, but Holden is up for it.
"It's unlike anything else we have done," he says. "It's not so serious, other than a touch of bulimia, that's it."
Although Koenig has had short pieces in local festivals, this is her first fully produced play. She feels the full weight of this career milestone.
"This play I wrote is big and weird and fantastical at times, the Beatles even show up. I was just dying for Horse Head to put their spin on it," she says. "Even after they said they wanted to do it, and we auditioned actors, and looked for spaces, I still didn't quite believe they were going to do it because it was just too exciting. It's been like a dream come true to have my play come to life by some of the most talented and creative theater professionals working in Houston."
For Holden, it's not only great to be back, but to present a play that's kind of sort of perfect for the holidays. Chances are, your family doesn't suck near as much as this one does.
"Bring your family, you will have a good time," he says. "It's going to be a big party."
