This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Welcome to the Drama Book Show! My name is Mark-Eugene Garcia.

[0:21] David Rigano: My name is David Regano. And this is season two, episode eight. Yeah. And this is a special, we say that a lot. Oh, this is such a special one. But yeah, they're all very special episodes here. But this one, this one was a lot of fun because I'm used to being on one side of this. I'm used to either setting up the tech or sometimes very rarely moderating. And this time I didn't do that.

[0:49] Mark-Eugene Garcia: You were in the hot seat.

[0:49] David Rigano: I was actually, let me make it clear. I did still set up the tech and I also set up the chairs, but I was also in the hot seat. The featured author for this event was none other than Mark-Eugene Garcia.

[1:01] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah, it was fun. I was also really nervous, but I couldn't have been in better hands because I had the best moderator.

[1:13] David Rigano: It's true. My mom was there and my mom went on to say, what a great moderator I had.

[1:18] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Oh, thanks Mark's mom. But you know what? Let's just dive right in. This whole episode is just a lot of you and me. So yeah, let's hear the event that we did with Mark about his three plays.

[1:36] David Rigano: So usually when we do this, there's no one else in the store. No, it's just, oh, when we do the intros and outros, it's just us. But now we have a whole crew with us. So Mark, you and I have known each other. I'm 25 this year. So carry the three, carry the four. Yeah. 15 years, 16 years? A little over, close, coming up on 20 years.

[2:01] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Oh my God. Because we met in 2008.

[2:09] David Rigano: Yes. When we were both selected and put together to collaborate on Facing East. The show I left off of the bio.

[2:17] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah. I noticed.

[2:17] David Rigano: Oh, I want to rewind all the way back there because I want to talk, because it's been so fun for me to watch so many of these evolve. I want to talk about another title that was not on the list. But it was.

[2:34] Mark-Eugene Garcia: But it was. So back in 2008, when we were sitting at like an Au Bon Pain or something, just being like, hey, let's get to know each other because we just wrote a song together. You were telling me about a musical that you were working on, which at the time was entitled Up in the Air.

[2:55] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yes. Up in the Air was the first full length show I ever wrote. I was 22 when we started it. And I know exactly where I was because I was trying to get the rights. I was 22. I was a new writer and I found this book that I wanted the rights to. And so I got up and the book came out in the 70s. No one wanted this book. But I was like, I got to jump on this right now. So I got up super early in the morning to call Random House in New York because I was in California. And they were like, yeah, no, nobody needs the right to this. You're good. And nobody's asking for it. And once that was done, I was ready to go back to bed because I'd done the task I had for the day. And the news was on and it was a fluff piece that said, what happens to a small town in Ireland when a Viagra factory opens up?

More after this. And I was like, what? That sounds like a play. And so I watched this news article and it was this town in Ireland. And they said they had no income. They had no tourism. And they said that this nearby Viagra factory's fumes were affecting the town and there were more animals and there were more babies and the couples were happier and that old men were wandering the streets at night. And I just thought, man, that is a play and Pfizer's. No, this is not true. That can't possibly true. And I'm just like, but what if it was? Yeah. And so and also they started selling bottles of air. And that's what the thing is. They started selling bottles of air and people started showing up at this town and it became they started calling it Viagra Falls for a while. And yeah, there's a little Irish town, Ringskiddy. And so I brought it to my collaborator. I'm like, I have this idea. And he was like, this is bonkers. Let's do it. And so we created this show.

[4:38] David Rigano: So question, did you do that instead of the book that Random House had just given you?

[4:43] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yes, I did. Yes, I did. It was a very serious piece about what is life and what we do with our time. And someday I'm going to write it. It's in the former. Yeah. But this caught my attention. This was way too much more.

[4:56] David Rigano: Viagra in the air.

[4:57] Mark-Eugene Garcia: There is Viagra in the air. And keep in mind, I was 22. So that's prime to talk about stuff like that. There were a lot of dick jokes in that show.

[5:06] David Rigano: No, think of me.

[5:07] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Really?

[5:07] David Rigano: Think of me at 45, but then try to think of me at 22.

[5:10] Mark-Eugene Garcia: 22, yeah. It was a whole different slew. Yeah. And so we worked on it for a while. And I actually showed up in New York in 2006 with Hope and the demo from that show.

[5:24] David Rigano: Three bucks, two bags.

[5:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah. I live here now. Yeah. And so at what point did you and Jeff Thompson, your collaborator, decide that maybe you didn't want it to be a musical and you would write it as a play?

[5:39] Mark-Eugene Garcia: That took some time. We really tried to work on it. I think it was like probably around 2010. This is like 2004 when the first draft came in and we did a reading of it at our workshop. And then we did that for a year and then we did a performance of it in 2005. And then we both moved here in 2006. And we really tried until around 2010. And it just wasn't working. And that happens. That's part of writing. And we just realized we were both writing two different shows. And we also couldn't figure out certain things about the show, the why behind it. And also, I think we were getting older and the things that were funny to us when we were 22 weren't as funny to us anymore. And when we stayed friends, it's like a divorce. We stayed friends. We still hang out. I got to keep this kid because I brought it to the table. And so it just stayed in the drawer.

[6:32] David Rigano: That makes me feel like a step-parent.

[6:34] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah, because of Holy Cows?

[6:35] David Rigano: Because that happened with another one of your shows with Jeff and then I came on board with Holy Cows.

[6:40] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Step-parents are great parents.

[6:43] David Rigano: Exactly.

[6:45] Mark-Eugene Garcia: So when you were writing Up in the Air as a musical, how much invention was there from the musical set in Ireland?

[6:56] Mark-Eugene Garcia: No, no. We took it completely different. We took the concept, the idea. It's not even Viagra anymore. It is a drug-induced fume cloud that affects the town. But there are sex zombies involved. And in the real life, it's not true. In real life, Pfizer has said we don't even make the active ingredient that does this there. But in this case, it does. It was important that it really was a sex cloud. What other show has this? And we moved it to Minnesota. A lot of it, I tend to write a lot about my background and my family. And you're like, Minnesota. But I have a lot of family from that Minnesota, South Dakota, Ohio, that area. And so, hence Holy Cows, things like that. Those parts are a big part of me as well. And so I wanted to be like an homage, even though they're wacky in this. But I wanted to have some kind of piece of me in that show. And so we moved it to Minnesota for that reason.

[7:51] David Rigano: Oh, yeah.

[7:51] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Oh, yeah.

[7:53] David Rigano: So we'll put a pin in Up in the Air for right now. And we'll just move on chronologically.

[8:01] Mark-Eugene Garcia: So the first play that you had published?

[8:06] David Rigano: Yes.

[8:06] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Eight Tales of Pedro.

[8:07] David Rigano: It was Eight Tales of Pedro. Yes.

[8:09] Mark-Eugene Garcia: There's some of the Eight Tales people here.

[8:12] David Rigano: I think we have some storytellers here.

[8:17] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Speaking of, my sources tell me that when the original draft was called Pedro Stories, all of the characters were just listed as Storyteller Number One, Storyteller Number Two. So what was the initial inspiration for what would become Eight Tales of Pedro? And how did you find your way from your Greek chorus of storytellers to what the play is about now?

[8:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It's actually interesting because the genesis of Eight Tales of Pedro started with Up in the Air. So we had done a workshop of Up in the Air. And the moderators of the workshop at NMT, Academy of New Musical Theater, just ripped me apart. They really did. And so they tore me apart. But it's okay, because that makes us better. And again, part of the writing process. And I went home, and I was like, oh, man. And then I got an email from them suggesting me. So the way the program worked is they have the beginners, and then they have the advanced, which is where I was. And then they had the producer-driven projects. And if you have done something in advance, you could possibly be picked to work on a project that a producer was already behind or was interested in.

And I got this email saying, we're interested in doing a musical about Pedro Ortemales, who is a Latin folktale. And we would like you to write book for this. And I wrote back, are you sure you're emailing the right person? You just tore me apart, not even 24 hours ago. And they're like, no, that show has its own things, but we know you know what you're doing with this. And that was another show that we tried. The producer was involved for a little bit and then didn't want to do it anymore. But I fell in love with the stories, with the fable. It was like a Robin Hood type story of someone who tricks rich people out of their money or tricks bad people out of their situations. And I liked that. And the stories traveled from Spain. And there's a fun sense of justice.

[10:14] David Rigano: Oh, yeah, truly. And the stories traveled from Spain to Puerto Rico to Latin America, and they've changed with every country. Sometimes the details change, but the stories mostly have stayed the same. And it's one that I sat on for 10 years because one, I didn't know if I could write it, and two, I didn't know why I was writing it, because it was just fun. And that's something I think I learned, and that's where I later learned with Up in the Air and anything really, is that you have to have why you're writing it, because then there's a heart behind what you're doing. And that was something with Up in the Air is we didn't have the heart. We had the jokes, but we didn't have the heart.

[10:49] Mark-Eugene Garcia: The wrong organ is what you're saying.

[10:53] David Rigano: Yeah, yes. And so with Eight Tales, I had all the stories for a really long time, but I hadn't found that why yet. And again, that was around Up in the Air times until what later would be when Eight Tales of Pedro came out. And it started at Santa Land at one of my jobs. The thing is, with Eight Tales, I'd tried different things. I was like, oh, they're actors caught in a rainstorm, and they start telling each other these stories. Oh, they're actors in a wagon that go town to town telling these stories. And the stories all stay there, but the why wasn't there. And then I had this encounter at my old job where these two people were arguing in line, and I was the manager on duty. So I got called out to help them and or separate them.

And one of them was accusing the other of cutting. And so I stepped in and just asked them, I said, I'm not accusing you, but this is what was said. And the guy who I was talking to just turned to me and said, Are you even a citizen in this country? And it just was like, it went from zero to 100 so fast. I wasn't not expecting it. And it was at the heart of like, right after the 2016 election. So we were very

[12:00] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I was like, yes, I am. But does that even matter? And he said, some people shouldn't be. And again, just boom. And so I radioed my boss, who was actually Santa, it was at Santaland, radioed my boss and said, Hey, I am going to step out for an hour and a half, because I knew the line was an hour and a half. And I waited in line with them. I was in the back of all of their photos and said nothing. I just stood there and just was there. And that was just for me. But I got home and I saw my husband and I said, I know I am writing this play now. And it's about this. And it's about someone who has had a situation like that and is dealing with it and choosing to deal with it in this way. It is someone who is trapped between worlds of not being Latino enough, but also looking Latino and being in this middle ground.

And I think that everyone's in the middle ground somewhere. And so I wanted to bring that up. And it suddenly hit. And the idea of them being in a van, going to a new country and being scared of this new country and not knowing what was about to happen and using these fables as a coping mechanism really hit. And I didn't even have the twist in it yet. But as the story progressed, because again, they were all storytellers that started to become real. And yeah, they were all labeled storyteller one through six, which was really confusing for the actors the first time. And so again, continued on this journey. It was probably one of the most personal stories I ever wrote as I was finding that I thought, all right, I do need to name these characters.

And I went into my own family tree and found just distant relatives. And there's an Alfonso and there's an Escolastica and there's a Felipe. And that has been my favorite. Escolastica is one of my favorite names. When I found that, I was like, what? And it just, they all continue to evolve.

[14:13] David Rigano: Did you know, or I guess at what point did you know you were going to name one of them Peter?

[14:20] Mark-Eugene Garcia: That was probably the last name that I figured out. And because the title then was the Pedro stories. And then when I realized I was going to name him Peter, and that the van itself was going to be the tale, a tale, then it was like, oh, it's eight tales of Pedro. And yeah, a little spoiler alert for those of you who haven't seen or read or were in it. Yeah. In the past almost 10 years, my God. Yeah. And it just, it all came from that. And then I had these wonderful actors and that's something that I love when it comes to writing. And anyone who's worked with me will know that the draft that goes into rehearsal is not the draft that the show is. And I love that because it's like, why even print it?

But I love seeing the draft that actors have played with, especially with eight tales. There was so much improv and I told them all I'm stealing this. Just so you know, you're contributing to this now because actors are smart and actors bring things to the table. Richard is here and Richard is a professional clown. And when I knew that Felipe suddenly got that clown, a lot of physical comedy. And it was like, yes, you can play a donkey. Yes. You can play a villain. Yes. You can do these things because I knew what he had. So did he grow that mustache just so that he could twirl it as the villain since then?

[15:47] Richard: Yes.

[15:52] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah. You start writing. Rich, you are such a great mustache twirling villain. Yes. And such a great ass. But the original Escolastica was a teaching artist. And so her character became that and they became real. I love what actors bring to the table for that reason, because it just fleshes out the story. They're smarter than me. That's what eight tales of Pedro. My actors are smarter than me. There you go. That's my business card.

[16:12] David Rigano: So I am going to keep just moving forward because we have some actors that we're going to see. And then I want to open it up to other people to ask some questions. So the next one that you had published was With Bated Breath, which was your non-musical rewrite of Up in the Air. So now talk to me about what that process was to figure out what that story would be in a play versus the musical that you had been trying to tell.

[16:32] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah. So something happened in 2020 and we were all busy. We all were just locked inside and I had nothing to do. And so I thought I was writing, but then it became a point of, what am I writing about? There's nothing going on. And I don't want to write about the pandemic and I don't want to write about anything that was happening then. And so I started going back through a lot of my old projects, including the one that was in the folder with the book. But I found Up in the Air and I read it and was just like, oh God, 22-year-old Mark, I'm going to hit you. With consent. Yes. There were so many things that were great then, but now are not. And I loved the premise and I found myself, I kept coming back going, my God, this part is funny and this part is cool.

And this part is this, but I can't use any of this other stuff. And it just, it was something I couldn't get out of my head. And it was right before my 40th birthday. And I'd given myself this goal of I will finish a play before my 40th birthday. And so I thought I'm going to rewrite this. And then I did look at the world and I thought about what was going on in the world. And it was like, there's fumes in the air. Oh my gosh, what if we throw in a reference to masks? And consent was a huge thing. And thinking about, wow, you can't, I could have sex zombies in a play but then, but now I can't have sex zombies in the play without having some kind of conversation about consent. And so that became a big part of it.

And then anxiety is huge in my own dealings with anxiety. I also had to just say very polite, Midwestern sex zombies is hilarious. May I? You betcha. Actual lines. And so I wanted to include all these things. And so I got a lead character who has severe social anxiety and the drug itself is a, yes, it is a drug that simulates sexual pleasure, but it's also mixed with anti-anxiety medication. And so he is the one person that doesn't affect. And so his anxiety saves the day. And that's part of the story. And there's, it suddenly had a heart and that's what the show had been missing for so long. And we'd been trying to replace it with jokes and the jokes are now funnier because their characters mean something.

And so it really, once that happened, I thought, Oh, this works really well. And we did a zoom reading and it was really funny. I workshopped it at the BMI workshop as a libretto for a musical. Cause I still think it could be a musical and it got such a great response and I won an award. And so I thought, okay, this is ready to go out. And I reached out to next stage press and Jean is amazing and said, let's do it.

[19:28] David Rigano: Great. How many of the characters stayed the same between Up in the Air to With Bated Breath?

[19:37] Mark-Eugene Garcia: God, the majority did. Two changed. I wanted to, everything I do now specifically has some kind of Latine lens to it. And so I wanted to have the character from outside of town have that background. And so she comes into the town and her assistant, they're actually, it's reverse. They're a factory from Mexico that moves up here to open up. And so she comes up there and she is just bewildered at this town where the men sit here and the women sit here and everything has gone through the church and the pastor is the real one in charge. And it's like a cartoon and she's looking at her friend, what is happening here? And so that changed a lot and that allowed us, it gave me a lens to look at the story differently than before.

[20:51] David Rigano: Sure. And did, had it always taken place in the fictitious town of Virgin, Minnesota?

[20:57] Mark-Eugene Garcia: No, it started out in a town called Garsonville, which is a combination of Garcia and Thompson, which is my collaborator's last name. And so that was one of the first things to go when we decided to work separately on it or on separate projects. And so Virgin, Minnesota just seemed like a really good name for a town. There's an intercourse Pennsylvania, there should be a Virgin, Minnesota.

[21:05] David Rigano: Too true, too true. Which again, we'll get back to talking in more depth about all of these, but that brings us to the most recently published Goat Blood.

[21:10] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yes. And I think before either of us says anything about it, it would probably be good to let the people see a little bit of it.

[21:16] David Rigano: I'm totally happy for that. Would you like to introduce your actors?

[21:21] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yes, Sergio and Ravon, come on out here.

[21:34] ♪ Musical number: "Goat Blood" — performed by Sergio Caetano and Hraban Luyat ♪

[21:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: In the dark, you hear crickets, night sounds, then you hear breathing softly, then growing heavy, big, something terrifying, then silence. Lights rise on Pablo and Owen, both in their 30s, wearing work uniforms as they sit in the back of a pickup truck and in a field, chilling. Both men have recently eaten edibles, but they haven't taken effect yet. They're eating tacos. Pablo eats birria tacos while Owen eats beef. Owen is in the middle of a story. So picture this, Pablo. I'm out there riding solo on this trail like I'm king of the mountain and bam, I slip, fall, snap my ankle, right in the middle of nowhere. Dude, what did you do? First thought, there's definitely mountain lions out here. I'm dinner.

Right. So I'm hobbling with my bike and I'm dragging my ass down this trail and the sun is setting and I'm scared, I'm hungry. Pablo takes a bite of the taco. Owen notices. Then it hits me. Predators don't like noise. Wait, who told you that? Bro, Netflix, some nature show, Claws in Effect or some shit. You learned Wilderness Revival from Netflix? Pablo takes another bite. So I'm thinking, if noises scare him off, I better start talking. So at first I'm just yelling random crap like, hey, mountain lions, I taste terrible. After a while, I got bored of hearing my own voice. I don't think that's possible, Owen. I got tired of talking, so I started singing. It is of the utmost importance that you tell me what you were singing.

OK, OK, but don't judge. I couldn't think of any songs, right? Full on brain freeze. So I defaulted to God bless the USA. What? Like, I'm proud to be an American because at least I know I'm free. Nope, never heard of it. Seriously? We used to sing it all the time in elementary school right after the Pledge of Allegiance. Wow, peak propaganda. No, just public school. But dude, I sang that song on repeat for three hours all the way down the trail to my car, got the bike on the rack, got in, started the car. Guess what's playing on the radio? No way. Proud to be an American because at least I know I'm free. What were you listening to, the bald eagle station? No.

[24:01] Unknown speaker: Dude, it was a sign! That song saved me!

[24:04] Unknown speaker: Bro, you are so fucking stupid.

[24:06] Unknown speaker: Even mountain lions are scared of Americans.

[24:09] Unknown speaker: Mountain lions are Americans too, dumbass.

[24:11] Unknown speaker: Ha ha!

[24:14] Unknown speaker: Are you feeling it yet?

[24:16] Unknown speaker: I don't think I am.

[24:17] Unknown speaker: Gummies take time.

[24:19] Unknown speaker: Oh, you've been tearing at those tacos. Are they really that good?

[24:22] Unknown speaker: You should have tried one, man.

[24:24] Unknown speaker: Beauty, I saw the rage now.

[24:26] Unknown speaker: Nah, give me ground beef. American is apple pie.

[24:29] Unknown speaker: Proud to be an American.

[24:33] Unknown speaker: But it's like, it's like goat meat, right?

[24:36] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[24:37] Unknown speaker: And it's cooked in like, goat blood?

[24:39] Unknown speaker: Stupid.

[24:41] Unknown speaker: It's cooked with spices and oils.

[24:43] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[24:44] Unknown speaker: Yeah, but I heard it's got goat blood too.

[24:46] Unknown speaker: Who told you that? Netflix?

[24:48] Unknown speaker: Some guy.

[24:49] Unknown speaker: Some guy.

[24:50] Unknown speaker: Some guy at work.

[24:52] Unknown speaker: He don't know what he's talking about.

[24:53] Unknown speaker: He said he read a recipe online.

[24:55] Unknown speaker: My mom literally makes this at home.

[24:57] Unknown speaker: There's probably some in the meat, right?

[24:59] Unknown speaker: What?

[25:00] Unknown speaker: Goat blood?

[25:01] Unknown speaker: Bro, I'm just trying to enjoy my meal.

[25:04] Unknown speaker: I didn't ask if your beef had cow blood.

[25:08] Unknown speaker: Blood?

[25:10] Unknown speaker: Stop.

[25:11] Unknown speaker: You're like a chupacabra, man.

[25:13] Unknown speaker: What?

[25:14] Unknown speaker: Sipping goat blood like a smoothie.

[25:17] Unknown speaker: You're an idiot.

[25:18] Unknown speaker: I'm not. I went to Princeton.

[25:20] Unknown speaker: Like what? On a road trip?

[25:21] Unknown speaker: I'm just fucking around.

[25:24] Unknown speaker: What can I say?

[25:26] Unknown speaker: The chupacabra thing got to me.

[25:28] Unknown speaker: Jeez.

[25:29] Unknown speaker: Sorry.

[25:32] Unknown speaker: Wait, is it because I'm white? Is that racist?

[25:35] Unknown speaker: Dude, just shut up.

[25:36] Unknown speaker: Seriously though, is it?

[25:38] Unknown speaker: If you have to ask, the answer's probably yes.

[25:40] Unknown speaker: Oh, fuck you.

[25:42] Unknown speaker: I didn't mean anything.

[25:43] Unknown speaker: You could have said vampire, but no.

[25:46] Unknown speaker: You went full chupacabra, right out the gate.

[25:49] Unknown speaker: Bold choice.

[25:50] Unknown speaker: Very...

[25:51] Unknown speaker: Hey, Pablo, let me sprinkle the little microaggression on your taco.

[25:57] Unknown speaker: Not the intent.

[25:58] Unknown speaker: Doesn't change the impact.

[26:00] Unknown speaker: Don't be so overly fucking sensitive.

[26:02] Unknown speaker: The gummies are supposed to make you relax.

[26:04] Unknown speaker: It ain't being overly fucking sensitive.

[26:07] Unknown speaker: I'm being protective of my heritage.

[26:09] Unknown speaker: Yeah, fine.

[26:11] Unknown speaker: Think about what you say before you make stupid comments.

[26:14] Unknown speaker: I'll remember that.

[26:15] Unknown speaker: Yeah, maybe you should.

[26:18] Unknown speaker: But I was specifically talking about goat blood.

[26:21] Unknown speaker: So that's accurate for the chupacabra.

[26:24] Unknown speaker: Jesus.

[26:25] Unknown speaker: What?

[26:26] Unknown speaker: Nothing.

[26:27] Unknown speaker: I'm just saying you don't have to jump down my throat for a comment that wasn't meant to be.

[26:31] Unknown speaker: Can we just fucking drop it?

[26:34] Unknown speaker: Is it good?

[26:35] Unknown speaker: Do you want a fucking bite?

[26:36] Unknown speaker: Yes!

[26:37] Unknown speaker: Then ask, like a normal person.

[26:44] Unknown speaker: Okay, this is really good.

[26:47] Unknown speaker: Oh, man.

[26:49] Unknown speaker: You can see all the way to Riverside from here.

[26:51] Unknown speaker: That's Norco, genius.

[26:53] Unknown speaker: Same difference.

[26:54] Unknown speaker: All those farms and stuff.

[26:56] Unknown speaker: You think that's where they get the taco meat?

[26:58] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[26:59] Unknown speaker: There's a slaughterhouse down there.

[27:01] Unknown speaker: Wait, like by your house?

[27:03] Unknown speaker: Isn't that weird?

[27:04] Unknown speaker: Nah, bro.

[27:05] Unknown speaker: Grew up around farms.

[27:07] Unknown speaker: It's whatever.

[27:08] Unknown speaker: Is that because you're...

[27:12] Unknown speaker: I used to come up here all the time with my buds.

[27:15] Unknown speaker: To get high?

[27:16] Unknown speaker: No.

[27:17] Unknown speaker: Okay, yeah.

[27:20] Unknown speaker: Yeah, but most kids came up here to hook up.

[27:23] Unknown speaker: I just came with my friends.

[27:25] Unknown speaker: Sometimes we'd watch the kids in the cars.

[27:27] Unknown speaker: Pervert.

[27:28] Unknown speaker: Hey, I was a kid.

[27:30] Unknown speaker: I didn't know what they were up to.

[27:31] Unknown speaker: I thought making out was the same as having sex.

[27:36] Unknown speaker: Dude, I'm still not feeling anything.

[27:40] Unknown speaker: You think it's a bad batch?

[27:42] Unknown speaker: It's been almost an hour.

[27:43] Unknown speaker: Sometimes it takes an hour.

[27:44] Unknown speaker: Chill.

[27:45] Unknown speaker: And shouldn't they be here by now?

[27:46] Unknown speaker: Bro, women always take longer to get ready.

[27:49] Unknown speaker: Text them.

[27:50] Unknown speaker: I don't want to get ghosted by girls and gummies on the same night.

[27:53] Unknown speaker: Relax, will ya?

[27:55] Unknown speaker: They said they were coming right away.

[27:57] Unknown speaker: We should've booked a room.

[27:58] Unknown speaker: At least we could be watching TV or something.

[28:00] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[28:01] Unknown speaker: At the only hotel in town.

[28:04] Unknown speaker: Think of the rumors if people saw us getting a couple of rooms with two girls.

[28:09] Unknown speaker: Do you want someone to tell Lisa?

[28:12] Unknown speaker: No one's told her yet.

[28:14] Unknown speaker: Think she knows you sleep around?

[28:16] Unknown speaker: Fucking small town.

[28:19] Unknown speaker: Hey, can I get another bite?

[28:21] Unknown speaker: Those tacos are stupid good.

[28:22] Unknown speaker: Told you.

[28:23] Unknown speaker: And you're sure it's not cooked?

[28:24] Unknown speaker: Man, don't even say it.

[28:27] Unknown speaker: So did your parents tell you that chupacabra would eat you if you didn't behave?

[28:31] Unknown speaker: That's el cocuy, you idiot.

[28:33] Unknown speaker: My parents never talked about chupacabra.

[28:36] Unknown speaker: Why do you even care?

[28:38] Unknown speaker: I didn't at first, but now that you're all worked up, I'm super into it.

[28:41] Unknown speaker: Plus, I think the gummies are kicking in, so it's not like el cucuy?

[28:45] Unknown speaker: El cucuy is a children's story.

[28:47] Unknown speaker: I never got why Mexicans love scaring the crap out of their kids.

[28:50] Unknown speaker: It's messed up.

[28:53] Unknown speaker: Okay.

[28:55] Unknown speaker: Let me tell you why.

[28:57] Unknown speaker: Your ignorant assumptions are stupid as shit.

[29:02] Unknown speaker: Being Mexican is all about facing adversity, bro.

[29:07] Unknown speaker: It's in our DNA.

[29:08] Unknown speaker: That's some deep shit, man.

[29:10] Unknown speaker: Deep, but real.

[29:12] Unknown speaker: It's why we've got Christ figures bleeding all over the churches.

[29:16] Unknown speaker: It's not creepy.

[29:18] Unknown speaker: It's a reminder of sacrifice.

[29:20] Unknown speaker: Of who we are.

[29:22] Unknown speaker: Still sounds creepy, not gonna lie.

[29:24] Unknown speaker: This shit runs deep.

[29:26] Unknown speaker: Way back to our indigenous roots.

[29:29] Unknown speaker: Like, even our wakes aren't the sad, repressed stuff you're used to.

[29:35] Unknown speaker: It's a party facing life and death head on.

[29:39] Unknown speaker: Like Day of the Dead.

[29:40] Unknown speaker: I always thought that was cool.

[29:42] Unknown speaker: But also, like, weird.

[29:44] Unknown speaker: Weird to you, maybe.

[29:47] Unknown speaker: To us, it's a shout out to those we lost.

[29:50] Unknown speaker: Celebrating their lives.

[29:52] Unknown speaker: We don't mourn.

[29:53] Unknown speaker: We live through death.

[29:55] Unknown speaker: Dude, that's twisted.

[29:57] Unknown speaker: Nah, man.

[30:00] Unknown speaker: Life isn't just about waiting for the end.

[30:04] Unknown speaker: It's about grabbing every damn second.

[30:07] Unknown speaker: And, yeah.

[30:09] Unknown speaker: It's about staring death right in the face and saying,

[30:13] Unknown speaker: Come at me, bro.

[30:15] Unknown speaker: Jesus.

[30:16] Unknown speaker: Life only matters because death exists.

[30:21] Unknown speaker: That's my culture, dude.

[30:23] Unknown speaker: So next time you want to call our customs weird,

[30:26] Unknown speaker: maybe try not talking out of your ass.

[30:29] Unknown speaker: So, what, you think I'm fucking clueless or something?

[30:34] Unknown speaker: Whatever.

[30:36] Unknown speaker: But if your parents never talked about Tupacabra,

[30:39] Unknown speaker: why are you so bothered by it specifically?

[30:41] Unknown speaker: It's just a stupid monster.

[30:43] Unknown speaker: It's just a stupid monster?

[30:44] Unknown speaker: Just a stupid monster.

[30:47] Unknown speaker: Right?

[30:50] Unknown speaker: You really want to know?

[30:52] Unknown speaker: I asked you, right?

[30:53] Unknown speaker: You sure?

[30:54] Unknown speaker: Now I'm not.

[30:57] Unknown speaker: It's real.

[30:58] Unknown speaker: Oh, fuck off. Forget it.

[31:00] Unknown speaker: Fine.

[31:01] Unknown speaker: But, like, seriously?

[31:04] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[31:07] Unknown speaker: Yeah, man.

[31:08] Unknown speaker: Saw it growing up.

[31:09] Unknown speaker: Sure.

[31:10] Unknown speaker: Monster. Real.

[31:11] Unknown speaker: Got it.

[31:12] Unknown speaker: You asked, genius.

[31:13] Unknown speaker: I thought you'd say something like,

[31:15] Unknown speaker: Oh, it's a stray dog.

[31:16] Unknown speaker: Or, oh, I saw it when I was drunk.

[31:19] Unknown speaker: When my family first moved out here,

[31:21] Unknown speaker: there were two houses my little brother Carlos and I were obsessed with.

[31:27] Unknown speaker: The first one was all the way at the end of our street.

[31:30] Unknown speaker: Our neighbors, the Riveras, they had goats.

[31:33] Unknown speaker: They always let the neighborhood kids come over and feed them.

[31:36] Unknown speaker: I know where this is going.

[31:37] Unknown speaker: But there was another house.

[31:39] Unknown speaker: Straight up haunted looking.

[31:41] Unknown speaker: Kids swore people died there.

[31:43] Unknown speaker: Every suburban neighborhood has that house, man.

[31:45] Unknown speaker: Not like this, man.

[31:48] Unknown speaker: We all stayed away from it.

[31:50] Unknown speaker: It was empty for ages until some guy named Mr. Sanchez showed up.

[31:56] Unknown speaker: Nobody ever saw him.

[31:58] Unknown speaker: That's when the Riveras' goats started dropping like flies.

[32:04] Unknown speaker: Oh, come on.

[32:05] Unknown speaker: Dead. Bloodless.

[32:07] Unknown speaker: Two holes in their necks.

[32:09] Unknown speaker: You're fucking with me.

[32:10] Unknown speaker: Then the cheeseman went into fucking overdrive.

[32:12] Unknown speaker: People said it was twisted brujeria shit.

[32:16] Unknown speaker: Carlos and I, we were dumb and curious.

[32:20] Unknown speaker: Thought we'd check it out.

[32:21] Unknown speaker: Of course you did.

[32:22] Unknown speaker: One night, we snuck out.

[32:24] Unknown speaker: Got near Mr. Sanchez's house.

[32:27] Unknown speaker: Carlos suddenly goes,

[32:29] Unknown speaker: Don't look, but something's behind you.

[32:32] Unknown speaker: Oh, great.

[32:33] Unknown speaker: Was it a chupacabra?

[32:34] Unknown speaker: A vampire?

[32:35] Unknown speaker: Did he sparkle?

[32:37] Unknown speaker: We turned.

[32:40] Unknown speaker: And there it was.

[32:44] Unknown speaker: Red eyes.

[32:46] Unknown speaker: Staring right at us.

[32:50] Unknown speaker: This messed up creature.

[32:53] Unknown speaker: Its arms and legs were all wrong.

[32:55] Unknown speaker: Like a dog's, but stretched out.

[32:58] Unknown speaker: Long claws.

[33:01] Unknown speaker: We freaked.

[33:02] Unknown speaker: Ran like hell.

[33:04] Unknown speaker: Then this man comes out of nowhere, screaming like a maniac.

[33:07] Unknown speaker: Mr. Sanchez, he's fucking right behind us, yelling his lungs out.

[33:11] Unknown speaker: He reached me first.

[33:12] Unknown speaker: He grabs me.

[33:13] Unknown speaker: He pulls me back.

[33:14] Unknown speaker: I hear Carlos screaming.

[33:15] Unknown speaker: Then I blacked out.

[33:18] Unknown speaker: And scene.

[33:20] Unknown speaker: Bravo, Pablo.

[33:22] Unknown speaker: Bravo.

[33:24] Unknown speaker: Oh, that is some next-level crazy shit, Pablo.

[33:26] Unknown speaker: No shit.

[33:27] Unknown speaker: I know you made it up, because you never talked about a brother before.

[33:30] Unknown speaker: I don't have one anymore.

[33:34] Unknown speaker: Fuck.

[33:36] Unknown speaker: I don't think they're coming.

[33:37] Unknown speaker: Jesus, give it a rest.

[33:38] Unknown speaker: Will you just fucking text them?

[33:40] Unknown speaker: They're only 15 minutes late.

[33:42] Unknown speaker: I don't think they're coming.

[33:44] Unknown speaker: I don't think they're coming.

[33:46] Unknown speaker: They're only 15 minutes late, dude.

[33:47] Unknown speaker: Relax.

[33:48] Unknown speaker: Maybe they changed their minds.

[33:50] Unknown speaker: Maybe they got distracted, or met some other dudes at the bar.

[33:53] Unknown speaker: Oh, for crying out loud.

[33:54] Unknown speaker: This stuff is supposed to help you chill, not drive you insane.

[33:57] Unknown speaker: Will you fucking text them, please?

[33:59] Unknown speaker: All right.

[34:00] Unknown speaker: All right.

[34:02] Unknown speaker: Oh shit, they texted like 10 minutes ago.

[34:04] Unknown speaker: How did you miss it?

[34:05] Unknown speaker: My phone was on silent mode, and I was into your story.

[34:08] Unknown speaker: And?

[34:10] Unknown speaker: They're not coming.

[34:11] Unknown speaker: Shit.

[34:12] Unknown speaker: They apparently found other guys, and decided to hang out at the bar instead.

[34:17] Unknown speaker: Wanna go back?

[34:18] Unknown speaker: No, not driving back now.

[34:20] Unknown speaker: Why not?

[34:21] Unknown speaker: The edibles are hitting me hard.

[34:23] Unknown speaker: I'm gonna lie here, and stare at the stars.

[34:29] Unknown speaker: Pablo?

[34:30] Unknown speaker: Huh?

[34:31] Unknown speaker: You okay?

[34:33] Unknown speaker: Mine kicked in, too.

[34:35] Unknown speaker: Sit.

[34:36] Unknown speaker: Pablo sits. He rocks.

[34:38] Unknown speaker: Dude.

[34:39] Unknown speaker: People at work think you're uptight.

[34:41] Unknown speaker: Like, intense as fuck.

[34:43] Unknown speaker: But this?

[34:44] Unknown speaker: You can't even relax when you're high.

[34:46] Unknown speaker: They talk about me in the office?

[34:48] Unknown speaker: Yeah.

[34:49] Unknown speaker: When I was setting up a guy's night out, and mentioned you,

[34:52] Unknown speaker: everyone was like,

[34:53] Unknown speaker: No, Pablo's gonna kill the vibe.

[34:55] Unknown speaker: Wait.

[34:56] Unknown speaker: You think that's why everyone bailed?

[34:58] Unknown speaker: Look, it doesn't matter.

[34:59] Unknown speaker: You regret asking me, don't you?

[35:01] Unknown speaker: But if I wasn't here, they all would've come.

[35:03] Unknown speaker: Oh, come on.

[35:04] Unknown speaker: I wanted you to come, man.

[35:06] Unknown speaker: Get to know you better.

[35:07] Unknown speaker: Yeah, sure.

[35:08] Unknown speaker: Real team bonding moment right here.

[35:10] Unknown speaker: Bro, you are so paranoid.

[35:12] Unknown speaker: You would lose the Nervous Game in a heartbeat.

[35:14] Unknown speaker: The Nervous Game?

[35:16] Unknown speaker: You never played the Nervous Game?

[35:18] Unknown speaker: Nope.

[35:19] Unknown speaker: Never heard of the Nervous Game.

[35:20] Unknown speaker: That what you played up here with your buds?

[35:22] Unknown speaker: What is it?

[35:23] Unknown speaker: Okay, so, two dudes would take turns putting their hands on each other's legs.

[35:25] Unknown speaker: Then you'd ask,

[35:28] Unknown speaker: Are you nervous?

[35:29] Unknown speaker: And the first guy to get too nervous and back off loses.

[35:32] Unknown speaker: Wait.

[35:33] Unknown speaker: So you guys basically played gay chicken?

[35:36] Unknown speaker: No, no.

[35:37] Unknown speaker: It wasn't like that.

[35:38] Unknown speaker: It was a test of who could hold it together.

[35:40] Unknown speaker: Nah, that definitely sounds like gay chicken.

[35:43] Unknown speaker: Dude, it was about not being nervous.

[35:45] Unknown speaker: Not that.

[35:46] Unknown speaker: Okay.

[35:47] Unknown speaker: But which were you?

[35:48] Unknown speaker: Nervous?

[35:49] Unknown speaker: Or gay?

[35:50] Unknown speaker: We were...

[35:51] Unknown speaker: We were all nervous.

[35:52] Unknown speaker: My friend got from my ankle to my shin and I freaked out.

[35:55] Unknown speaker: I got up to his inner thigh and he yanked my hand away.

[36:02] Mark-Eugene Garcia: What were you gonna do if he didn't stop you?

[36:04] David Rigano: I don't know. Maybe... touch it?

[36:06] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Touch it?

[36:07] David Rigano: Then what, Owen? Then what?

[36:09] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Dude! I never got that far, okay?

[36:13] David Rigano: Your high school friendships never had homoerotic undertones?

[36:16] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I guess I missed out.

[36:18] David Rigano: Yeah?

[36:19] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah.

[36:22] David Rigano: Wanna try?

[36:23] Mark-Eugene Garcia: What?

[36:24] David Rigano: Like you said, you missed out.

[36:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: You nervous?

[36:27] David Rigano: No.

[36:28] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Wait, is that a no to playing or a no to being nervous?

[36:30] David Rigano: No, I'm not nervous.

[36:32] Mark-Eugene Garcia: What are they gonna say at the office?

[36:34] David Rigano: Fuck it, we're not telling nothing. We're just being stupid.

[36:38] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Nervous?

[36:39] David Rigano: No.

[36:40] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Nope.

[36:41] David Rigano: Nope.

[36:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Nope.

[36:42] David Rigano: Okay, okay, okay!

[36:43] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Dude, I knew it! I knew it, dude!

[36:45] David Rigano: I knew you were into it!

[36:47] Mark-Eugene Garcia: The guy said you weren't gay, but I knew!

[36:49] David Rigano: I'm not gay, man.

[36:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Says the dude who almost went for my junk!

[36:51] David Rigano: Nah, I'm just competitive as fuck!

[36:53] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Oh!

[36:53] David Rigano: And would you have gone all the way?

[36:54] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I'm competitive!

[36:55] David Rigano: Okay, then go.

[36:56] Mark-Eugene Garcia: What?

[36:57] David Rigano: I'm not nervous.

[36:59] Mark-Eugene Garcia: What?

[37:00] David Rigano: I'm not nervous. Let's see you do it.

[37:02] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Are you nervous now?

[37:03] David Rigano: Fuck, that hurts!

[37:05] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Hold up!

[37:05] David Rigano: Come on, you're right there!

[37:06] Mark-Eugene Garcia: No, stop! I said it hurts!

[37:08] David Rigano: Come on, man!

[37:09] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Snow!

[37:11] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Suddenly, the sound of something rustling through the field begins to grow louder.

[37:15] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Branches snap, and footsteps approach.

[37:18] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Owen looks up and sees something horrific.

[37:21] Mark-Eugene Garcia: What the fuck is that?

[37:22] David Rigano: Wha-

[37:23] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Do you see that? What the fuck is that?

[37:25] David Rigano: Shit!

[37:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It's coming this way!

[37:28] David Rigano: It's coming this way!

[37:29] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Get in the truck.

[37:30] David Rigano: Go!

[37:32] Mark-Eugene Garcia: We hear the sound of the truck starting and the roar of the creature.

[37:36] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Then...

[37:37] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Blackout.

[37:39] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[37:40] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Ha ha ha!

[37:40] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Thank you!

[37:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Thank you!

[37:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Thank you!

[37:42] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Thank you!

[37:42] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Thank you!

[37:43] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Thank you!

[37:43] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Spooky scary!

[37:44] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Well, if that doesn't make you want to find out what happens next...

[37:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Luckily, if you do want to find out what happens next, I think a lot of you have it in your hands.

[37:55] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And if you haven't seen it...

[37:59] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Hopefully it'll be back next year!

[38:02] Mark-Eugene Garcia: There's a real good chance!

[38:04] Mark-Eugene Garcia: So yeah, I really quickly just want to say, what was the impetus for this one?

[38:09] Mark-Eugene Garcia: So this one was the opposite of With Bated Breath and Eight Tales, which had really long periods of creation.

[38:16] Mark-Eugene Garcia: This is the shortest.

[38:17] Mark-Eugene Garcia: This was, it was less than a year between, this is what I want to do, and it being published.

[38:23] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It was so fast, and I had always wanted to do something with cryptids.

[38:27] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I love cryptids.

[38:28] Mark-Eugene Garcia: The Mothman, like Sasquatch, all of them, I love them.

[38:31] Mark-Eugene Garcia: But I always loved Chupacabra.

[38:33] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It just, it's such a cool creature.

[38:36] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And my husband and I were having tacos one night, and we had this whole conversation about birria tacos.

[38:43] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I'd been telling him already about this idea that I wanted to do with a monster, and I'd already written this opening scene.

[38:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I knew how it was going to end, but I, it was all the middle that I was still working on, and why...

[38:55] David Rigano: We've been there.

[38:56] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah, all of us writers.

[38:58] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And...

[38:59] Mark-Eugene Garcia: You were, because both of us had the idea, I think I want to write a horror play next.

[39:02] David Rigano: Yeah, at the same time.

[39:03] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I wound up writing mine backwards.

[39:05] David Rigano: Oh, there you go.

[39:06] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Because that was the only way that I could figure out what was going to happen, was by writing from the ending.

[39:11] David Rigano: Yeah.

[39:12] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I was like, I had my book ends.

[39:13] David Rigano: Yeah.

[39:14] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And it was in that conversation on the way back, where we had the conversation about goat blood versus spices versus this.

[39:20] David Rigano: Uh-huh.

[39:21] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I thought, oh my God, this is what they need to be talking about.

[39:23] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And goat blood is about the, is with the Chupacabra.

[39:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And oh my gosh, this all makes sense.

[39:28] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Birria tacos, Chupacabra.

[39:29] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And that, I came home, and that day was like, this is my scene.

[39:32] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I have it.

[39:33] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I have the whole thing down.

[39:34] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And then I had to open the next day at work.

[39:36] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And so I was here at 8 a.m. waiting for deliveries, just writing and writing.

[39:39] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I had the whole outline.

[39:40] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I'm like, this is it.

[39:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: This is the show.

[39:42] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And it was so fast.

[39:44] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I kept posting these things.

[39:45] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I'm like, I'm writing a Chupacabra show.

[39:47] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Like, the Chupacabra's almost here.

[39:48] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It's almost here.

[39:49] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I'm like, it really is, because it's so quick.

[39:51] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And similar to Eight Tales, I found a festival that, called MexFest, that was producing work of Mexican stories.

[39:58] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I thought, okay, here's an opportunity to throw this into the festival.

[40:02] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And we did a reading, similar to what we just did.

[40:06] Mark-Eugene Garcia: The only difference was we did the whole show.

[40:08] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And as I was doing stage directions, at the last minute, we surprised everybody, because they were lulled into this sense of safety of we're just doing a stage reading, and it's these three actors up here.

[40:19] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And then at the end of the show, the lights went out instead of the stage direction, and the Chupacabra came from offstage in the dark and grabbed an actor and yanked him off the stool, back offstage again, screaming.

[40:31] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And then the lights came back up, and we continued.

[40:33] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And it just was terrifying for everybody, because they'd been so safe.

[40:38] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Everything had just been sound effects and my stage directions.

[40:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And so I was like, okay, this is ready to be a show.

[40:44] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And there was another festival right after that we put it in at Under St. Mark's.

[40:49] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And it was meant for that theater, too, because it's such a small, spooky theater.

[40:54] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And it just fit our show so well.

[40:56] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And we sold out.

[40:57] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And the response was so great that I had already had Eight Tales published by TRW.

[41:03] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And so I sent it to them, and it was so fast.

[41:06] Mark-Eugene Garcia: They wrote back, yes, we want to do this.

[41:08] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And before I knew it, it was less than a year from concept to it being on our shelves.

[41:12] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And, of course, Rodrigo, your husband, directed Goat Blood.

[41:16] David Rigano: Yes, and Eight Tales.

[41:17] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And directed Eight Tales.

[41:18] David Rigano: Yes, and many things.

[41:19] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Does he know that I've called dibs on With Bated Breath?

[41:22] David Rigano: No, he doesn't.

[41:23] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Okay.

[41:24] David Rigano: I see the look.

[41:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Might have some contract negotiations in there.

[41:29] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I say this a lot, but Rodrigo has been in the business of making my dreams come true for a very long time.

[41:35] Mark-Eugene Garcia: When I said I want to move to New York, he figured out how we were going to get here.

[41:40] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And when I wrote Eight Tales and said, in this scene, she's going to take a blanket from her bag, and she's going to roll it up, and it's going to turn into a mountain, and then the characters are going to climb the mountain and throw the character off of the mountain.

[41:53] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And he was like, okay, we'll figure out how that's going to happen.

[41:57] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And he made it happen.

[41:58] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And so I live in here, and he's been able to build something up there to help me get back to Earth, make the stories make sense.

[42:05] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And so it's just been a wonderful collaboration because we both look at the world differently when it comes to how it's created, but we both have the same vision when it comes to storytelling.

[42:15] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I don't know anyone who has that ability to work together with their partner, because I think for some it's dangerous.

[42:23] Mark-Eugene Garcia: But for us, it's just we both have the same heart.

[42:26] Mark-Eugene Garcia: We both want to tell stories about people, and we both want to share humanity, and it just is a natural fit for us.

[42:33] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I remember the first thing he directed was a show called Unmissed Connections that we wanted to bring back around, and that was, I think, our first time collaborating on anything that big.

[42:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And seeing what he could do with it, it was just, okay, this is the person that I want to work with as well as be with.

[42:48] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And so it's been magic.

[42:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And he brought such – it's written into the play, but such theatricality to Eight Tales, where when they were in the van, you felt the –

[43:01] David Rigano: The claustrophobia.

[43:02] Mark-Eugene Garcia: The claustrophobia of being in the van.

[43:03] David Rigano: It's terrifying.

[43:04] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Yeah.

[43:05] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And the way that it could snap back into the van when it had to and then become theatrical and open up.

[43:12] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And then one thing that I loved about – this is both in, Rodrigo, your production and the writing of Goat Blood, is that it's – as we saw, it's campy, it's funny, but there is very real underlying spookiness.

[43:28] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And in a small theater with, I don't know how much, or I should maybe say how little your budget was, you were able to lean into the camp and say, we have this campy side of it, and we're in a small theater where you can pretty much see how we're doing everything.

[43:46] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And it was very funny and fun, spooky, and campy.

[43:49] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And I remember saying to him, wow, as soon as you got, like, some real money behind this, it's going to be scary as fuck.

[43:58] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And the fact that you have this play that, depending upon your theater's – I am now speaking to our podcast audience – depending on your theater's size and budget, you could lean either way.

[44:10] Mark-Eugene Garcia: You don't have to say, oh, we can't do Goat Blood because we don't have the budget.

[44:15] David Rigano: Yeah, no.

[44:16] Mark-Eugene Garcia: No, you can, and you can just be a little bit campier than maybe if you could –

[44:22] Mark-Eugene Garcia: To me, that's the fun of it, is that the more comfortable the audience is, the more powerful the emotion is.

[44:29] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Eight Tales is successful because it's funny, and it's extremely funny, until it stops being funny.

[44:35] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And then when you realize this is a coping mechanism, this isn't just them telling stories to each other for fun, it hits really hard.

[44:42] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And then when they do it again, it doesn't come out as a joke anymore.

[44:46] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And so with Goat Blood, the comedy's there so that the audience is –

[44:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It's funny, look what they're doing, blah, blah, blah.

[44:52] Mark-Eugene Garcia: See, some serious shit just happened in this scene.

[44:54] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Like, he tried to force himself, there's a lot of revelations that happened, who is telling the truth and who is not later in the show, and a giant chupacabra that is threatening to kill them.

[45:07] Mark-Eugene Garcia: There is so much there, that comedy lets the audience just relax a little bit, so when a monster does jump out and pull somebody off of a stage, it's terrifying.

[45:15] David Rigano: Yeah.

[45:16] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And you need that, I think.

[45:17] Mark-Eugene Garcia: So I do want to, for the time that we have left, open it up to all assembled, because I know that we have people here who, like myself, have known Mark for a long time, and have known and loved Mark's productions, probably have seen some of them, some of you I know have been in some of them.

[45:34] David Rigano: Does anyone have any questions for Mark about these plays?

[45:41] Audience Member: Yes.

[45:42] Audience Member: When are we getting the soundtrack for Shining in Misery?

[45:45] Mark-Eugene Garcia: When are we getting the soundtrack for Shining in Misery?

[45:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Oh man, I want to know as much as you do.

[45:52] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I want to add to that, when are we getting the off-Broadway production of Shining in Misery?

[45:56] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I want to know just as much. That was so much fun.

[45:58] David Rigano: Yeah.

[45:59] Mark-Eugene Garcia: That show, that was another one that came out of nowhere.

[46:01] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It was, we got to do that as an opportunity coming out of the pandemic, or we wrote it during the pandemic, and Wisconsin had this great festival, World Premiere Wisconsin, where they would give you these benefits if you can do a world premiere in Wisconsin, and so we did, and we created this musical that is all of Stephen King rolled into one.

[46:21] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Into the Woods of Stephen King.

[46:23] David Rigano: Of Stephen King, yeah. It is so much fun, and I loved it.

[46:27] Mark-Eugene Garcia: I didn't know a lot of King going into it, and became a King expert, moderately.

[46:32] Mark-Eugene Garcia: We have some King experts on the team, so that really helps out, but I want to know as much as you do.

[46:39] Mark-Eugene Garcia: That's one that helps.

[46:41] Mark-Eugene Garcia: If you are a musical theater fan who also loves Stephen King and horror, then you are going to be in hog heaven with this musical.

[46:49] Audience Member: Oh, yeah.

[46:50] Mark-Eugene Garcia: But if you're not really into musicals, but you like Stephen King, you're going to enjoy this because you're really going to get all of the inside jokes, and I think that it's just fantastic songs that you're going to bop along to.

[47:03] Mark-Eugene Garcia: If you're a musical theater person who doesn't really know much Stephen King, there's plenty for you as well.

[47:10] Mark-Eugene Garcia: It's fun because you're looking at it through a skewed perspective.

[47:13] Mark-Eugene Garcia: If you know The Shining, there's red rum everywhere, and Wendy is talking to her son, Danny, and he's been saying, red rum, red rum, and he writes it on the wall, and she's well into act two.

[47:23] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Murder? Red rum is murder?

[47:25] Mark-Eugene Garcia: Oh, my God. You're dyslexic?

[47:29] Mark-Eugene Garcia: And it's looking at it from that perspective, and that's what makes the show so much fun.

[47:33] David Rigano: Yeah.

[47:34] Mark-Eugene Garcia: We haven't talked too much about the intended musicals that became played.

[47:40] Mark-Eugene Garcia: We have not talked too much about the musicals that stayed musicals.

[47:44] Mark-Eugene Garcia: The musicals that stayed musicals.

[47:45] Mark-Eugene Garcia: There's one that is very important to me, and hopefully you, and that was one that started off a play. That was Holy Cows, and that was a play that a friend of my mom's wrote, and my mom gave to me, and I read it, and just one day, and this is all up in the air.

[48:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Welcome back to The Drama Book Show!

[49:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited to continue our conversation today.

[49:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned for more insights from our guests.

[50:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We have a lot more to share with you.

[50:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s dive deeper into the themes of storytelling.

[50:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re here to explore the nuances of theater.

[50:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Join us as we unravel more about our featured works.

[50:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: It’s a thrilling journey through drama and performance.

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[51:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re thrilled to have you with us.

[51:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Don’t forget to check out our guests’ works.

[51:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited to share more stories with you.

[51:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for being part of our live audience.

[51:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re looking forward to what’s next.

[52:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s continue exploring the world of theater.

[52:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We have so much more to discuss.

[52:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned for more exciting content.

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[52:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s dive into our next topic.

[52:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re eager to hear from our guests.

[53:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for joining us today.

[53:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited to share more insights.

[53:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s keep the energy going.

[53:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re thrilled to have such an engaged audience.

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[54:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re looking forward to more discussions.

[54:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s explore the magic of theater together.

[54:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We appreciate your presence here today.

[54:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned for more exciting revelations.

[54:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re eager to share more stories with you.

[55:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for being part of our journey.

[55:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s continue to celebrate the arts.

[55:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited for what’s to come.

[55:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for your enthusiasm and support.

[55:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re thrilled to have you here with us.

[55:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s keep the conversation alive.

[56:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We appreciate your engagement.

[56:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for joining us on this journey.

[56:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited to share more insights.

[56:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s dive deeper into our topics.

[56:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re looking forward to more discussions.

[56:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for being part of our live audience.

[57:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re thrilled to have such an engaged audience.

[57:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s keep the energy going.

[57:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We appreciate your presence here today.

[57:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for your continued support.

[57:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited for what’s to come.

[57:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s explore the magic of theater together.

[58:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re eager to share more stories with you.

[58:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for being part of our journey.

[58:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We appreciate your engagement.

[58:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s keep the conversation alive.

[58:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re thrilled to have you here with us.

[58:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for joining us today.

[59:02] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re excited to share more insights.

[59:12] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Let’s continue to celebrate the arts.

[59:22] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We’re looking forward to what’s next.

[59:32] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Thank you for your enthusiasm and support.

[59:42] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: We appreciate your presence here today.

[59:52] The Drama Book Show! & Broadway Podcast Network: Stay tuned for more exciting revelations.