VISCOSITY is a performance company dedicated to wildly physical, collaborative, immersive experiences for audiences and artists.
Founded in 2012 by Rebecca Schaffer, Josh Wagner, Daniel Scott Morris, and Diego Burgos.
“Salep & Silk” (with Montana Actors’ Theater), fall 2011
“Crime in a Madhouse”, fall 2012
“A Night of Gatsby”, spring 2013
“ThisIllusionment” (Skeleton Production), summer 2013
“Mystery Mark”, TBD August 2014/Fall 2014
Viscosity 2014 Is:
REBECCA SCHAFFER
Director : www.rebeccaschaffer.com
Education: Theatre, MFA, University of Montana
Experience: Rebecca works as a director, actor, and set designer, dually in Montana and Philadelphia, PA. Viscosity directing credits include smash hits Ringing Out, Crime in a Madhouse from the Theatre of the Grand Guignol, and Thisillusionment. Other directing credits include Oliver! with Whitefish Theatre Co., Salep and Silk with Montana Actors’ Theatre, and Seussical with the Kootenai Heritage Council. She is inspired by all things strange, fantastical, beautiful, common, and devastating.
JOSH WAGNER
Writer/Producer : www.joshwagner.org
Education: Writing/Literature, BA, University of Montana
Bio/Experience: Josh Wagner is the author of five novels including Smashing Laptops and Deadwind Sea, three graphic novels, the first of which was his award-winning Fiction Clemens, and multiple stage plays including Ringing Out and Salep & Silk. He has also written and produced short films and short fiction. His full list of publishing and production credits can be found here.
DANIEL SCOTT MORRIS
Art Director : www.dsmorris.com
Education: Philosophy & Economics, BA, Columbia University
Bio/Experience: Scott is a visual artist who’s early interest in images and narrative has led him on a circuitous path from black & white film photography, to studying eastern and western aesthetics, to the gallery worlds of New York City and Chicago, and now to Missoula where he creates concepts and designs sets with Viscosity Theatre. Scott works in as many media as he can get his hands on but particularly focuses on installation art, drawing, and collage. He’s currently delving into the paper mache mask and puppet-making techniques of Bread & Puppet of Vermont. During his time in New York, Scott worked for the American Museum of Natural History, National Geographic, and the Guggenheim Museum.
DIEGO BURGOS
Lighting Director
Education: Drama degree from La Universidad del Valle
Bio/Experience: Diego is from Cali, Colombia, world capital of salsa dance. As a citizen from a developing country he also has a basic experience working in props and as a puppeteer. After working professionally for five years in Cali and Buenaventura, Diego moved to Missoula in September 2011. Two weeks later he met Rebecca who generously invited him to join Viscosity. Diego was a technician for Ringing Out and Crime in a Madhouse. He designed and ran the lighting for Crime in a Madhouse and ThisIllusionment.
NATE BIEHL
Music & A/V Director : http://www.imdb.com/name/
Education: School of Hard Knocks
Bio/Experience: Nate Biehl is a musician and multimedia artist from Buffalo, Montana. His CV includes credits for several US television shows, and his work has appeared on History, Discovery, Travel channel among others. Nate has been on-stage as a performing musician most of his life. He’s been in dozens of bands spanning multiple genres of American music. His current artistic passion involves producing installation art with video, photos, and sculpture.
HELEN MAGART
Stage Manager
Education: BFA: Theater Design Technology, Minor: Media Arts
Bio/Experience: When Helen was little, her dad sold books and her mom read to her every night. She still can’t get her fill of brilliant epics, bad narratives, boring stories, and fascinating tales. From a deployment to Iraq with the Army, to working as a seasonal wrangler in Moab, UT; from the waxed floors of a long term care facility in Missoula, to Viscosity Theatre, she is in constant search of another story. Her stage management credits include “Cyclone” with Montana Rep., “Proof” and “Brighton Beach Memoirs” at The University of Montana’s School of Theatre and Dance, and “Annie” with Summer Musicale. Since being invited to work with Viscosity, she has completely worn out the phrase, “I’m so excited.” But, she really is!
LONI NEILSON
Production Manager
Education: Major: Technical Theatre, Minor: Psychology
Bio/Experience: Loni fell in love with theatre in high school where she built up the courage her junior year to audition for Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. To her surprise she was cast as the lead and had the greatest and scariest time of her life. She loved being onstage, but a year later she discovered the beauty of being backstage as a stage manager. In the past Loni has stage managed productions such as The Elephant Man, Distracted, Footloose, Willy Wonka and most recently Les Miserables. Theatre has a special place in her heart, in many ways it has saved her life. She has faith in the joy that the process brings to people, in the company and in the audience.
MEGAN BROWN
Marketing
SKYE BENNETT
Costume Design
KATE MORRIS
Dramaturge (Mystery Mark)
ANNA DULBA-BARNETT
Dramaturge (Thisillusionment)
ADDITIONAL HELP AND VOLUNTEERS
Special thanks to everyone who’s been coming to help with Maskwork and Puppet Creation: Henry Maher, Bre Lopuch, Tricia Opstad, Josh Quick, Debby Florence…. (this list is ever-evolving).