A note from the playwright.
The point of this email is for you to weigh if #UGLYCRY a play by me, Katie MACK, is for you. This is brilliant detective work on your part because it would be foolish to assume that every show is for every person, and this show may not be for you.
#UGLYCRY, at its most succinct, is a solo show based on my true story about grieving in the age of social media. The argument that how we interact with loss in an era with digital footprints, curated by the deceased themselves, requires a different consideration than our lives before. This show is for you if you are age 16 and over, and you’ve had the unique experience of finding out via social media that someone you loved has passed.
Specifically, the show is about how I grieved after the murder of my ex-ex-ex-boyfriend Eric Anthamatten. This show is for you if you’ve ever gone through photos, videos, letters, and text messages after someone has passed as a way of feeling close to them. This show is definitely for you if you’ve contemplated using AI in this grief space.
One unique thing about this show is that it’s interactive, as in we are asking audiences to BRING THEIR PHONES INTO THE THEATER AND USE THEM DURING THE SHOW. #UGLYCRY is for you if you’re curious if the theater space might be able to accommodate smartphones as part of the theater-going experience (or if you think this is a dumb idea but want to see how it pans out!). Please note, if you don’t have a smartphone and do not wish TO PARTICIPATE IN THE SOCIAL MEDIA INTERACTION, PLEASE BE ASSURED YOU WILL STILL ENJOY THIS UNIQUE, ONE-OF-A-KIND SHOW!
In the broadest sense, #UGLYCRY is for anyone who has experienced grief and can’t seem to shake it. No matter how fast you run, or how big you laugh, you can’t shake this bell that seems to be attached to your tail at all times. The feeling that everything is different now and that there are clear markers of “before” and “after”. For anyone who is split in two, living in real time while also imagining an alternate time where that person is still here.
Lastly, this show is mostly for the person who has loved someone so much that food tasted better, and colors were brighter, and the world seemed better, and after losing that person, is unsure what to do with all that love they have for that person.
off the WALL productions continues to create space for female voices and push the boundaries in the theatrical community. Today I invite you to help us continue this tradition by literally being a part of our show here in Pittsburgh before we transfer the show to NYC (also let me be blunt, I’m asking you to attend to help me make a great show so I can wow my friends and more importantly impress my ex in New York!)
I am so excited to meet you that I encourage you to reach out before you even buy tickets and find me on social medias Instagram/Tiktok at @mackersnyc or Facebook “Katie Mack” and if you send me a message, I’ll send you back something special for saying hello!
I have found so much comfort in being with other people who have known loss and still find joy. If that person is you, I think this show is for you, and I cannot wait to meet you.
In grief and joy,
Katie MACK