Horror, Fun and Technology

Over Coffee® | Stories and Resources from the Intersection of Art and Science | Exploring How to Make STEAM Work For You

This Halloween, BL4KM4SS Co-Founder Reyna Velarde may unsettle you. Or, she and her fellow creatives might outright scare you--in your own home. And it's all part of the fun, as BL4KM4SS brings interactive horror to their fans, virtually. Using Zoom, Discord and lots of talent, they'll make you a part of a scary-fun experience. But that's only one aspect of what they do, year-round. BL4KM4SS, pronounced "Black Mass", is a performance art theatre group. Their noir-style productions incorporate their guests into their plot lines, keeping them involved in the action. A vein of dark humor runs through their shows. Their performances aren't exclusively horror-based. However, they are always about storytelling. Reyna, who is an actor, director, writer and educator, is one of BL4KM4SS' four co-founders. She is also their Communications and Finance Director. Her work with the troupe has included creating and performing in her one-woman show, "M90SN" ("My Nineties Nightmare"), which she will be bringing to Discord, at the end of 2021. Image ©2021, Paul Stephen Edwards, and used with permission. After the pandemic forced cancellation of their live events, BL4KM4SS produced their first remote show "3Y3", directed by Alex C. James. Then, in 2021, Reyna created their next virtual show, "3DD13". BL4KM4SS will be offering virtual experiences for the remainder of this year. But Reyna says more onsite experiences, and touring shows, are part of their plans for the not-too-distant future. Reyna talked about her experiences creating horror entertainment, shared the story of the creation of BL4KM4SS and a preview of upcoming shows, and offered some tips for anyone who might like to virtually create a spine-tingling Halloween experience! On this edition of Over Coffee® we cover: How the horror genre first captured Reyna's creative imagination; Her perspective on humor in horror; How the BL4KM4SS troupe came about; The company's experience with "pivoting" to remote shows after the start of the pandemic; A behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Reyna's first remote interactive show, "3DD13"; How BL4KM4SS experimented with effects, evolving their remote shows; Reyna's guidance for anyone who might like to create a remote Halloween experience for friends or family; What works well, for keeping a remote audience engaged; Some of Reyna's favorite resources for observing other innovations in remote performance; How to sign up to be considered as an audience member for "M90SN' What you might expect from a BL4KM4SS show; One of Reyna's best experiences for growth,, as a performer, from working remotely; A "tease" of some of the shows in the works for 2022.