The American Radio Company to Present the Return of  DAMIAN DARE IN THE ELECTRIC KRINGLE CAPER

Every city has its greatest detective: Sherlock Holmes belongs to London; Sam Spade to San Francisco; but who does Houston have (apart from lawyers with hammers and mattress barons)? The answer is Damian Dare, the Texas detective who never holds a punch—and is always home by supper.

 

ABOUT THE PLAY

When Santa mysteriously disappears in Houston on Christmas Eve in 1949, Detective Damian Dare is on the case. This zany adventure follows Damian as he tracks down Santa—from Houston's elite corridors to its dark underbelly—all while having fun along the way! A noir radio mystery with live foley and an original score, this unique piece of theatre is sure to be the new Christmas classic and can be experienced as a double feature with Rec Room's mainstage production of Peter Pan. 

 

ABOUT THE PLAYWRIGHTS

This original comedy is written by Jakob Hulten and Will White, two native Houstonians and theatremakers. Both graduates of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA), Hulten and White created Damian Dare in the Electric Kringle Caper as the first installment in what will eventually become a Damian Dare series of radioplays and podcasts.

 

Hulten is a writer, actor, and producer here in Houston. He is the line producer at Rec Room Arts where he also assistant directed Peter Pan. He made his television debut in Sweden on the show Padeldrömmar in 2022 and spent the past two years in Stockholm as a production assistant in film, television, and video games. Hulten holds a BA in Theatre and History from Saint Louis University. 

 

White is a native Houstonian working as a multimedia artist, writer, director, and actor. Before coming to Rec Room, he worked in Los Angeles with The Pasadena Playhouse on Good Boys. His magnum opus was working with The Born This Way Foundation, mental health expert Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble, and Lady Gaga to make a documentary on mental health called The Power of Kindness. White holds a BFA in Acting from CalArts.

 

Both Hulten (77025) and White (77025) appear in the ensemble piece, which also includes alternating performances by Chicago-based Virginia Rose (60657), also an HSPVA alum, and Anna Flynn (77003). Rounding out the production team are Jakob's brother, David Hulten (foley) and his father, Thomas Hulten (composer).

 

DETAILS

Invited dress: Thursday, December 7

Opening night: Friday, December 8

Production run: December 7–30, 2023

Wednesdays & Thursdays at 6 p.m.
Fridays & Saturdays at 9:30 p.m. 

 

Runtime: 40 minutes (no intermission)

 

Tickets: $25
Online: www.recroomarts.org/damiandare
Phone: 713-588-9403

 

Location: Rec Room
100 Jackson St., 130C
Houston, TX 77002
(The Green Room Bar at Rec Room is open on show nights from 6 p.m. to midnight.)

 

ABOUT REC ROOM ARTS

Rec Room Arts is a non-profit theater organization whose mission is to develop innovative performances by emerging and established artists in order to energize a new generation of audiences for the arts. Rec Room Arts is interested in providing unique and enjoyable experiences through theater that enhance the cultural imagination and social wellbeing of Houston. Rec Room believes in the theatrical examination of individual experiences and operates under the principles that theater shapes behaviors, patterns, and The Collective Unconscious. Furthermore, Rec Room believes in the importance of making the overall experience of going to the theater pleasurable. Therefore, audiences are invited to arrive early and stay late to socialize in our bar.

 

Matt Hune is Artistic Director/Co-founder; Stefan Azizi is Executive Director; Sophia Watt is Associate Artistic Director.

 

Photo credit: Jeff Grass Photography