Dark Matter: A Collection of Shorts by Don Nigro at Mildred's Umbrella Theater Company

Closing out a six-year tenure in Spring Street Studios, Mildred’s Umbrella (MU) is reviving a fan favorite from its days at Midtown Arts Center with DARK MATTER, a collection of gothic shorts by Don Nigro. These short pieces, speak to MU’s unique aesthetic of dark and quirky comedy and feature a stellar cast of local talent.

Originally conceived and produced in 2007 by Artistic Director Jennifer Decker, DARK MATTER combined a selection of five short plays from Nigro’s Tales from the Red Rose Inn in a festival-like atmosphere with spare sets that underscored the strength of the scripts, acting, and direction. For the reboot, Decker has partnered with Associate Artistic Director Miranda Herbert Morris to bring to life ten of the shorts featuring both familiar faces and some newer additions to Houston theatre. This time they've added to the lineup with eight fairy tales, including: This darkly humorous anthology of plays focused on female protagonists by Don Nigro includes Tales from the Red Rose Inn, Lucy and the Mystery of the Vine-Encrusted Mansion, Higgs Field, The Malefactor’s Bloody Register, Darkness Like a Dream, Wharburton’s Cook, Things that go Bump in the Night, and Uncle Clete’s Toad.