Lovecraftian Occult Comedy Raises Hairs At Space 55

Space 55 is kicking off their 13th year with a world premiere by the playwright of last season's hit -- Ear. Written by Ashley Naftule, The First Annual Bookburners Convention is a play about bookworms & cosmic horror. Inspired by the playwright's years of working as a used bookseller for Half Price Books and Zia Records, Bookburners started as a workplace comedy before transforming into a darkly comic thriller. Imagine Richard Linklater, H.P. Lovecraft, Jorge Luis Borges, and The Mighty Boosh pureed in a blender and you've got some idea of the strange brew Naftule and director Dennis Frederick are concocting.

Starring Sky Donovan, Dayna Renee Donovan, Megan Holcomb, Amy Jean Page, Marcella Grassa, Julie Peterson, Tessa Geelhood, and Brett Higginbotham, Bookburners also features artistic contributions from local artists Dain Quentin Gore, Hannah Irene Walsh, and Amy Carpenter.

Synopsis: Every day feels exactly the same for the employees at the Opera Street Bookstore: talking about pop culture, taking never-ending smoke breaks, and dealing with insane customers. Their dead end jobs turn deadly, though, when a sketchy customer sells them a strange book. Written in "the language of angels," it becomes the store's most in-demand rare book. The only problem? The people who want to get their hands on it aren't people at all. A play about slackers & sinister forces, The First Annual Bookburners Convention is a Lovecraftian dark comedy by the Zoni-nominated writer/director team of Ear.

The First Annual Bookburners Convention continues its run this weekend through September 30th at Space 55 (1524 N. 18th Ave.). Friday and Saturday shows at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $20 at the door and available at their online box office.