Performances of Doom McCoy and the Death Nugget will be at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday this week and next week in the University Theatre.
Doom McCoy lives in a small shack with his happy family, working the honest life of a ranch hand. One day, he discovers a strange ability to bend reality, as he seems to travel through time and space.
A little confused but trying to keep a level head, Doom stumbles through a quick and illuminating journey to find answers.
Doom McCoy and the Death Nugget, UT Dallas’ latest theater performance, is a mystical Western that follows the adventures of a simple cowboy through the shadows of the underworld to the edges of the universe.
Performances are 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday this week and next week in the University Theatre. Thursday performances are free for everyone to attend. Tickets for other performances are free for UT Dallas students and staff with a Comet Card, $15 for general admission and $10 for non-UT Dallas students. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling (972) 883-2552.
The show is performed using puppets, all of which were hand-built by UT Dallas students.
“Puppets are a strange and pivotal chapter in the history of theater,” said Justin Locklear, who is directing the show. “They were once the foundation of storytelling, in many variations of form, across the globe. Over time, they resurface and gain a renewed cultural importance, and then, slip away from the spotlight. They inspire and test the imagination, demanding for their audiences either to engage or ignore.
Justin Locklear
“With Doom McCoy and the Death Nugget, we have investigated the tropes of puppet performance, as well as the well-known template of the American tall tale. How would you reinvent the Old West in a way that is equal parts graceful and corny? We have done our best to bring it to you. In creating work for new audiences, we have employed various media and styles of puppets, to keep the storytelling surprising and fun.”
Locklear is a Dallas-based actor, musician, puppeteer and costumer. A graduate of the Baylor theater program, he was Readers’ Choice winner for Best Stage Actor in the Dallas Observer’s 2014 Best of Dallas Awards. He made his directorial premiere at the 2012 Festival of Independent Theatres with his original work, I Met You and I Screamed.
University Theatre Directions
Access to the University Theatre is limited because of construction. Directions to the venue can be found online. A temporary walkway leading to the University Theatre has been constructed and can be accessed from the second floor of the Erik Jonsson Academic Center from the doorway that faces south.