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SEASON  //  PERFORMANCES
Saturday, February 15, 2025 1:00 PM
Sunday, February 16, 2025 1:00 PM // Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center

asses.masses
Created by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim

No Safety Net
Participatory Experience
Performance
 

Experience asses.masses as a spectator, a player, or both!

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM BOOK
(91K PDF)

PDF Download

The unemployed donkeys have one demand: the humans must surrender their machines and give all donkeys their jobs back. But revolution is never easy!

asses.masses is a custom video game designed to be played from beginning to end by a live audience. This is gaming as theater: an immersive, cheeky, and highly original work about labor, technophobia, and sharing the load of revolution. Audience members cheer on and coach brave spectators who choose to take turns at the controller to lead the herd through a post-Industrial society, where asses are valued more for their hides than their potential.

asses.masses is Animal Farm meets Pokémon meets Final Fantasy: as exciting in form as it is in content. Confronting automation driven job loss, nostalgia as a barrier to progress, and the role of technology in adaptation, we are encouraged to find space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us.

“Hands down one of the best live experiences I’ve ever had in a theater…Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn are geniuses.” (Mayfest, Bristol)

Frequently Asked Questions
What does participation look like?
Participation and active spectatorship is a central part of asses.masses. Audiences take turns as players using the controller, as spectators help make decisions, offer suggestions, and cheer them on as the story unfolds! You do not need to be good at or have even played video games before in order to participate.
Can I just watch?
Of course! We invite you to be part of our Herd in any way you can.
How long is the performance?
The performances will last the time it takes for the audience to complete the game. Every audience plays the game a bit differently, but it will take at least 7 hours to finish. This includes four intermissions (snacks provided). On average, performances last for 7.5 hours.
Will there be food provided?
Yes! Snacks, beverages, dinner, and dessert will be provided during the intermissions. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will be available.
When are intermissions?
asses.masses is ten episodes long and intermissions will take place every two episodes, approximately every 1.5 hours.
Can I leave during the performance?
We encourage players to stay in the theater space and stick with the story through the four intermissions that are offered approximately every 1.5 hours. The story of asses.masses is complex, expansive, and not to be missed! If you need to step out, you can catch up on what you missed by reading the synopsis in the show’s Access Guide (contains spoilers).

 

For additional information about accessibility, please review the show’s Access Guide.

All text in asses.masses is visually displayed on the screen. The show will be presented in English.

Meet the Artists

Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn
Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn

Volunteer audience participation

Venue

Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center

1226 Murfin Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Estimated Duration

7.5 hours, including four intermissions/snack breaks

Age Recommendation

14+

Part of the Following Series

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Penny Stamps Speaker Series:
asses.masses creators Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim
Saturday, February 15, 2025 1:00 PM
Sunday, February 16, 2025 1:00 PM
Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center

asses.masses
Created by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim

No Safety Net
Participatory Experience
Performance
Buy Student Tickets
$40 (+ fees)
$15-20 student tickets available

Volunteer audience participation

Venue

Stamps Auditorium, Walgreen Drama Center

1226 Murfin Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48109

Estimated Duration

7.5 hours, including four intermissions/snack breaks

Age Recommendation

14+

Part of the Following Series

Experience asses.masses as a spectator, a player, or both!

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM BOOK

(91K PDF)

PDF Download

The unemployed donkeys have one demand: the humans must surrender their machines and give all donkeys their jobs back. But revolution is never easy!

asses.masses is a custom video game designed to be played from beginning to end by a live audience. This is gaming as theater: an immersive, cheeky, and highly original work about labor, technophobia, and sharing the load of revolution. Audience members cheer on and coach brave spectators who choose to take turns at the controller to lead the herd through a post-Industrial society, where asses are valued more for their hides than their potential.

asses.masses is Animal Farm meets Pokémon meets Final Fantasy: as exciting in form as it is in content. Confronting automation driven job loss, nostalgia as a barrier to progress, and the role of technology in adaptation, we are encouraged to find space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us.

“Hands down one of the best live experiences I’ve ever had in a theater…Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn are geniuses.” (Mayfest, Bristol)

Frequently Asked Questions
What does participation look like?
Participation and active spectatorship is a central part of asses.masses. Audiences take turns as players using the controller, as spectators help make decisions, offer suggestions, and cheer them on as the story unfolds! You do not need to be good at or have even played video games before in order to participate.
Can I just watch?
Of course! We invite you to be part of our Herd in any way you can.
How long is the performance?
The performances will last the time it takes for the audience to complete the game. Every audience plays the game a bit differently, but it will take at least 7 hours to finish. This includes four intermissions (snacks provided). On average, performances last for 7.5 hours.
Will there be food provided?
Yes! Snacks, beverages, dinner, and dessert will be provided during the intermissions. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options will be available.
When are intermissions?
asses.masses is ten episodes long and intermissions will take place every two episodes, approximately every 1.5 hours.
Can I leave during the performance?
We encourage players to stay in the theater space and stick with the story through the four intermissions that are offered approximately every 1.5 hours. The story of asses.masses is complex, expansive, and not to be missed! If you need to step out, you can catch up on what you missed by reading the synopsis in the show’s Access Guide (contains spoilers).

 

For additional information about accessibility, please review the show’s Access Guide.

All text in asses.masses is visually displayed on the screen. The show will be presented in English.

Meet the Artists

Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn
Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn
Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn
Milton Lim and Patrick Blenkarn

asses.masses is created by a team of international artists led by Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim.

Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim are conceptual artists exploring urgent questions around the social value of art, digital labor, and the political potential of games. Mixing their backgrounds in performance, philosophy, psychology, and digital media, their collaborations have manifested in video games, participatory installations, digital archives, and card games. In addition to asses.masses, Patrick and Milton are also the co-founders of the Canadian national video archive of performance (videocan) and the co-creators behind a performing arts economy trading card game (culturecapital). Their projects have been presented across Canada, as well as in Argentina, Mexico, Europe, and the UK, in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Catalan.

Learn more at assesmasses.work

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