commutator collective
presents
a new play by
marge j. buckley
directed by
sam weisberg
original music by
leo dreis AKA marvelous
marge j. buckley
directed by
sam weisberg
original music by
leo dreis AKA marvelous
featuring...
sasha blinnikova as
‘denny’
allison young as
‘the man in the horrible mask’
erik abramsen as
‘perkins’
lighting design by
emmet kowler
costumes by
megan creasey
additional properties by
nat young
scenic painting by
marge j. buckley
emmet kowler
costumes by
megan creasey
additional properties by
nat young
scenic painting by
marge j. buckley
choreographic consulting by
hannah mackenzie-margulies
poster, text, and gobo design by
jack masters
program ‘ladder’ art by
ray gorlin
hannah mackenzie-margulies
poster, text, and gobo design by
jack masters
program ‘ladder’ art by
ray gorlin
special thanks to
asher weisberg, joel sass, ches cipriano, amy danielson, viva graff & the open eye team, libation project, janet & luke weisberg, artemis brown, felicia cooper & the puppet union
GUILLOTINE CITY was developed with support from the McKnight Fellowship in Playwriting at the Playwrights’ Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
is a theatre company and interdisciplinary artists’ collective. From plays to dance parties, Commutator creates one-of-a-kind, ephemeral spaces of connection for an expansive queer + outsider community in and around the Twin Cities. Since our inception in 2018 we have produced five full-length plays (including “Detective Chunk, the Multiverse, and Me” with Heart of the Beast), fifteen experimental theatre-and-dance parties, ten curated movie nights, five Purim spiels, one wine class / theatre experiment, and one extremely tiny haunted house. “GUILLOTINE CITY” marks our debut at Open Eye Theatre.
Commutator Collective’s work is grounded in live performance and social connection. By working in non-traditional spaces and independent venues, eschewing genre constraints, and fostering joyful collaboration between professional and amateur artists, we have the flexibility to connect artists and audiences through events that respond directly to the world we’ve inherited.
︎ learn more at our website
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Marge J. Buckley
is a playwright and painter based in Minneapolis, MN. She is a 2025-26 McKnight Fellow in Playwriting at the Playwrights’ Center in St. Paul, and the Playwright-in-Residence at Commutator Collective. She graduated from Emerson College in 2017 with a BFA in Acting. Her play The Earth Room premiered at Boston’s Fresh Ink Theatre in 2019. Her Commutator Collective productions include “Detective Chunk, the Multiverse, and Me”, “Grainville Cereals Incorporated”, and “Phylloxera!” Marge’s text experiments with theatrical form in order to examine radical systemic change.
︎ more marge here
Sam Weisberg
is a director, performer, occasional dramaturg, and daytime sommelier based in Minneapolis, MN. Sam holds a B.A. in Theatre Studies from Emerson College, and has worked locally with Ten Thousand Things, Frank Theatre, Blue Water Theatre Co., and the Playwrights' Center in various capacities. Occasionally, he is a tubist with Di Bayke Klezmer Band, and was most recently seen at Open Eye playing in the house band for the Full Moon Puppet Show. He is also a founder and co-director of Commutator Collective, and has been involved with most of the plays, films, dance parties, and other fracas produced under its umbrella over the last eight years.
︎ more sam here
Leo Dreis AKA Marvelous
is a composer, pianist and community organizer based in the twin cities. Leo is the founder/director of The Cherry Pit, an artist collective that hosts jam sessions, classes and events for artists in the Twin Cities. Leo writes his own music, and performs frequently across the midwest, and has supported other notable acts such as XINA, Mike Kota, Cameron Wright, and Freaque. His debut single "Rainbow Boy" is available everywhere. Cherry Pit Jam sessions take place every Wednesday night at Berlin in the North Loop.
Sasha Blinnikova
is an actor, performer, experimental movement facilitator, and lighting technician. She has worked with Commutator on many projects, most recently as LITTLE GOBLIN BOY in The World’s Tiniest Haunted House and SIGOURNEY WEAVER (a cat) in Detective Chunk, the Multiverse, and Me. As you can see, she has quite the range! Sasha is also a producer and actor with performance groups Virginia Twins and Experience Cult Research Group. She trained at Carleton College (BA) and the Moscow Arts Theater (via National Theater Institute). Thank you all for being here!
︎ more sasha here
Allison Young
is a full-time school counselor and a sometimes actor in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Guillotine City is her third production with Commutator Collective, most recently playing a variety of puppets in Detective Chunk, the Multiverse, and Me. Also, sometimes she directs middle and high school theatre productions at her place of employment. The themes of this show hit strikingly close to home- Allison is immensely grateful to anyone fighting fascism and for the opportunity to create art as an act of resistance.
Erik Abramsen New York: Down with the Most Beautiful of the Flock (Teatro Latea/NYTF) Regional: Our Town (Shakespeare Theatre Company), The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare Theatre Company), Five Encounters on a Site Called Craigslist (Pride Films and Plays), The Haunting of Hill House (THEATREX) Film: Sergei and the Apprehensive Fool (Independent), The Whale (Independent) Training: MFA, George Washington University/STC Academy; BA, Carleton College; BADA Midsummer in Oxford
Emmet Kowler
is a storyteller and problem solver. Lately, he’s a video producer for Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, a company member of Theatre Pro Rata, and proprietor of Sloppy Discs Video Rental.
︎ more emmet here
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