50 Shades of Blood Gala

If you pricked your finger on a tumbleweed, would you bleed? Red. Maroon. Burgundy. Black. These are just a few of the many shades that made up the mosaic of the night of Tumbleweed Productions 50 Shades of Blood Gala.

On July 29, the theater and art communities put on their kinkiest vampire clothes and came out in support of Tumbleweed Productions, a new collective of theater artists. Their inaugural event, the 5o Shades of Blood Gala, was thrown to raise money for their upcoming season.

“The gala is a fundraiser for our productions,” said Krys Applegate, a painter and founding member of the group. “So, this first one, A Gruesome Playground, that’s what a vast majority of ticket sales are going towards. The play follows these two people – I think it spans over 40 years – they love each other and they’re in love with each other, but their timing is off every time.”

Krys is a painter by trade, and he recently got involved in the local theater scene when a friend of his invited him to come paint on a set.

“Everyone liked it, so I went on to the next one, and the next one, and now here I am as a permanent part of the theater community,” said Krys. “Meeting all these creative and passionate people, I feel like this is something I’ve been missing out on my whole life being in Lubbock, Texas of all places.”

While Lubbock doesn’t have a huge arts community, it is full of passion and creativity, and that was on full display at the gala. ¥ung Cry Baby graced the audience with her synth-pop love ballads, Blanca del Loco – a founding member of Tumbleweed Productions – wowed the crowd with beautiful opera, and Danielle Demetria East, also a founding member, delivered some powerful poetry.

Coming of Age, the Doula and the Abortionist

She will birth nations they say if she ain’t barren

When she comes of age

I have memories in the back of a Black Baptist church

When I was 14, I had my pearls plucked from between my legs so they couldn’t be strung up by the neck.

The First Lady, the evangelist,

She was hood and holy

took the choir robe off the coat hanger

Took oil from the alter

she cut my um-biblical cord

Tied my chastity belt around the slit in my stomach as the congregation pulled my stitches out strand by strand.

I could hear the mother of the church ask, “what do we do if she bleeds to death?”

“Do we cancel Sunday service?”

And i sacrificed, every 28 days, first Sunday, the same Sunday as potluck.

A Poem by Danielle Demetria East

Along with the performances, there were also artists present at the gala with their work for sale. “I’m wanting people to come and interact with the artists that we have here, because I know all of them and I’m fans of all of them,” said Krys. “I love seeing them around at events spreading their work, because they’re super talented.”

Among those artists was Allie Aguirre, whose sensual work was a perfect fit for the gala, and you can also read Jill's feature about her here.

“It’s great,” said Krys. “Because I get to bring all the things that I love together and have it open to everyone – while simultaneously enjoying it – because I’m hanging out with my friends and community.”

Tumbleweed Productions kicked off their season with a successful gala, and they have a few plays in the works that we in the community will be able to attend over the coming months.

"The name comes from tumbleweeds living about 4 months, and then they die and start rolling around and spreading their seeds,” said Krys. “So, our season is going to be comprised of four shows, and we’ll do the shows, and then we’re gone. Onto the next space."

Keep up with Tumbleweed Productions on their instagram, @tumbleweedproductionslbk