T.W.E.A.K.E.D. stands for Totally Weird Eccentric Artists Kreating
Exotic Drama, a roving troupe of actors and costumers. It started at a dance
club in Levittown, NY in 1993. The twisted individual behind this idea was
Lance Roberti. A couple of friends of mine saw
this guy in a funky outfit. He introduced himself as Plus
Maalox, Defender of the Porcelain God. The following week he was dressed
as a woman and introduced himself as Maxine Padulas, or Maxi Pads for short.
The third week we saw him, he was Foamboy.
We were intrigued. Lance's
costumes were primarily made from what other people would call garbage.
The clothing all came from thrift stores. The ideas came from his imagination.
We wanted to be part of it. I don't remember who came up with the name,
but we liked it and it stuck. The original group was Lance Roberti, Sam
Shaw, and Julie Klugman. I joined shortly after.
The group went through many changes in line-up, with as many as thirteen
members at one point. We performed
at different clubs throughout the years. Our first paying gig was at an
avant garde restaurant called Insurrection. The restaurant attempted to
cater to a late-night crowd as an alternative to Taco Bell or diners. The
menu and food was good and different, but it was in Roslyn, a somewhat overpriced
and conservative community. The restaurant closed within a year.
We got gigs at
some dance clubs though. Voodoo, Industry, 007, Detours, Pyramid,
G.O.D. (Garbage on Display), Click -n- Drag, Nostradamus, Strict-9, Clockwork
and the Limelight were some of the places we did our thing. We did
a full show that involved a real script, sound fx, music, special fx, and
lots of props. The special fx
included explosions,
fog, bodily mutilation, staged fighting, puppets, quick on-stage wardrobe
changes and much blood. When we weren't doing a full show, we did some bondage
shows, and our favorite, which was free-roaming interactive theater.
The list of characters
is quite long. Our different scenarios included intergalactic drug smugglers,
time-travelling heroes and hookers, mad scientists of all kinds and their
creations, your usual assortment of vampires, werewolves and creatures of
the night, and powerful underworld dieties. You will find some thumbnails
of some of the characters that we have done over the years. Just
click on the small image and
you will be transported to a page with a large version of the picture.
Unfortunately, like
any group of creative individuals, there were problems. The group went through
political problems, and most of the original members left or were ousted.
T.W.E.A.K.E.D. dissolved in April, 1996. But never fear, this was
an idea too good to die. In August, 1996, Lance Roberti, founder of T.W.E.A.K.E.D.,
decided that the group had been absent from the spotlight for too long.
With a renewed sense of where he wanted things to go, he started to put
the original group back together. This time with a plan. Video is
the direction now.