Synopsis Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim ASSES.MASSES ACCESSIBILITY asses.masses is a collective game, in which anyone who wants to can play. The duration of the show depends on the choices made by the audience throughout the game. There will be four intermissions, with food and drink. The show contains strobe lights, themes such as mental health, suicide, police brutality and sexual representations. asses.masses is a video game designed to be played on stage and live by the audience in a theater, one person at a time. It tells the epic story of a group of unemployed donkeys (asses) who try to recover their jobs, while facing the dangers of a post-industrial society from which they have been dismissed. As an experience, asses.masses is a collaborative journey that the audience takes, in which the video game is played from beginning to end in a single session over about 8 hours, 10 episodes and 4 intermissions (with food and drink). It was designed so that, while the one elected as leader takes hold of the means of production (the controller), the other people in the audience watch the story unfold, encourage the player, make suggestions and help make decisions. Daring, political and a mix of Animal Farm with Pokémon with Final Fantasy, asses.masses hands control to the audience and invites it to discover the space between the work that defines us and the play that frees us. Patrick Blenkarn and Milton Lim are conceptual artists who explore questions about the social value of art, digital labor and the political potential of games. With training in performance, philosophy, psychology and digital media, the duo develops collaborations that take the form of video games, participatory installations, digital archives and card games. They are also co-founders of the Canadian national archive of performance video (videocan) and creators of several projects that have passed through Canada, Germany, Argentina, Mexico, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the USA. Upcoming projects include dam.nation, about the true story of twenty Canadian beavers acquired by the Argentine government in 1946, and DRAGONS, a show for young audiences about power, hierarchy and teenage dragons. After passing through the Teatro Municipal do Porto in 2025, they now debut at the TBA. Codirection, text, programming, pixel art and 2D animation Patrick Blenkarn Codirection, text, sound design, video, shaders and 3D visual effects Milton Lim Dramaturgy, text and touring production Laurel Green
Original music and sound David Mesiha Pixel art and 2D animation Clarissa Picolo, William Roth 3D environments Ariadne Sage Additional programming Samuel Reinhart Translation into Portuguese Clarissa Picolo Touring operation Patrick Blenkarn, Milton Lim, Laurel Green, David Mesiha, Stéphane Noel, Marc Villanueva Mir International distribution Stéphane Noël / Materialise Support Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, The Theatre Centre, VIVO Media Arts, Embassies of Canada in Argentina and Paraguay Financial support Creative BC, British Columbia Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts Coproduction National Arts Centre of Canada's National Creation Fund Prices Discounts Not cumulative and not applicable to single prices. Under 18 years old Single price of 3€ Under 25 years old Single price of 5€ 50% discount Unemployed people, CML professionals and municipal companies (extendable to companion) 30% discount Performing arts professionals, over 65 years old, people with disabilities or Deaf people (companion is entitled to a free ticket) Culture Pass Free entry for under 23 years old and over 65 years old residents in the municipality of Lisbon at shows with paid ticket. Only available at the TBA Box Office.