The MILKYVERSE: Wellington’s Favourite Wet And Wild Comedy Improv Show Is Back At BATS Theatre For Its Sixth Season
Wellington, New Zealand - Warm up your throwing arm as Wellington theatre company, Ruff as Gutz, is back with the sixth season of their smash-hit improv show, MILK. From 26 to 30 November 2024, keen audience members will descend on BATS Theatre for an evening of chaos, comedy and throwing water balloons at performers who are trying to do improv.
The MILK series is an exhilarating twist on traditional theatre, bringing together quick-witted improvisers and an audience armed with water balloons. Clad in wrist braces and knee pads, the performers work together to improvise a hilarious tale. Meanwhile, the audience plays an active part in the show, throwing their water balloons whenever they want something on stage to change. It's a thrilling blend of chaos and spectacle that breaks all the theatre ‘rules’.
“It’s like Wipeout but inside!” says show-creator, Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin. “MILK really appeals to people because there is this sense that you're doing something you normally shouldn't be doing, something ‘taboo’. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what happens on stage because of how much fun people seem to have throwing water balloons.”
Each season of MILK explores a different genre or theme, from epic Greek myths to spooky halloween tales. This upcoming season, titled The MILKYVERSE, is a trip into a fracturing universe where a ragtag group of misfits must work together to become heroes. Dugdale-Martin (ratKing, Black Pill), who is also the founder of Ruff as Gutz, will take centre stage as the MC for this season. They will be joined by a mix of returning and new cast members. Salome Neely and Anna Barker are both long-time cast members of the MILK series, while Sarah Penny, Adriana Dana Vasinca and Ezra Prattley will join the cast for the first time.
MILK has always been met with bafflement and delight and an appreciation of the secret thrill of throwing water balloons inside. This season will be no different, so grab your friends, book your tickets and get ready for a trip through The MILKYVERSE.
Ruff as Gutz present another spectacle,
The MILKYVERSE
When: 26 - 30 November 2024, 8pm
Where: BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Terrace, Mt Victoria, Wellington
Tickets: $15 - $25
Bookings: https://www.bats.co.nz/whats-on/the-milkyverse/
About Ruff as Gutz
Ruff as Gutz is a Wellington-based theatre company dedicated to crafting high-energy live performances with a kaupapa of chaos and joy. They have a proven track record of delivering unforgettable and out-of-the-box experiences that engage newcomers and seasoned theatre enthusiasts alike. Past shows include the award-winning ratKing (2023), Celebrity Trevor Island (2024) and the infamous MILK series (2021 - present).
Ruff as Gutz was founded by Sean Burnett Dugdale-Martin, a Wellington-based performer and clown, in 2020.
The MILK series began at The Gryphon Theatre in 2021 during the New Zealand Fringe Festival where it was dubbed “a high-energy fringe highlight,” by Theatreview. After quickly amassing a cult-following, the MILK universe expanded with MILK OF THE GODS in the 2022 NZ Fringe Festival, where it earned a nomination for the ‘Organised Chaos’ award, and A MILKMAS CAROL in December of the same year. In 2023, the series moved to BATS Theatre with MILKOWEEN, this season was quickly followed up with Milly Monka’s MILK Factory as part of BATS’ 35th Birthday celebrations in early 2024.