Taylor Mac & Matt Ray’s
Bark of Millions

Taylor Mac, writer, co-director
Matt Ray, composer, music director
Niegel Smith, co-director
Faye Driscoll, co-director, choreographer
Machine Dazzle, costume designer
John Torres, lighting designer
Brendan Aanes, sound designer
Oscar Escobedo, props designer
Zach Blumner, co-props designer

With
Ari Folman-Cohen, Bernice “Boom Boom” Brooks, Chris Giarmo, Dana Lyn, El Beh, Greg Glassman, Jack Fuller (Vocal Captain), Joel E. Mateo, Jules Skloot, Le Gateau Chocolat, Lisa “Paz” Parrott, Machine Dazzle, Mama Alto, Marika Hughes, Matt Ray, Sean Donovan (Associate Choreographer), Steffanie Christi’an, Stephen Quinn, Taylor Mac, Thornetta Davis, Viva DeConcini, Wes Olivier

★★★★★
“This four-hour musical-opera-variety show from the celebrated US performer is a moving, witty, extravagant exercise in pure pleasure and spectacle.”
—The Guardian

Taylor Mac (a MacArthur Fellow, Kennedy Prize winner, and Pulitzer Prize finalist) and Obie award-winning composer Matt Ray visit with the West Coast premiere of Bark of Millions. Part rock opera, part reimagined pride parade, this epic production will stage 55 original songs. It’s both a celebration and a gift to the queer canon, expanding the archive for generations to come. Co-directed by visionaries Niegel Smith and Faye Driscoll and showcasing the extravagance of Machine Dazzle’s costume design, Bark of Millions will be brought to life at Zellerbach Hall by an international ensemble of 22 artists.

Bark of Millions is a transformative experience that celebrates the power of individuality and human connection. This once-in-a-lifetime event promises to shatter conventions, push boundaries, and bring a bold new perspective to our stage. As in his legendary retelling of American history A 24-Decade History of Popular Music, Mac and his artistic community use music, dance, and drag spectacle to subvert and deconstruct conventional narratives and joyfully, transgressively celebrate queerness in all its forms.

Note: This party-length performance has a running time of approximately four hours and 15 minutes. While there is no traditional interval, there will be no lockouts. Patrons are welcome to take breaks as needed, including to access the bathrooms or bars, and will be admitted back to their seat at a suitable break in the performance. 

This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Individual & Community” programming for the 2023–24 season.

Bark of Millions contains moments of strobe lighting, nudity and mature content, and is intended for adult audiences.

Produced by Pomegranate Arts & Nature’s Darlings.
Bark of Millions was commissioned by Pomegranate Arts and BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music).

The work was co-commissioned by Sydney Opera House and the Berliner Festpiele with additional support by the Ron Beller & Jennifer Moses Family Foundation and Hal Philipps. It was created during residencies at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, MASS MoCA-North Adams, MA, Irish Arts Center-New York City, and PEAK Performances in the Alexander Kasser Theater, Montclair State University-Montclair, NJ.

Leadership support for LGBTQ+ programming at Cal Performances is provided by Michael P. N. A. Hormel.