Bill Raden
The stage has never exactly been a stranger to strong drink. Dionysus was the Greek god of wine as well as of theater, and his annual spring festival of riotous drinking and dancing and playgoing (sort of ancient Athens' answer to Burning Man) gave birth to Greek tragedy. But UglyRhino Productions is uniquely dedicated to resurrecting those Dionysian spirits. Its specialty is accenting the imagined worlds of its immersive shows with mind-expanding concoctions served during the action. A recent evening included a tongue-scorching habanero-peach bourbon infusion, and a scene that audibly fizzled and crackled courtesy of a lemon-infused vodka soda over Pop Rocks. Its popular once-a-month TinyRhino drinking game features audiences quaffing eye-popping mixtures — such as its best-selling Stumptown Hair Bender Espresso-Vanilla Bean–Infused Vodka — whenever actors speak a selected phrase of dialogue. Best of all is the postshow partying and dancing, which continues into the wee hours.
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