A Conversation with Machine Dazzle — TORCHES livestream on 5 October 2026

The useful part

EDT (New York, UTC -4) / 18:00 BST (London, UTC +1) / 19:00 CEST (Berlin, UTC +2). Beloved downtown bon vivant and all-around creative provocateur Machine Dazzle has been dazzling stages via costumes, sets, and performance since his arrival in New York in 1994. He designs intricate, unconventional wearable art pieces and bespoke installations.

How it works

• About HowlRound TV HowlRound TV is a global, commons-based, peer-produced, open-access livestreaming and video archive project stewarded by the nonprofit HowlRound.
• HowlRound TV is a free and shared resource for live conversations and performances relevant to the world's performing arts and cultural fields.
• How to Embrace the Dramaturgy of Creative Caption Design 14 April 2026 Through creative captions, the access tool of captioning becomes a design element with its own dramaturgical perspective.
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• Nicole Hughes discusses the work of EpiArts and the FlashCue Project to make theatre more accessible to these audience members by educating theatremakers about photosensitivity and providing clear standards...

What to take from it

Machine Dazzle has had solo exhibitions at NYC's Museum of Arts and Design (Queer Maximalism x Machine Dazzle), Toronto's Harbourfront Centre (Machine Dazzle: Art and Intention), and the University of Michigan Museum of Art (Ouroboros). In 2024/2025, he opened gallery exhibitions "Soft Serve" at Wasserman Projects (Detroit, MI) and "Obsession and Evidence" at Gallery AP Space (New York, NY).

Example or evidence

• Anyone can participate in this community of peer organizations revolutionizing the flow of information, knowledge, and access in our field by becoming a producer and co-producing with us.
• Caption designer McClain Leong introduces some of the design considerations that enable a dramaturgical approach to creative captions.
• They reflect on the practices they used to usher in this transformation and the impact it has had on students.
• Nicole Hughes Essay A Community-Led Approach to Making Theatre Safer for Photosensitive Audiences 10 July 2025 The potential for photosensitive reactions—like seizures or migraines—keeps some audiences out...

Details worth keeping

As a stage designer, Machine has collaborated with Mx. Learn more by going to our contribute content page.

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