Meet Debbie McMahon | theatre creator/director/performer/educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Debbie McMahon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Debbie, what is the most important factor behind your success?
I have two different ventures: a theatre company – the Grand Guignolers, and a mystery role playing event company – Dial Us For Murder. I believe the success of both can be attributed to their uniqueness.

The Grand Guignolers’ popularity is partly due to its specific brand as a faux 1920s Parisian troupe where we create highly theatrical, stylized theatre, especially unique in Los Angeles. The shows are devised, physical, and employ traditional forms like Grand Guignol (known for horror and special effects), melodrama (think silent film not moustache twirling), masks, puppetry, clown, vaudeville, mime, dance, and magic in a 1920s Parisian cocktail party atmosphere. I like combining these old-timey tried and true styles in new ways. In an adult Little Red Riding Hood, for example, the wolf seduced Little Red in a Commedia dell’Arte/tango mashup before he ultimately ate her with bloody special effects. Our ‘uniform’ is the Pierrot, and blood, absinthe, and tiny naughty puppets are our hallmarks.

I believe the shows’ event-like nature factor into their success. Our audiences dress in vintage cocktail attire and step into a theatrical world where they are warmly welcomed like guests at a cocktail party. The theatrical frame encompasses the entire experience that includes the audience – the lobby, bathrooms, treats, and absinthe served by the fairy. For A Grand Guignol Children’s Show (*NOT for Children), guests participated in a 200th surprise birthday party for the French puppet, Guignol. In Absinthe, Opium and Magic: 1920s Shanghai, our guests boarded a cruise (the theatre) to Shanghai. There’s a healthy dose of irreverence and play: a complicit wink that’s an invitation to be naughty. We play for and with not at an audience. The show can be dark, poignant, and have gravitas but the experience – fun.

My other endeavor is even more immersive. My partner Elise Allen and I create large role-playing mystery parties with custom written characters for all the guests. I think it’s the rare opportunity for grown-ups to play make-believe and the unique form we created almost thirty years ago that make them so much fun. Without an audience or actors, the mask of character frees guests to become someone else for the evening. We plan dramatic events and hand out cards with missives that keep the action going, but the evening takes on a life of its own that even surprises us. We also connect people in fun ways. We once wrote characters in an illicit affair for two friends we thought would be a good match. That (now) couple just sent their first child to college! I’d call that a success.

I’ve always had a kind of ‘let’s get a group together’ spirit where I initiate somewhat offbeat activities. During Covid, I lead “We Suck Aerobics” Zoom classes with themes like Cruisin’ in my ’78 Camaro or James Bond Aerobics to trick ourselves into exercising by embracing the ridiculous. I also started a classic literature book club for women that still meets. We’ll dress up, and I’ll bake themed treats to ship cross country to fellow readers – like rum cakes for Treasure Island.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
The Grand Guignolers are named after the early 20th Century Parisian Grand Guignol Theatre, famous for its horror plays and bloody special effects. Horror is just one element of my shows – sure, there will be blood, but the goal is to stimulate the audience’s hunger for a cathartic release – not just shock value. They’ll think, “Just stab her eye out already!” And, oh we will. We’ve even had a few audience members pass out – as I said, visceral. I also use the Grand Guignol’s “hot and cold showers,” format alternating short contrasting pieces of drama, farce, and horror. A playful vibe and absinthe soused audience make a great set up for onstage tension. The name, ‘Grand Guignol’ is a play of the 19th Century French children’s puppet, Guignol – but for adults. Unlike the original Grand Guignol that had no puppets, I use many, have actors as puppets, and inspired by toy theatre, created the arrogant French finger puppets, ‘les petits guignolers.’ They face existential struggles (“hell is other puppets”), engage in bizarre sexual acts (furries, tea bagging, Napoleon’s Uncle – whatever that is), and culminate in bloody beheadings that have squirted a few (thankfully) good-natured patrons. They even have their own following! We’ve also hosted Bastille Day parties that include performance and other ‘edu-tainment’ offerings. My obsession with creating a French Revolution production lead me into a deep dive of research, numerous theatrical workshops, and celebrations. I’m sure we’ll be back to do more!

I’m proud that we attract atypical theatre audiences and a wide range of ages and types. I believe theatre should accessible, unpretentious, and NOT BORING. I’m also excited by boldness and ferocious play. Nothing half-assed. Let’s get both cheeks in the game!

My challenges are typical of other theatre artists – space, time, funding. Making shows was not easy. I worked full time before evening rehearsals followed by production work into the wee hours. But shows led to opportunities in teaching, directing, and performing. I even got to clown with Cirque du Soleil – a huge highlight! Currently, I’m trying to break a long hiatus, as I’ve been a full-time mom to a now six-year-old. I’m itching to get back to it and breathe life into the long list of ideas that have been haunting me. I’ve also been asking what does the Zeitgeist look like post-Covid? I see a need for connection, joy, levity, humor. Not too long, not too late, treats, drinks, and easy parking. Reach out to get involved! What I’m currently developing:

* An intimate fire lit evening around Orpheus and Eurydice featuring my petits guignolers, with mask, mime, Bauhaus dance, a rapping Hades, live music, with cocktails and fancy pastries. 50 minutes tops. I see this salon style in gardens, private homes, or small historical venues. I’m open to venue ideas and resources!
*A mystery party for a 1970s Soap Opera, Days of Yesterday, with characters like the hunky dock worker… and his evil twin.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Disneyland! (I’m an LA native so, of course), the Norton Simon Museum, the Griffith Observatory, The Magic Castle, and the Hollywood Bowl. If the timing was right, we’d attend a biannual tour of JPL (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) in La Cañada.

Fox’s Restaurant in Altadena for the best burgers and gourmet diner food, Happy Hour at the rooftop restaurant, Perch, for great Downtown views before popping over to the Biltmore Hotel in Pershing Square. Delicious Venezuelan food and the best hot chocolate and churros at Amara Café and Restaurant in Pasadena for Friday lunch with a live guitarist.

We’d dress elegant vintage for Saturday night dinner and dancing to big bands at The Cicada Club in Downtown – originally a gorgeous art deco department store in the late ‘20s, now a supper club.

I’d love to take a friend on a tour of my favorite LA residence, Castle Green in Pasadena – once a turn of the last Century luxury hotel, now condos.

We’d stroll the LA Arboretum in Arcadia or Descanso Gardens in La Cañada. Both feature native landscapes and views of the San Gabriel Mountains. Descanso has the world’s largest camellia collection and at the Arboretum, resident peacocks will walk up to greet you.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d dedicate my shoutout to Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre in Humboldt County with a focus on actor devised theatre. The training gave me specific tools I could incorporate and reinvent. I am especially grateful to founding member, Michael Fields for his intensity, energy, and humor teaching melodrama and later, Grand Guignol. I witnessed in our no-frills class recital, the wildly visceral reaction of the audience and thought, “This sh*t would sell!” I started the Grand Guignolers, and … it did. And a nod to the Guignolers – the troupe who’ve trusted me over the years and work hard to create something special.

Also, the creative chemistry I have with my creative partner, Elise Allen, makes building mystery party worlds effortless and a blast. Our creative sessions are mostly peeing our pants laughing while we top each other with the most absurd characters and scenarios we can envision.

Website: www.grandguignolers.com

Instagram: debmcmahoncreates

Linkedin: Debbie McMahon

Facebook: grandguignolers, dialusformurder

Image Credits
Production stills by Mark Bennington. Production shots by Mark Bennington, Clarence Alfred, and personal shots.