by Alex Matzke

I shot Lincoln's Potboiler Burlesque on Halloween night at the Zoo Bar. So what is it? Read founder Mallory Finch's explanation below, then see photos from the night.

I was in between stints at university – basically on hiatus from everything I was good at in life – utterly devoid of focus. It slowly dawned on me that this strange format – an amalgam of performance, collaborative vision and sensuality – was the only way to consistently make art in the way I wished.

My first show debuted in UUVVWWZ frontwoman Teal Gardner’s attic – a motley ensemble of obscure pageantry strung together on an inscrutable narrative. I could hardly believe anyone enjoyed it, but the show was a moderate success. And more importantly, it fulfilled me in a way hitherto unknown. We performed the show in March of this year. Through word of mouth, Josh Hoyer approached me with a proposition: a trial run at the Zoo Bar, with the potential to make my shows a regular occurrence. In July, with a cast of five and a thirty-minute set, Potboiler made its first more or less professional appearance on stage in that hallowed place. In October, several new members matriculated and we put on a full-blown Halloween-themed show.

Right now, the actual cast of performers remains fluid. And that’s how I like it. Of those who have performed, only three ladies appeared in all three shows: Jessica Mullins (Sundae Brunch), Morgan Fahrnbruch (Morgan Fay) and myself. I recently moved to Omaha, and the flexibility of my group’s line-up aligns quite nicely with the idea of a trans-metropolitan burlesque troupe. The Zoo Bar is my Lincoln home, and Josh’s quartet The Shadows is the official Potboiler Burlesque band. Josh has a wonderful New Orleans blues-rock sensibility that gives our show a classic burlesque edge.

It's old-fashioned, ass-shakin’ sound, cheekily subversive narrative, neo-surrealist visuals and empowered female performers. — Mallory Finch

Alex Matzke is a Hear Nebraska contributor. View more of her work on Tumblr.