A 1950s Valentine’s gym dance goes deliciously awry. Guests arrived at “Ed Buchanan High” in demure formalwear, as instructed by the video invitation, with second, darker costume hidden beneath. A live four-piece band playing syrupy doo-wop and teacher chaperones patrolled the squeaky-clean proceedings of an all-American sockhop. But when the clock struck midnight, the façade cracked: a scandalous burlesque performance ended with a slaughtered chaperone, and the event transformed. Guests shed their top layers in unison, unveiling lingerie, leather, and their true nocturnal selves.
Sweet to start, wicked by midnight.
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100 guests
Two-costume dress code
Live, four-piece band playing 1950s standards
Roaming characters and schticks:
— overzealous school chaperones
— a pre-midnight kissing booth, after-midnight spanking stationPrivate home in Oakland, CA
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CREATIVE DIRECTOR, Alessandra Wollner
CO-PRODUCER + DJ, Mike Frederickson
BAND, Will Skinner - trumpet and vocals, Andrea Hutchinson - keyboard, Julian Weisner - drums, Ben Rose - upright bass
VIDEO INVITATION EDITOR, Tygue Lueke
FEATURED DRAG ARTIST, Professor Foxy Lady
FEATURED BURLESQUE PERFORMER, Barbie Bloodgloss
SCHOOL CHAPERONE ACTORS, Zvika Kreiger, Ben Richman
VENUE PARTNER, Ed Buchanan
SETUP + STRIKE, Hannah Droesbeke, Ed Buchanan, Zvika Kreiger
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• Concept development
• Creative direction
• Invitation film scripting
• Art direction
• Event design + styling
• Spatial + experiential design
• Talent casting + coordination
• Set design & fabrication
• Prop sourcing + build
• Guest flow + choreography
• Strike + breakdown
Pre-Event Worldbuilding
A 1950s-style video invite starring an awkward, braces-clad highschool wallflower who pulled a full TikTok-style glow-up; drab to vamp in one dramatic reveal. The skit demoed the party’s two-costume conceit with a wink. And guests understood the assignment—everyone arrived in two full looks, thrilled to play.