SUBLIMATION
WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY FRANK MURDOCCO
You know that t-shirt your asshole neighbor wears?
Someone's gotta make them.
In an electrifying world-premiere, celebrated solo performer, noted for his "irresistible" (The Scotsman) performances, returns to the stage with a staggering new show that examines what it means to be American- and a person- in a world dead-set on profit.
Ethan just spent a lot of money on a sublimation machine.
A design school grad with few job prospects, out of work since he pulled overtime designing for Kamala’s 2024 campaign, things aren’t looking up. His husband just left him, his forehead wrinkles are terribly pronounced, and his bank account is in overdraft. He’s certain his new merch-making machine is the answer- low overhead, quick turnaround, and hey- it’s what he’s good at. Mugs, t-shirts, baseball caps, onesies, dog leashes, even plates- you name it, he can customize it. Only, no one is asking him to customize shit. His Etsy gets one order in its first three months.
And just when he’s ready to close up shop, big business arrives in the form of an enigmatic woman with a large, large order. 400 T shirts overnight. Simple design- bold helvetica font, four words: Thank You, President Trump.
With nowhere to turn and no money to be had, Ethan takes the order and gets to work. Reeling out quality product, his new customer is taken by him. Suddenly, he’s got an order for even more shirts. And mugs. And hats. And keychains. It doesn’t take long until Ethan finds himself a fine purveyor of conservative merchandise.
But as the asks get bigger and the relationships steepen, Ethan is confronted with the age old question: is cash really king?
This 55-minute solo piece delivers a battle of finance and morality, identity and comfort, politics and logistics. Sublimation navigates a country filled with hate and fueled by money to explore just what it means to be American.
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The production requires the use of a lighting grid ideally able to achieve a full blackout. Ideally, the production can use a sound system that communicates with a Macbook running Q-lab. If not, the production can provide this. All equipment provided by the production will be PAT tested in advance.
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Sublimation is geared towards Zillennials who appreciate work that laughs through tears. The show likely appeals to fans of Phoebe Waller Bridge, Mike Birbiglia, and Prima Facie. An examination of American Identity in tandem with Queer Identity and the innate push and pull of Capitalism, Sublimation is character-driven, filled with Queer Humor. The show appeals to members of the LGBTQIA+ community. Our ideal audience member is someone in their 20s-40s looking to see what happens when Killing Eve, Fleabag, The West Wing, and Looking have a baby.
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Frank Murdocco is a New York-based Actor and Writer. He made his New York Stage Debut with his first solo show, The Public and Private Deaths of Carol O’Grady at the 2018 New York International Fringe Festival. The production transferred Off- Broadway to HERE Arts Center’ s MainStage, where it was a Show-Score Audience Acclaim Pick.
Murdocco‘s second solo show, A Little Treat, had its World Premiere in the 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival at Greenside’s Mint Studio Theatre. Opening to widespread acclaim, Treat was acquired by Bloomsbury‘s Methuen Drama Imprint. In September of 2025, A Little Treat made its New York Premiere in at the East Village Basement, in tandem with its publishing, where it enjoyed a sold-out, acclaimed run.
Frequently appearing on the New York Stage, Murdocco’s many stage credits include It Was Nice Meeting You (Rob; The Chain), Legend of the Chalk Circle (Azdak;Tier5/ATA), Sleeping With Tyler (Tyler;HERE Arts), The Christmas Carol (Young Ebeneezer (Tier5/Access Theatre). He can be seen in the upcoming short film Pipeline/Landmine from PostModern Productions, reprising his role from The Artist Co-Op’ s production of the play.As a voiceover artist, he has provided voiceover for over 50 commercial campaigns on television and digital.
As a writer, he has held residencies at Gingold Theatrical Group, The Artist Co- Op, the Cold Read Series, NextLife Theatre, and Arthouse Productions. His plays, which have been produced and published internationally, include I Want the World (And When I Get It, I‘ll Want Something Else), written in residency with ArtHouse Productions, I Didn’t Mean To Scream So Loud, an official selection of the 2021 Artist Co-Op Development Series, Legume, a Cold Read Series 2023 Spring Development Selection, O’Grady, and Treat.
He is represented by ATB Talent and is a proud member of the Actors Equity Association and the Dramatists Guild.
Learn more at his website, www.frankmurdocco.com