- September 3, 2026
- 02:05 PM
Bingkai Karya — Zack Villere, the Louisiana-born experimental pop artist, producer, and illustrator, has joined Max Wolf Friedlich’s “The Holes” to compose original music for the new Off-Broadway production. Previews begin September 8, with opening night scheduled for September 22 at Wild Project in New York City, where the limited engagement will run through October 18.
The collaboration brings together Friedlich’s theatrical vision and Zack Villere’s distinctive creative language across music and visual art. Known for his vibrant, genre-defying work, Zack Villere has developed a singular artistic world through his playful recordings and illustrations, earning attention from Dijon, Tyler, the Creator, 454, Liv.e, and Rosalía. His album Little World further established the creative universe that has shaped his growing following.
For “The Holes,” Zack Villere will create original music as part of the production’s larger sonic landscape, rather than adapting or reworking an existing song. His experimental approach will contribute to the play’s atmosphere while expanding its boundary-blurring creative vocabulary. The music will accompany a story set inside a decaying bar in a rapidly gentrifying upstate city, where a padlocked back room becomes a space of pleasure, relief, and potential danger.
Friedlich describes Villere’s work as both funny and tender, emphasizing its whimsical sincerity and emotional vulnerability. He particularly connects with the way Villere explores male longing with vulnerability without feeling performative, making the artist’s perspective a natural fit for the emotional world of the play.
The partnership continues Friedlich’s interest in incorporating distinctive musical voices into his theatrical work. It follows his collaboration with Devonté Hynes, who composed original music for JOB during its 2024 Broadway transfer. The Holes now marks Friedlich’s return to Off-Broadway following JOB, which premiered at Soho Playhouse in 2023 before transferring to Broadway’s Helen Hayes Theater in 2024.
Directed by Michael Herwitz and developed with dramaturg-producer Hannah Getts, The Holes explores the tensions between shame and desire, tradition and progress, and community and individualism. Hannah Getts, Russell Kahn, and Adam Rodner will produce the production, while Robert Pattinson will executive produce through Icki Eneo Arlo, marking the company’s first venture into theater.
Audiences can experience “The Holes” beginning with previews on September 8, followed by opening night on September 22 at Wild Project in New York City. The limited Off-Broadway engagement continues through October 18, bringing Villere’s experimental musical perspective into the unsettling and emotionally complex world of Friedlich’s latest theatrical work.
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