Welcome to MILCH! A dark cabaret musical set inside a fictional breastfeeding club hidden behind the oven of a dingy bakery in Los Angeles. Here, the performers, "milkmaids", entertain elite patrons while navigating exploitation, sexuality, and survival within the entertainment industry. Blending burlesque, drag, jazz-inspired music, camp, and grotesque theatrical spectacle, the show explores what happens when bodies and identities become products for sale. When a sudden knock at the door from the health inspector threatens their business, the girls must create a facade to mislead him. 

Behind the club’s glamorous spectacle, the performers navigate a world where their labor, bodies, and identities have become products for consumption. As rivalries grow, loyalties shift, and an unexpected health inspector threatens to expose the operation, the milkmaids begin to question the system that profits from their performance and exploitation. At its heart, it is a story about artists fighting to reclaim ownership of themselves in a world that treats people as products.

Created by a collective of international artists, MILCH brings together a multidisciplinary cast and creative team of actors, musicians, dancers, designers, drag performers, and visual artists from diverse artistic backgrounds.

MILCH premieres as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival, Los Angeles' largest performing arts festival. The Fringe Festival is our big chance to expand to bigger theaters and share our story with the world!

"Soft, Smooth... and thicker than it looks."

At the center of the story is Custard, a washed-up film starlet whose dreams of stardom were squelched by motherhood after being impregnated by a big-time film producer. Now, her days at MILCH are numbered! Her milk has dried out, and she is on a mission to steal back her stolen wages from her wicked manager, Madame.

"Pleasure to meet me, I'm sure... Come on in!"

Madame is an enigma. She slips in and out of a faux-German accent, mother to all the girls one minute, then throws them out onto the street when they are no longer profitable. She runs a tight ship and only accepts patrons who are willing to tip her girls generously... just as long as she gets 75% of the profits.

"Full of surprises... and you don't get to choose."

Custard can't perform this heist alone! Her best friend, Fruitcake, is the club's only drag queen who must fulfill all of the patrons' freakiest requests. She would do anything for her friend... as long as an adorkable man with a clipboard doesn't come rolling in...

"Health Violation I: Bare-breast contact with customers..."

Hubert, the uptight health inspector, stumbles into the club after receiving a tip from a suspicious business owner in the neighborhood. Once he steps inside to check the oven, he leaves the man he was outside and discovers new things about himself after meeting his "precious baby Fruitcake."

"Rich, moist, and always in demand."

We can't forget about the star attraction herself! Dulce and her mean girl minions, Canela and Crema, make up the iconic mean girl trio, the Tres Leches. As the club's most precious milk producer, Dulce doesn't have to do much... just stand there and look FABULOUS! If you threw Mae West and Mariah Carey in a blender... you'd get Dulce.

MILCH was born out of anger. Anger at the systems that turn people into products. As women and queer artists, we found ourselves in the same conversations and experiences: stories of harassment, coercion, exploitation, and the constant pressure to remain desirable. Stories from performers who felt that their talent alone was not enough, and that success often depended on their willingness to satisfy expectations that had nothing to do with their craft.

Many of the performers we spoke with described a world in which the line between artist and commodity is increasingly blurred. Actresses, dancers, singers, showgirls, drag performers, and entertainers are often valued not only for what they create but for what others feel entitled to take from them. Their labor is consumed alongside their appearance, sexuality, identity, and personal boundaries.

Living and creating in Los Angeles pushed these ideas to the forefront. We constantly encountered stories of performers navigating industries where access to opportunities can be entangled with power, desire, and exploitation. While these experiences are not unique to entertainment, the industry often magnifies them.

MILCH transforms these realities into satire. Inside a surreal breastfeeding club, performers nourish powerful patrons who demand comfort, attention, affection, and access. The premise is absurd, but the dynamics are familiar.

At its core, MILCH asks a simple question: what happens when the people being consumed decide they no longer want to be consumed?

This wild idea was conceived by two costume designers, Johanes Gomez and Natalia Rumiantseva. While they were costuming last year's LACC Fringe show, Johanes randomly pitched the most hypothetical Fringe-yest show while in the workroom to make his peers laugh. That laughter soon turned to interest. Johanes fleshed out the story and characters, while Natalia set the tentpoles for the musical numbers and conflict. Soon, Olly Novello, the composer, came along. MILCH was born!

Johanes is a Los Angeles–based costume designer and filmmaker working across film and theatre. Over the past five years, he has developed his craft within the costume department, collaborating with acclaimed designers and cultivating a strong appreciation for visual storytelling and sustainable creative practices. His credits include the Sundance Audience Award-winning film Dìdi, the Tony Award-winning comedy Eureka Day, and Madame Web. MILCH marks his debut as a creator and Director of an original musical.

Natalia is a Los Angeles–based costume designer and multidisciplinary artist whose work bridges fashion, performance, and storytelling. Originally from Moscow and trained in Fashion Design at FIT in New York, she has built a diverse creative career across theatre, film, television, and live entertainment. Her notable credits include The Intruder, The Sound of Music, and Beauty and the Beast. MILCH marks her debut as a writer, director, and producer of an original musical.

Olly Novello began training in musical theatre composition at the age of 16 and later studied Musical Theatre at the Guildford School of Acting. His debut musical, Mayflower, was workshopped in Guildford and London during his student years. This was followed by his second work, The Verge of Forever, which enjoyed an Off West End run at The Other Palace in summer 2023. Olly has since composed music for a diverse array of productions, including stage shows, films, and television. Notable credits include: Jesús Está a las Puertas which premiered in San Diego last year, Suck, The Sparrow, The Journey to Paradise; the feature film Is That the Universe Expanding or Are You Just Happy to See Me?, slated for production in Australia; Doppelhaushälfte for ZDF and Netflix; Vendor Venture, Quantum Club and The Breakage of Time and 1985. 

MILCH is a Brechtian postmodern musical born out of an intrusive thought; however, the music and themes of the show pay homage to classic musicals, like Chicago and Cabaret, with the campy fun of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.

Although the story's time period is never mentioned, our costume designers were heavily inspired by 1920's silhouettes. Each character reflects different periods, like Madame, who is stuck in the 1890s - 1900s as she reminisces about her youth; hence, the marketing materials incorporating Art Nouveau motifs, and some costume silhouettes throughout the show are hand-me-downs from Madame's heyday.

We are currently deep into rehearsals, and the show is getting closer to becoming a reality as we're only weeks away from our opening. We are now asking for your help!

Our goal is to reach $3,000 by the end of the campaign, and we need at least 80% to get funded.

These funds will cover our basic production needs, while the Fringe box office will cover cast + crew stipends.

Festival Fees (13.3%)

Registration and ticketing fees ain't cheap!

Costumes (16.7%)

As costume designers, it was only appropriate to go all out with our costumes! We've got 25+ costume changes and 8+ builds. All of those yards add up.

Scenic + Props (30%)

We've got a visionary scenic designer, and we are doing everything it takes to make her vision a reality! She's got a club to build as well as 4 other locations.

Catering & Craft Services (30%)

We've got a lot of choreography in this show, so actors get hungry and need to be fueled to get through rehearsals.

Marketing (10%)

We can't perform to an empty crowd! We've got posters, merch, and ads lined up for this wonderful musical.

Please consider making a pledge, sharing, or following us on our Instagram @clubmich. MILCH premieres at the Hollywood Fringe Festival on June 14th and runs until June 17th. Purchase your tickets here! For folks outside of the LA area... We hope to bring MILCH to a theater near you!

If you're interested in our show and hope to bring it to your theater, please contact us at [email protected].