From left, Elizabeth Evans, Matthew Posey and Mitchell Parrack rehearse a scene from the show that opens this weekend at the Ochre House Theater, “Bill.” (Tyler Williams/ The Daily Campus)

A few blocks from Deep Ellum, tucked into Exposition Park, a storefront with a green door and a single, crooked light invites the curious and the brave to enter Ochre House Theater.  

Behind the door, you can find a man with legs that are not his own, but are puppeteered by a ‘ninja’ following behind him.  

This is Matthew Posey, the artistic director and self-declared mad man of Ochre House, and this is one of his latest ideas to be featured in his show “Bill,” opening this weekend.  

“We’re focused on producing works of alternative theater that are exciting to see and experience,” Posey said.

Alternative theater is nothing new for Posey, in fact he is Dallas’ prodigal son of sorts, returning after a 12-year stay in the film world of Los Angeles. In the 1980s he was one of the artisans behind the Deep Ellum Theater Garage, which produced original, controversial works.  

When that theater was shut down after losing its funding from the NEA for content that was deemed too risqué, Posey made his way to L.A. to work in film and complete his masters at the American Film Institute.

In 2008, he returned to Dallas to continue his habit of removing boundaries and creating electrifying theater in an intimate setting.

Posey works with four other artists, whom he refers to as the “Ochre House Boys,” although his leading lady, Elizabeth Evans, numbers among them.

“We built this all ourselves,” Posey said. “We took this storefront and turned it into a theater, into what you see before you – the Ochre House.”

The space really is a house for Posey, as he and Walter, the theater dog, live in the back. This constant proximity to the work that he produces may play a role in the attachment that Posey has to his work.

“I think that all real artists inhabit their work in some way or another,” Posey said. “Both the madness and the wonderful parts of you go into it – give it life.”

Posey opened this theater company at a difficult economical time, and even with the impending budget cuts to the arts in Dallas, he finds opportunity in the hard times

“Whenever arts struggles, it can thrive on an artistic level,” Posey said. “Grants can make you fat and lazy, and when things start to dry up, there always seems to be a renaissance.”

If that is true, it makes sense that Posey is finding some of his recent work to be the most gratifying. The work opening Saturday, “Bill,” is one such work.

Based on the pivotal night of William S. Burroughs’ life. The play explores the relationship between Burroughs and Joan Varmer and the night that ended in murder. Much of the play is told through satirical fantasies and drug trips, illustrated through a mixture of actors and puppets.

This promises to be an intriguing theater experience. Justin Locklear, one of the puppeteers for the show is working with the Ochre House for the first time.

“Working with Matthew Posey is a constant adventure with layers upon layers of theatre mystery,” Locklear said.  “Everything is a new decision to ponder and a risk to take.”

“Bill” opens Saturday night and runs through Oct. 2. For more information, visit ochrehousetheater.com.