The Collective’s Code to Live (and Play) By

Editor’s Note: To highlight our upcoming show, we’ve written a guide to initiate you into The Collective’s mafia family. For more information including how to buy tickets, visit the Hollywood Fringe Festival’s listing of the show. Step back into 1923 with us, won’t you? -Sabrina Sonner, Editor of the Latest Call

Allow me to be the first to welcome you into The Collective, new members. You’ve made an excellent choice in joining our ranks. If you’re reading this then it means that I, Don John Telletino, cannot welcome you myself. Which can only mean I’m no longer counted among the living in our ranks. Your presence in our family, then, is necessary now more than ever. But, before we get much further, you must become familiar with our code:

1. Loyalty

You must be loyal to The Collective, and your chosen group. Pick out your allies among the assembled crowd, and choose them carefully. Curry favor with those amongst our higher ranks, and you may find yourself in the favor of the gamblers in Vine Street, the mercenaries in Strongman Inc., the seafarers in Blackwater, or the entertainers of the Velvet Curtain. It’s understandable if you wish to take your time deciding where to place your trust and weigh every viable option. You must choose your loyalties wisely and with care. Make friends, acquaintances, and some that are, well, perhaps less than friends. Find your people, and give them your loyalty.

2. Silence

To keep The Collective safe, silence is crucial. While sharing secrets at the right moment may prove advantageous, we must not let them fall into the wrong hands. Do whatever it takes to ensure our secrets and this silence remain intact. If you must lie to protect this silence, then lie. If you must steal, steal. If you must take graver action than that, do so with discretion. These actions may be directed towards those leaders in The Collective if it’s necessary to preserve our secrets and our silence.

3. Hierarchy

There can be no secrets between you and your superiors. Once you’ve found your group, don’t be afraid to work with them and ask them for help. There may be as great profit in sharing information as there is in keeping secrets -- so long as you’ve picked the right people to trust. Conspire with your known friends, and if those leaders in our family have a spare moment, they’ll always have an open ear to your valued opinions. On occasion, they may even have a good idea or suggestion, too.

4. Family

Remember: above any other attachments, The Collective is your family and primary allegiance over all else. Though we may find ourselves split into groups throughout our paths, the family comes first. Any perceived threats outside of the family can be quickly taken care of. Any suspicion of foul play within our ranks must be dealt with-- but confidently and discreetly. Only the Don has the power to hold the life of another family member in their hands, and anyone who goes against that would be quickly outcast from our family or otherwise… dispatched.

Pictured center is John Telletino and his mother Valentina along with the other leaders of The Collective: Captain Seavey & Shepard Rivera (on the left) and Sylvia Sterling & Maria Costello (on the right)

So, enjoy my wake how I would have wanted it, in true mafia style: have a drink, dress in your favorite suit or flapper dress, or gamble the night away. And, if you find yourself so inclined, you may be able to further the goals of yourself and your trusted few through the alliances you make and betray over the course of the evening. If it benefits the legacy of The Collective, I’d never judge using the opportunities laid before you tonight. It’d be the best way to honor my memory, truly.

Your family in life and death,

The Late Don John Telletino