He began creating fringe theatre while earning a living as a street musician on a homemade junk drum kit.
[4] In 2002, McQuilken began working as a sound designer, composer, and onstage musician for several productions at the Intiman Theatre, including Bartlett Sher's production of Nickel and Dimed, which transferred to the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles and earned McQuilken the 2002 Backstage West Garland Award for composition.
Artist Ira Marcks drew a 50-foot illustration to accompany the album,[3] McQuilken also played as the touring drummer for experimental folk musician Jason Webley.
[13] [21][22][23] As a founding member of the New York-based theatre company OldSoundRoom, he has directed numerous productions including an adaptation of Neil Gaiman's short stories, October in the Chair, and an original play with music, Machine Makes Man, co-created and performed with Adina Verson, which won Best International Performance at the 2013 Amsterdam Fringe Festival and subsequently ran at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, South Africa.
35, a concerto installation composed by Paola Prestini, performed by cellist Maya Beiser, with projections by artist Erika Harrsch.