There’s nothing I hate more than getting to the end of a movie and hating the ending. Or, even worse, being infinitely frustrated with the plot direction halfway through the film. Most of the time, I find myself dissecting the story, and pinpointing places where the writers could have made a great scene, but just screwed up.
Apparently, I’m not the only one at UVA who feels this way. Tonight, at 8 PM, a group of UVA students is seeking to solve the “If only they’d just done this!” frustration by premiering the first episode of what may be the first ever interactive musical. The musical’s loose plot follows Henry, a man who realizes he’s living in a musical, but can’t talk about it to anyone around him. Viewers are welcomed to post their feedback and suggest a direction for the plot after each week’s episode. Student scriptwriters read all the comments, and incorporate the ideas in to the next week’s five to ten minute long segment. The musical is called “Musical: The Online Musical”, and is funded by a $4,000 award won by the musical’s co-authors in a theater competition last year.
When I first heard about this, I was immediately interested, and after watching the teaser promo on YouTube, I was hooked. Not only is this a unique and creative premise, requiring serious dedication by its participants (screen writing, rehearsal, filming, and editing must all occur in a week), but it could be a great way to connect the UVA community. If everyone is contributing to what happens to Henry, tuning in every week, and generating enough buzz, it may even be able to reach an audience off grounds.
Watch the promo now at:
And watch the premiere tonight 9/20 at 8 PM on YouTube
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