We met award-winning writing team Selda Sahin and Derek Gregor at Wharton Center for Performing Arts in East Lansing, MI following a rehearsal for Particle, a coming-of-age esports musical. It’s a new theater production chosen by ĭmáGen, a collaboration between Wharton Center Institute for Arts & Creativity and MSU College of Arts and Letters.
We watched an early performance of Particle, which was written and composed by Selda and Derek. The excellent musical made us laugh, cry, and curious about its further creative development.
In THIS INTERVIEW Derek and Selda tell us about the future of Particle, its creative potential, and how big the musical could be culturally. THIS is for YOU!
What was your vision for how this first step of Particle should turn out?
Selda: The biggest thing was we hadn’t heard the show out loud until we started rehearsal. It was just on paper. It’s sort of a big show, and it’s COVID times so it’s hard to get people together to do it. Knowing what we’re working with has been kind of amazing. We restructured the whole thing. And getting a chance to keep working on it and getting it to the place where everything is sort of working when we do our rewrites for whatever the next step is, we’ll feel confident in it.
Derek: Structure. Story. Obviously, there’s songs and the students were doing great with those, but I think, first and foremost, what is the order of events? We cut a character, one of our main players on the team within the show, right away on the first day. Like, those discoveries. As opposed to figuring out what songs that character sings, we could have spent a lot of time on that. The character is gone. So, story, order of events, and character arches, that’s the main priority.
Derek, what does it feel like to be learning the music as you’re watching if it works or not?
I’m used to that. I like to come in without it being too set when something’s this new so I can feel how it’s working, how it feels in the bodies of the performers. And just the vibe of the room and read [Autumn Reeser’s] facial expressions.
I’m used to coming in with a sketch, and them coming to conclusions on the spot. I’m used to not opening up flood gates that result in going down rabbit holes and wasting time but doing a little bit of that. If I over prepare it’s just a waste of time because there’s too many discoveries and there’s too many moving parts.
What are you enjoying so far about the story?
Selda: I think it’s learning the new world, this gaming world that neither of us is a part of, has been fun. We have a gaming team. By getting to create these characters we’re getting to know them. I really like the world we’re in! Sometimes it’s not the hardest part to crack but it’s the one that matters the most.
The idea of having the lead character Cora be a twin was intriguing. A lot of gamers deal with mental health issues, self-esteem issues, and issues of identity. So often it’s personal issues or relationships that lure them into gaming. With that being said, how much of what Cora is going through can be felt without hearing her speak?
Selda: We have the music. That helps set the tone.
Derek: We’ve been sitting down with designers. There’s been some brilliant concepts for sets and lighting and costumes. I feel like that’s going to cover a lot of ground. I think the way we approach writing – and writing musicals in general is such a collaborative artform – we like to se how other design elements can stretch their legs and contribute story, plot, and character.
I know in the future when those other things are in place, those things are fundamental to how I’ve been seeing things and how our game functions in the show. It’s very humbling as a composer because it’s called a musical, so it’s about having songs, but other people can have a huge impact on the way the story works.
What events – EVO, TWT, Youmacon – are you drawing from to create the gaming tournament within the musical?
Derek: I think sonically it’s coming from a lot of the Twitch world of things. That high-energy interactive world that streamers are trying to encapsulate. You’ve got a lot of bright neon colors which we’re trying to translate into sound, as well as some of the world championships like Dota 2 and League of Legends which, sonically, they’re very different. Dota tournaments are more cinematic while League of Legends tournaments are a lot more toward the Trap, Glitch Hop worlds. They’re clubby. Hip Hop and 808s sort of thing. Sonically, there’s a lot of textures we’re referencing between those two but also trying to find softer, more human characteristics.
Lastly, considering the merger of esports and musicals, how big can Particle be culturally?
Derek: I feel like limitations on the production of a world creates a really great thing because it makes things kind of vibrate. And it’s a great thing to have parameters. I’ve reviewed all types of artwork while considering the limitations. So that’s one thing.
I’m very fascinated with technology and how it’s affecting the world, but we’re not leaning too heavily into that because we’re trying to tell a brother and sister coming-of-age story. Inevitably, by the time the musical really pops, which will probably be 4 or 5 years from now, I wonder what gaming is going to look like and if it’s going to be so much more virtual.
Selda: We thought about making the game VR – virtual reality like Oculus because that’s probably where it’s ending up. It doesn’t change our story, really. And, if anything, it would make for some interesting visuals. But who knows when this is ready to go.
Derek: What scares me about this show is I feel it’s kind of endless with what can happen with the production. That will become a virtue and that will become exciting. Part of me likes limitations and, right now, this could be where music is 5% the point and it’s an entirely immersive visual experience. It could be in a warehouse, it could be in the armory, it could not be a theater piece in a traditional sense. I think there’s a lot of visual elements. It could be one where the lighting and the laser people are the features, that are the ones getting interviewed and not the composer. It could be that which would be cool! |THIS.
[By Mr. Joe Walker]
