Kickstarter

What is this show?

Adapted from a book-length poem written in and about the Roaring Twenties, Andrew Lippa's THE WILD PARTY tells the story of one wild evening in the Manhattan apartment shared by Queenie and Burrs, a vaudeville dancer and a vaudeville clown. In a relationship marked by vicious behavior and recklessness (mirroring the time in which they live), they decide to throw a party to end all parties. 

An award-winning score by Andrew Lippa provides excitement and drive for this tale of passions out of control. Capturing the sound of a bygone era with a nod to the present one, he makes us realize that moral decadence is not only limited to our past.

Our Production - A Note from the Director/Choreographer

I have been a fan of Andrew Lippa's WILD PARTY since I first heard the recording.  What initially drew us to the show was the fact that two musicals opened in the same season based on the same poem, one on Broadway and one off-Broadway.  Clearly something must be good about this poem.  So I read the poem and could feel the roaring 20s coming to life through the text.  I want to use the poem to influence my work as a director as much as possible.

Many chapters of the poem begin with a reference to the flickering candles and the shadows they cast over the party guests and their house of celebration.  We want to reference this in the lighting design of the show. By incorporating shadow-play into the scenic and lighting design, we will delve into the role of these shadows and their impact on the characters, which mirror what we expect to happen, as opposed to the unexpected tragedies many of the characters face.  The show closes with Queenie lamenting, "How Did We Come to This?" and the shadows in the foreground will act out the little bits of the night Queenie overlooked.

Why We Need You

Putting on a musical is expensive. Putting on a musical and not charging for tickets makes it even trickier. Add the fact that we're all college students, and you've got a great recipe for needing financial assistance from those who love theatre. Putting on great theatre doesn't need a ton of money, but purchasing the rights and royalties does. Rental fees and deposits together total $850, and that's not even factoring in set and costuming.  With your help we can make this wild show a roaring reality.