Waa-Mu: State of the Art — ASH
Co-Chairs: Emma Griffone, Leo Scheck, Jon Toussaint, Olivia Worley
Writing Coordinators: Ruchir Khazanchi, Emmet Smith, Matthew Threadgill, Mikey Walden
Music Directors: Saoirse Lee and Mason Frasher
Stage Manager: Sophia Barron
Asst. Stage Managers: Lucy Harrington, Natalie Rarick
Virtual Production
Directed by Amanda Tanguay
Produced by The Waa-Mu Show
Northwestern’s oldest theatrical tradition, The Waa-Mu Show, provides undergraduates with an unparalleled education in new musical theatre development. Every year, over a hundred students from across Northwestern participate as producers, writers, and performers in an original musical that inspires audiences and engages the surrounding communities. Its 89th annual production, State of the Art, centers on a not-so-distant future metropolis where a covert group of artists led by Ash are vandalizing world-renowned pieces of street art. When the mayor's misfit child crosses paths with the vandals, the city elite find themselves caught between their dream for their city to take its place on the national stage and the truth behind these young citizens' acts of resistance. (Blurb adapted from The Waa-Mu Show).
State of the Art was originally slated to perform in the 1000-seat Cahn Auditorium on Northwestern’s Evanston campus, but COVID-19 restrictions arose just before the beginning of rehearsals. As such, the cast and team of State of the Art embarked instead on the process of mounting one of the first Zoom-musicals of the pandemic era—complete with virtual background, compiled ensemble vocals, and more.