The world premiere of a brand new musical comes to VAULT Festival this March (3-8), written and composed by Christian Czornyj and directed by Adam Lenson
Aiden is sixteen, autistic and loves video games. They can be repeated, mastered and controlled. But what happens if the game starts to glitch? In this interactive video game musical the audience take control and help Aiden navigate Stages.
Playable characters include Ellie, Aiden’s sibling, who’s stuck deciding on which avatar to select, Owen, Aiden’s dad, who hovers over the restart button and Alice, Aiden’s mum, who faces her greatest challenge, the final boss.
Featuring an original electronic 8-bit soundtrack and arcade style graphics, Stages by Christian Czornyj examines what happens when the code of our lives is rewritten and the way the digital world interacts with our own. It is a bold new British musical that has to be played to be experienced.
Writer Christian Czornyj says: “What is it that lets someone play a video game for hours on end without a break or even realising how long it’s been? What is it that makes video games so different from other art forms? This is the question that led me to create Stages. For me, I think it’s all about the control. Escaping from a life that can feel out of control into a digital world where you are the master of fate. I’m really excited to see how the audience interact with Stages, what way they decide to control the story, and whether it will end up different each performance.”
Director Adam Lenson says: “I am always searching for innovative, emotive and disruptive new musicals that challenge the perception of what a musical sounds like, looks like and is about. Never has this been more visible than in this ingenious new piece by Christian Czornyj. Family, trauma and video games collide in this startling and thought provoking show.”
This is the first production of a new musical by ALP which looks to make artist led musicals by UK based career musical theatre artists. The show is part of ALP’s commitment to create bold, experimental work without compromise and to challenge ideas of what musicals look like, sound like or are about. Rather than a final destination for the production we see this first outing for Stages as an opportunity to bring new ideas and audience together for the first time.
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