Raven Lirio
Copy Editor
The independent student musical production Man Out of Time written by senior Gunnar Johnson will take to the stage in the CAVE on Jan 30 at 7p.m. The musical, which is sponsored by Mast TV, tells the story of a young science intern named Sherrie Amberson who attempts to uncover the mystery of what happened to the lab she works in twenty years ago.
“It plays a lot with unreliable narrators,” said Johnson. “I was inspired by a lot of old science fiction movies. In building the characters, I was also inspired by my own life experiences.”
The musical is entirely student run, from lighting and sound design to the script and set design. Casting was held in December with rehearsals all throughout January. Production work has been building up to the premiere at the end of January.
“It is amazing to see what students dedicated to theater are able to put on as long as their heart is in it,” said junior Mathæus Andersen who plays Olaf Schidtsky.
This is not the first time that Johnson has written and produced a play. He had previously done a parody of the movie Sharknado back in high school.
“It’s a better time because I’ve outsourced and found a brilliant production team,” Johnson said.
As opposed to traditional categories like drama or thriller, Johnson opted to use the term sci-fi musical.
“A story like this needs a medium like sci-fi that is allowed to be comedic, dramatic, creepy, and fantastic in order to not be so limiting,” Johnson said.
Andersen spoke of his experience working on the show, emphasizing the independent work of the people involved.
“This is the first time I am a part of a completely independent musical,” Andersen said. “We are taking the show on with fresh eyes and ears instead of mimicking something we have seen before. It is amazing how much students can achieve.”
For Johnson, this project is something that he has done out of the pure enjoyment of theater for fun.
“This has been my passion project for three years and so I’m glad to finally see it on the stage and done so well,” Johnson said. “It has been almost surreal seeing all of these characters who have only ever lived in my head suddenly walking and talking in front of me. Seeing things the actors throw in that I didn’t even know would be perfect for the characters is just surreal.”
Johnson’s favorite part of this process has been seeing the memes created by the cast and crew for the show.
“For me as an author, it’s one of the highest forms of flattery,” Johnson said.
The performances will run for one week and will be recorded by Mast TV. Admission is free and open to the public on all nights.
“It is nigh professional grade theater being performed entirely independently. It’s as close to independent theater as you can possibly get,” Johnson said. “We are hoping this will help inspire more independent theater in the future.”
