A musical in a world without music…

At Extropia, an efficiency-obsessed factory in some parallel universe, the employees mechanically go about their routines.  However, one worker, August, has a problem: he has begun to hear rhythm in the sounds of the factory.  What begins at work soon materializes outdoors, at home, when he should be sleeping, and eventually during complete silence.  He can’t ignore the random noises that seem to organize themselves…melodically… in his mind.  Society tries to suppress his enthusiasm as August struggles to bring his new discovery to a world that has no words, no concept, and, seemingly, no use for music whatsoever. This five-person comedy is set to a groundbreaking, found-object score and performed to a symphony of live music and sound effects.

Created by the Collaborator Company in Seattle, Extropia premiered to sold-out houses, won local awards, and made multiple top-ten lists. Seattle Weekly gushed that ‘Extropia redefined the word “musical” and The Seattle Stranger raved ‘Extropia is a theatrical experiment that hits the jackpot . . . hordes of theatergoers should be lining up RIGHT NOW to see it.’

Sound and rhythm compose the heart and soul of the piece, but there are no conventional songs. A live musician, visible throughout the show, uses percussive non-instruments, keyboards, and samplers to punctuate the production’s action, which is played sans props. Actors mime and move in precise coordination to the sounds. The audience experiences what happens in the hero’s “mind’s ear” as he discovers the extraordinary new world of music.

Vitals

Directed by Adam Koplan
Text and Music by Michael McQuilken
Based upon an original play by Collaborator, Seattle
Performed by Chris Ferry, Mary Jane Gibson,
Michael McQuilken, Hilda Seidman, Matt Seidman
Set and Lights by James Aitken
Costumes by Tara Webb