INTERNET THE MUSICAL
A wildly eclectic, interactive, dramatic and very fun musical theatre piece.
It started with an open call: Who wants to join us online to create a new musical theatre piece together? During the start of the pandemic in 2020, about 50 artists from a dozen different countries, who suddenly found themselves living in isolation, responded to our call and got together online to create a musical about the internet. The result? A large and diverse team of artists and designers located on several continents, who (guided by artistic team Flavia Faas and Céline Talens of Questions Collective) created an entire theatre script, including music, dance, and costume designs.
We have been working together in ways that blur the lines of ownership. The aim of this project is to collaborate to create a story about connection in times of isolation.
In 2021 we performed Internet the Musical -live and offline- at the O. festival for Opera, music & theatre (formerly knows as Operadagen Rotterdam), in collaboration with Worm.
In 2022 we started expanding the world of ITM via workshops: In teams we further developed the pieces, scenes, designs, songs etc. And built an interactive website,
where you can
Internet the Musical can not be described as your standard musical, but because “musical” is a format in which many different disciplines and styles can come together and enhance each other, we chose to connect with this genre.
Our musical tells a story that tries to capture ‘the internet’ as a whole and in all its absurdity. Seen from the perspective of a person who is looking to distinguish between ‘online’ and ‘offline’. This idea is being challenged with interactive online elements that can become visible on stage.
The main character of the story ‘The Human’ longs for real contact, true connection, and they go online to seek it. As a sort of Alice in Wonderland, the Human falls from one website into the next and meets the inhabitants of the internet. Figures like the Algorhythm (who has a great sense of rhythm), the Reviewer (who is stuck on Ebay Beach) and The Server are part of this adventurous story.
The promise of realness, true connection and freedom lingers constantly in the air, but the question remains: will this promise be fulfilled?
In 2022 we started expanding the world of ITM via workshops: In teams we further developed the pieces, scenes, designs, songs etc. And built an interactive website,
where you can
- Enjoy the script with its music
- Download the entire musical and perform it yourself
- Create your own version of a song
- Add new ideas to the story
>>> internetthemusical.com
Internet the Musical can not be described as your standard musical, but because “musical” is a format in which many different disciplines and styles can come together and enhance each other, we chose to connect with this genre.
Our musical tells a story that tries to capture ‘the internet’ as a whole and in all its absurdity. Seen from the perspective of a person who is looking to distinguish between ‘online’ and ‘offline’. This idea is being challenged with interactive online elements that can become visible on stage.
The main character of the story ‘The Human’ longs for real contact, true connection, and they go online to seek it. As a sort of Alice in Wonderland, the Human falls from one website into the next and meets the inhabitants of the internet. Figures like the Algorhythm (who has a great sense of rhythm), the Reviewer (who is stuck on Ebay Beach) and The Server are part of this adventurous story.
The promise of realness, true connection and freedom lingers constantly in the air, but the question remains: will this promise be fulfilled?
Images by Michal Noy
