It's not that much of a stretch to think of the internet as a vast, highly interactive piece of artwork that is constantly evolving. Like any other revolutionary piece of media, those media that had been around before it are very slow to regard it with any degree of respect. When TV or movies address the internet, they tend to look profoundly un-hip in comparison to their newest cousin. As revolutionary as it may seem, DVR feels like TV getting a toupee or a sports car to make it feel youngerit looks very silly next to the liquid digital manipulability of digital video off the internet.
In the past few years, I've seen a few one-act stage plays address the internet in general and social networking sites in particular. The latest bit is a musical short that's been written by a Milwaukee native. Brian Myers (who recently appeared in Soulstice Theatre's production of Chess) has had the talent and good fortune to have had his musical STATUS: A Music Drama For The Digital Age accepted into a one-act festival in New York this coming February. A small staging of Myers' musical short will be staged this coming Sunday in Brookfield at the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center's Dawes Studio Theatre. The short will be featured in an hour-long program also features a few songs by Myers and a few guests. The performance of the musical short will feature Donna Kummer on piano. As this is a world premiere with no previous press of any kind, I have no idea what to expect from the show, so I will defer to copy from the press release:
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“The short musical, scored for piano and three voices, concerns the phenomenon of social networking. The scenes are at turns humorous and sincere, each an exploration of timeless human emotions experienced through a distinctly modern interface.”
Sounds kinda cool. I really wish the press release would've been sent out earlier. (I might've been able to make it to the show.) I couldn't find the event listed on the Wilson Center's website, which suggests kind of a last-minute thing. (The press release was sent out 2pm yesterdayapproximately 96 hours before the show is set to begin.)
The studio theatre staging of STATUS: A Music Drama For The Digital Age makes it to the Sharon Lynn Wilson Center at 2pm on Sunday, November 28th. There is a suggested donation of $10 at the door. The Wilson Center is located at 19805 W Capitol Drive in Brookfield.
