News of a plague has arrived with the post.
This new musical by 22-year-old Alex Ridefelt explores the consequences of fake news and mob mentality, resonating strongly with contemporary society. 'Post' invites audiences to question what is fact and what is fiction.
Here, Alex Ridefelt pens an open letter about the production.
“In our last year of high school, my drama-geek friends and I wanted to put on a musical. StarKid’s 'A Very Potter Musical' was at the top of our list and with high hopes we proposed this to our drama teacher. 'No,' he said, 'Musical rights are expensive. It’s too much of a hassle.' Okay. So we couldn’t do a musical. Well, not an existing musical. 'What if I were to, uhh, write one? Could we do that?' He looked at me for a moment. This kid wasn’t kidding. 'Alright,' he said, 'Three scenes on my desk by the end of the week. Then we’ll see.'
And so started the journey of 'Post'. I had no clue what I was in for, and neither did the people around me. I asked my father, who tutors in piano and music theory, to work with me on the music, and I set about recruiting more friends to join the performance class. Six months later we had a three hour show with a cast of 25 people. Not a musical comedy about the wizarding world, but a crucible-style fantasy musical about fake news and an angry mob. I was 17.
Now I’m 22 and I’m still working on it. Probably even as you read this, I’m at my computer flailing around in an ocean of sticky notes and story maps. It’s terrifying because that’s been five years of my life, but it’s worth it because I’m doing what I love. With all the readings and workshops and panel presentations, 'Post' has grown up a lot since that first high school production. Now there are professionals who are working with my material. That is insanely cool.”
And so started the journey of 'Post'. I had no clue what I was in for, and neither did the people around me. I asked my father, who tutors in piano and music theory, to work with me on the music, and I set about recruiting more friends to join the performance class. Six months later we had a three hour show with a cast of 25 people. Not a musical comedy about the wizarding world, but a crucible-style fantasy musical about fake news and an angry mob. I was 17.
Now I’m 22 and I’m still working on it. Probably even as you read this, I’m at my computer flailing around in an ocean of sticky notes and story maps. It’s terrifying because that’s been five years of my life, but it’s worth it because I’m doing what I love. With all the readings and workshops and panel presentations, 'Post' has grown up a lot since that first high school production. Now there are professionals who are working with my material. That is insanely cool.”
