Sarah Sturdevant (senior) was a first year when she started brainstorming her pirate-themed musical “The Seven Deadly Seas,” set to be performed Oct. 14 in the Booth Courtyard.
In particular, Sturdevant said she was inspired by the 1942 Technicolor swashbuckler film “The Black Swan.”
“As a joke, I was like, ‘What if I write this, but make it better?’” Sturdevant said.
Sturdevant said that during the pandemic she passed the time by watching old Hollywood swashbuckling films.
“They were definitely very outdated, but kind of a fun time,” Sturdevant said.
Sturdevant, a music composition major, said that this was the first musical she has ever composed. According to Sturdevant, as she started writing the musical, she brought in narrative themes from other Hollywood classics such as “Pirates of the Caribbean,” and the musical took a life of its own.
“I just had a calling, like ‘I want to write a musical, let’s see what happens,’” Sturdevant said. “I ended up getting obsessed with it, and it took over my life for three years.”
The musical, Sturdevant said, features a love story between a pirate and a princess, but includes the devil engaging in Faustian bargains.
One of the peculiarities of the production is that there is no backstage, according to Sturdevant.
“If the actors have to go use the restroom, they’re going to have to walk in front of the audience,” Sturdevant said. “Not ideal, but it was very important to me that the show be outside in such a beautiful space.”
Over the summer, Sturdevant said she sent an email blast announcing auditions for the show. Cast member Pika Whitman (sophomore) said that the process of auditioning was relatively straightforward.
“We sent in through a Google form a video of us singing a song of our choosing and an optional monologue,” Whitman said.
The production manager for the musical, Zachary Goldsmith (senior), said that although he has experience producing plays before, there were unique challenges with producing a musical.
“With a musical, there’s a lot more moving parts you have to be aware of,” Goldsmith said. “This is the first time I’m dealing with an outside department that might not necessarily be as familiar with the needs of a theatrical production.”
According to Goldsmith, one of the challenges with a theatrical production that takes place in Fall relative to the Spring is the lack of knowledge about various aspects such as scheduling.
“Doing things in the school year, especially when you do things in the Spring semester, you get a little bit more freedom to know what’s going on,” Goldsmith said.
According to Goldsmith, student-run shows tend to feel more chaotic while in the moment, but there’s often a moment of crystallization right as the production starts.
“You have less time than you want, and more stuff than you thought you would need to do,” Goldsmith said. “Somehow, it all gets done.”
In addition to challenges relating to producing over the summer, one of the challenges for the cast members was the inability to prepare and implement stage combat, according to Ethan Remez-Cott (junior), the fight choreographer for the musical.
“It’s very tricky to figure out stage combat by yourself,” Remez-Cott. “It’s such a partner medium.”
According to Remez-Cott, fight choreography is the process of preparing stage fights. In particular, he said that he rehearses staged sword fights as dances.
“The goal of the combat is not to kill or beat your opponent, the goal is to tell [a] story,” Remez-Cott said. “If this was actual combat it wouldn’t be rehearsed.”
According to Remez-Cott, there are five basic “cuts” (or attacks), and five “parries” (or defenses) in sword fighting, and he tailored the combat style to each character.
“For example, the villain, Captain Dagon, I wanted to portray as powerful, so I gave them sort of an ease when they fight,” Remez-Cott said. “There’s a moment when they block one blade, catch another, then throw us both off.”
Upon returning to campus, Remez-Cott said that he worked for quite a while with the actors in order to ensure that the staged combat was safe, comfortable and worked well with every actor.
“So far, everyone in the play who has gotten some choreography has been doing a wonderful job,” Remez-Cott said.
Cast members who participate in sword fights include members of the musical’s ensemble, according to Whitman, who is a member. However, Whitman said that is not all the ensemble does.
“We help with harmonies and singing, as well as help make the world feel more real,” Whitman said. “We just help bring the story to life.”
While attending the show, Goldsmith said that audience members should be prepared to experience a sense of wonder.
“It takes you back to the Golden Age-style musicals,” Goldsmith said. “It is this wonderful place to be in.”
Contact Avinash Iyer at iyera@oxy.edu.
