PIPPIN

Director: Jamey Miller
Assistant Director: Katie Lewis
Music Director: Utsav Bhargava
Choreographer: Mady Killay
Technical Director: Ruby Yang
Stage Manager: Dominique Okoh
Producers: Kobi Kassal, Lara McAllister

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Pippin has held a special place in my heart for most of my life. The story of a medieval prince looking for perfection in an imperfect world has always hit close to home for me. However, I found that very few of my peers connected to the show in the same way. They thought it was weird and outdated. So, I decided to make it more accessible to my own generation.

For this production, done at a college, I decided to set Pippin in the present moment, and enhanced Pippin’s obsession with the “extraordinary” by using modern technologies on stage. Throughout the rehearsal process, I led conversations about the ways that technology and social media have affected our lives. In the show, the Leading Player and the ensemble use technology to edit the world around Pippin with artificial filters and make it more bright, colorful, and happy. When Pippin discovers that he doesn’t want a perfect life, the filter comes off and he finally gets to see the real world.

As my second directing project, Pippin was the first time I applied a completely original vision to a preexisting show. It was the most exhilarating and rewarding feeling to see that vision put on stage. I hope to return to this adaptation eventually when I have more than a student budget with which to technically produce the piece!