#been watching a bunch of starkid productions for the first time!!

[tacktheyak]

cookin up some guy who didn’t like musicals art rn >:)

[maulsoleum]

orchid, abelia, jasmine, palm tree

ask games r so fun lmao we love learning things about others

YES! i love learning stuff about people also answering questions is so fun to me LMAO

orchid ⇢ what’s a song you consider to be perfect?

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS ONE! hands down without a doubt it’s “mary on a cross” - ghost. i know it got very popular on tik tok and watered down from what it was (glad to see ghost popular but people watering down the song makes me sad a bit) but since it came out in 2019 it’s been my all time favorite song since. i can never get sick of it. it’s such a beautiful song but still holds ghosts general vibe. also the end of the song is so fucking gorgeous. it calms me down and is just. so perfect to me. and in concert it’s fucking amazing.

abelia ⇢ do you have a particular piece of jewelry you always wear or can’t part with?

i answered this one in a prev ask so sorry mootie :(

jasmine ⇢ do you have a movie or book you loved but will never watch/read again?

i honestly cant think of any i’m a chronic rewatched (and i’m not the biggest reader tbh). there’s nothing that’s come to mind but there definitely has to be stuff i adore but cant rewatch due to length or some element to it that i can’t go through again LMAO

palm tree ⇢ do you have a fictional villain you shouldn’t like but love regardless?

I WAS WAITING FOR THIS QUESTION OH BOY! i fucking love villains, i get it from my dad he has an obsession with them. you could argue any villain character especially cartoony ones are villains i shouldn’t like but love regardless LMAO. the first one that really comes to mind though is wilbur cross (and subsequently all the lords in black) from the hatchetfield universe through starkid productions. something about cryptid horrors plaguing a town through multiple timelines and taking the forms of stuffed dolls is SO GOOD. also just wilbur himself. an anti-capitalist america-hating former general that got corrupted into doing the bidding of a bunch of cosmic beings? fucking great. his song in black friday? a banger. also played by joey richter who is my favorite actor LMAO. love wilbur

[fanaticfangirl001]

The Singer And the Actor  Ch 2 : The Stage

Joe Mazzello x plus sized reader 

Author’s note: This might be a little AUish but after seeing Bohemian Rhapsody I wondered what music would be like if Freddie hadn’t passed away. 

Ps: The song y/n sings is a song from Starkid musical called Not Alone, it’s in one of their harry potter musicals but it just fit. 

“Thanks Jim, by the way.” Y/n pats Jim’s shoulder as she begins to break away from him. 

“Where are you going?” Jim asks. 

“I need some air and to think about stuff.” Y/n shrugs. 

“Don’t think too hard, it’s almost lunch time.” Jim says before dropping her arm from his. 

“I promise I won’t.” Y/n walks off away from where the band and actors are. 

Jim slightly shakes his head as he rejoins the boys. There’s something special about her. 

“Where have you been?” Freddie asks his husband before kissing him. 

“There was a kitten petting emergency.” 

“Understandable.” Freddie nods. 

“Wasn’t Y/n with you? Rami saw her petting cats.” Joe asks. 

“She was, she needed some air and to think about stuff about the band.” Jim answers. 

“She told you about everything.” Joe sighs. He knows how much the band means to her. 

“Yeah, she didn’t want to,in her words, info-dump on me. But I’m nosy so..” Jim trails off. 

A few minutes of talking with the actors, Freddie wanders off until he finds the person he’s been wanting to talk to since he heard she was coming. 

Y/n chews her nails while writing down a few lyrics she’s been thinking of. A sweet smelling man settles himself on the ground beside her. 

“Hello, Mr. Mercury.” Y/n says without looking up. 

“How did you know it was me?” Freddie asks situating his legs so they don’t get cramped. 

“You’re the only man I can picture wearing Coco Mademoiselle perfume.” Y/n looks up and closes the notebook. 

“Am I interrupting your song writing process, darling?” 

“Uh, kind of, but it’s okay. I wasn’t getting anywhere. Besides Peter hates everything I write so..” 

“Is Peter in the band?” 

“No.” 

“Than his opinion is irrelevant.” 

“He’s our manager.” 

“You say that like it means something.”

“And the guys like him,and his opinions. I think it’s because he’s older than us, and has experience with bands.” 

Freddie hesitates then asks “ Are you the eldest in the band?” 

“Yes, what about me told you that?” 

“You give off a worried mum vibe about the lyrics” 

“Is that bad?” 

“No, darling, it’s not.” A small smile grows on Freddie’s face,” I was the same way.” 

“So what do I do?” Y/n asks. 

“That depends, what exactly does Peter say about you, darling?” 

Y/n recounts the various rude things Peter has said about her in the past two years. By the end of her telling him, Freddie’s jaw clenches. 

“Yeah it’s not good.” Y/n comments once realizing that Freddie seems pissed off. 

“You’ve put up with that shit for two years!” 

“Albums take time, Mr.Mercury.” Y/n shrugs. 

“Once it is finished, fire him, or kick him in the dick, or both.” 

“If we finish, at this rate, with the arguments.” 

“Let me guess, he riles you up, then makes the guys think you’re sensitive, and can’t take criticism.”  Freddie guesses. 

“Yeah, that’s actually not the worst thing he’s done, he tried to dissolve a diet pill in my drink. I saw him do that, so I poured it into a plant. Poor plant.” Y/n shakes her head at the memories of Peter and the band on their first small tour playing bars. 

“Just fire him now. Don’t wait.” Freddie suggests. 

“Maybe I should call the boys to see how it’s going.” Y/n says digging through her purse.

Her phone starts ringing. 

“They had the same idea.” Freddie smiles as Y/n takes the phone call. 

There’s screaming in the background of the call. 

“Hey Y/n, how’s London?” Brandon says quickly. “ Uh we have a problem.” 

“It’s great, what’s the problem?” Y/n asks. 

“Uh you know how Jake is like your younger brother. Well he’s a little protective.” Brandon says.

“What happened?” Y/n asks sighing.

“He snapped.” Brandon answers simply.

“What did Peter say?” Y/n assumes.

“How do you know Peter said anything? Did Jake call you?” Brandon says surprised that she knew.

“No, I just know Peter.” Y/n tries not to get into a fight with him. 

“He’s not as bad as you say he is.” Brandon defends him. 

“Brandon, stop, just tell me what Peter said.” Y/n says not wanting to get into it. 

“He said that your songs shouldn’t be on the album because you took off in the middle of recording, and then Jake just sprang out of his chair, and started punching Peter, we tried to grab and then he just started punching anyone he could.” Brandon explains what happened. 

“Do you agree with him?” Y/n asks raising an eyebrow, even if he isn’t here.

“No, but I understand his reasoning.” Brandon sighs. 

“Brandon, I love you like a brother, but right now I don’t like you or Russ.” Y/n says trying not to get mad. 

“Y/n, come on. You don’t mean that. Think about the band.” 

“ I do mean it and everything I think about is the band. You know how hard it was for me to leave. I’ve only been gone for a day, and you guys are punching the daylights out of each other.” Y/n spits venom. 

“Jake is the one punching our manager. Do you know how that makes us look?” Brandon asks. 

“Jake is the calmest one of the bunch, how does that make Peter look?” Y/n snaps back. “ I have to go.” 

Y/n hangs up and looks at Freddie, who heard everything. 

“So that’s Brandon, he’s our guitarist, and we sometimes clash.” She explains. 

“I heard, darling.” Freddie reminds. 

“Well then now you know why my writing session here, wasn’t interrupted.” Y/n throws her phone back in the bag. 

“Well darling, you said you were trying to work through some lyrics, so why don’t you try them with a piano.” Freddie points to the Live Aid set.

 As it’s lunch time, no one is near it, The piano is still there with a microphone. 

“I don’t think I can just sit up there and play it. Like it’s a movie set. They could like kick me out.” Y/n shakes her head.

“Than darling, I’ll go with you.” Freddie offers. 

“Then we both get kicked out.” Y/n says standing up. 

“I don’t think they can kick me out.” Freddie laughs standing up and walking with Y/n over to the set. 

“Up you go.” He helps Y/n onto the stage and disappears behind it. 

Freddie flips a few of the speakers on and connects the cable to the microphone so everyone can hear her sing. 

“Uh Mr. Mercury.” Y/n calls out sitting on the piano bench. 

“Right here darling.” Freddie walks out from behind a curtain and sets up a microphone at the piano. 

“Remember it’s still in it’s rough stage, and I was on a plane so my voice might not be.” Y/n starts to ramble.

“Y/n just sing the words you have on the page.” Freddie says sitting on the edge of the stage. 

“Okay, but if I get kicked off the set it’s your fault.” Y/n starts playing the melody. 

Freddie watches and pulls out his phone sending a mass group text : Come to the live aid stage, but be quiet. 

“Am I the first to hear this?” He asks. 

“No, Joe heard a little of it. It’s uh about relationships, Mine with Joe, and well mine with my friends. It’s kind of funny to play this after we argued.” Y/n muses. 

“Play on.” Freddie says with a hand flourish. 

“I’ve been alone. Surrounded by darkness. And I’ve seen how heartless the world can be. “ Y/n sings. 

Freddie could hear a few of Y/n’s influences most notably Aretha Franklin. In his mind the girl can sing. Anyone would be out of their mind to think anything else. He looks over and sees Jim,Joe, Rami, Brian and Roger walking over and sit in the front row of the audience. Y/n is too lost in the song to realize that the microphone is on and the speakers are amplifying her song to the whole production. 

As the music begins to picks up to a faster pace, Joe smiles he recognizes this part of the song. 

“Cause baby you’re not alone! Cause you’re here with me, And nothing’s ever gonna bring us down. Cause nothin can keep me from lovin you, and you know it’s true.” Y/n belts.  

Y/n smiles while she’s singing and gestures to Freddie. 

“Oh.” Freddie says running over to help her with the duet portion. 

“Now I know it ain’t easy.”(No it ain’t easy) but it ain’t hard trying. (It’s so hard trying) Y/n sings with Freddie as her backup. 

They finish the last verse together, in Y/n mind this verse is supposed to be with all of her band singing. 

“Baby you’re not alone! Cause you’re here with me, and nothing’s ever gonna take us down. Cause nothing can keep me from loving you, and you know it’s true, it don’t matter what’ll come to be. Our love is all we need to make it through.” Y/n and Freddie finish together. 

The clapping is what brings Y/n back to earth as she realized that more people than just Freddie were watching. 

[jackie-talks-about-starkid]

First Up... “A Very Potter Musical”!

The one that started it all! 

(Well, kind of. Technically, StarKid’s very first production was a Lord of the Rings parody musical. However, seeing as that isn’t posted on their official channel, I have merely only heard tell of it within the deepest corners of YouTube and tumblr because I didn’t go to the University of Michigan at the time when it premiered. Because I was approximately nine years old. Anyway...)

I do not remember exactly how I came across AVPM (the common abbreviation for A Very Potter Musical that I’ll be using for the rest of this post because I only have so much typing room). Knowing ten year old me, it was probably because Mugglenet (the OG Harry Potter fansite) posted about it once the show started gaining popularity on the internet. I do know one thing for sure, though. I did watch it before Darren Criss was cast on Glee. *gasp*

I know, right? Even pre-tween Jackie was a fandom hipster who liked things before they were popular. Darren Criss was and forever will be Harry Potter first and Blaine Anderson second. So, imagine my surprise when my little Gleek self found out my first celebrity crush was going to be on Glee! I was, as the kids say, shook. 

But, unfortunately, this post isn’t just about Darren Criss so I must continue my ramblings. Though I was not fully aware of it at the time (because I was literally ten) AVPM became a cult-like sensation for the incredibly awesome niche fandom crossover of theatre kids and Potterheads that launched a bunch of college kids into internet stardom. I feel as though AVPM, and the following StarKid productions, embody the true essence of theatre. There’s cultural critique, humor, drama, but, most importantly, it was self-made and readily available to the general public. While StarKid had a one-up in that the college they attended allowed them to use a performance space for the weekend to house their production, everything about the show was made and performed by and for themselves out of pure love for theatre and for fandom. 

You can see it in the performances and hear it in the way the audience reacts to the show that’s going on in front of them. There was true love and joy in that room, and over 16 million people (as of right now) have been able to experience that because the kids decided that they’d put it up on YouTube for their friends to see. There was no way to tell that it’d reach the amount of popularity that it did, and definitely no way to predict that they’d get a cease and desist letter from Warner Brothers threatening to sue them if they didn’t change the original name of the musical (which I’m assuming was “A Harry Potter Musical” but I can’t be too sure of because I wasn’t there). But here we are! StarKid is a full-on theatrical production company with an amazing and super-active fandom! Bringing musical theatre and sex jokes and sociopolitical commentary to people all over the world who normally wouldn’t have access to these productions, let alone traditionally commercial ones on Broadway or the West End!

For the sake of my study and for the sake of the art of theatre itself, the most important thing that can be taken away from this production, and from all subsequent productions of StarKid, is that theatre is best not when it is created out of a desire for profit, but when it is created out of a desire to share the work in any way possible.

*In my next post, you’ll get my official commentary and run-down of AVPM but I felt it necessary to preface that with a statement. This is a blog, after all. You’ll definitely be getting more of these in the future.

[thisisasupergoodidea]

just watched The Guy Who Didnt Like Musicals a second time. i didnt really process the songs properly the first time and didnt like them but now i can actually hear the tunes as intended and i love this whole thing so much. so im gonna ramble about this musical for a bit. spoilers ahead if u havent watched yet (its on youtube)

ive seen a few of the theories ppl have about the delivery of the musical, and about what happens at the end especially. i think i wanna try my hand at it too because sometimes i enjoy interpreting details. and im a gigantic sucker for reprises that stitch together all the songs we just heard into its own frankenstein song that completely changes in meaning or tone based on all the info we absorbed over the course of the program. and boi the last song of the show sure fuckin delivers

ok well i need to start at the beginning though. some ppl are confused by what the opening lil song and dance is within the context of the musical, because it introduces the main character, but at that point no one is infected yet so it just seems like standard musical stuff in the viewpoint of the audience, who expects this. but the entire plot of this musical is that the characters’ world slowly BECOMES a musical due to alien spores from a meteor infecting everyone to act as a harmonious hive mind. so in this sense its two musicals at the same time: the musical that starkid productions wrote, and the looser ‘musical’ that the alien entity is orchestrating during its antagonism of the main character. i believe that the opener takes place after at least a partially successful domination of the populace, mostly because of the fact that the characters who participate in that song are referring to ‘themselves’ in the third person and are dancing all hunched and menacingly, exactly how the alien spore compels people to dance later on in the plot. that plus a line that i might be recalling correctly about how the main character is their final story to tell, makes me certain that this is the alien telling that story

as for the main character paul’s absence from that song, i really think thats something intended in the musical to introduce what paul is like in the most succinct way possible. the guy just did not like musicals. throughout the plot he is constantly defining himself by his lack of participation, so of course the cheekiest way to set that up is to have him not participate in the opener. i think the confusing part here is when the story actually begins, because if the opener was performed by the future infected characters, when is the line drawn to differentiate between the two musicals that are happening (starkid musical vs alien musical)? or is the whole thing a performance by the alien entity? in which case, everyone on that stage is simply acting out the story as determined by the hive mind. but to whom, if everyone’s infected? i’ll get back to that later

another thing i love about this musical is how gradually tired of paul’s shit the alien entity becomes over the course of the plot, as evidenced by the tone of the songs. it just gets worse and worse. the alien’s songs turn from sickeningly cheerful to enticing, to threatening, to evoking hopelessness, then finally to pressuring paul past his breaking point. some of the songs arent even directed at paul but the change still happens, which goes to show the alien entity’s frustration. and at the end when the infected find emma, the song is happy again. they sing that awesome reprise, a really energetic mashup in which its hard not to feel like the alien plague is unstoppable. inevitable, one might say.

speaking of the end... paul’s confrontation with the meteor (my absolute favorite scene that i would rewatch a hundred times except i dont want to get tired of it too fast) contains good information to understanding what happens afterward. paul tries to blow it up, gets distracted by the appearance of his infected acquaintances, and the longer he stays there the more infected he himself becomes, breathing in such a heavy concentration of those alien spores at the epicenter of its activity. until now, he has rejected actively being the ‘star of the show’ like the alien seems to... want him to be? idk, the point is that his character defies musical protagonist tropes despite how the plot follows him. the story is ABOUT the alien, but paul is the audience’s anchor. until he goes to blow up the meteor. at that point, the alien has him. he can barely fight back against his own body synchronizing with the other infected as they goad him into giving in, but he puts up a damn good struggle considering those impossible circumstances. still, for the first time, he participates. he sings. he hates it, but it brings out some interesting thoughts: does he hate it? did he ever? or is this just the spores talking?

but what part, exactly, does he hate? in a musical, the singing and dancing act is usually the method of delivery for whatever the character is truly feeling. it is an opportunity for the audience to connect emotionally with the person who is singing. but we dont have that with paul for almost the entire show. he doesnt participate. and he’s established in the beginning as selfish, kind of a dick, and not available to anyone (except emma who is the only person he even slightly opens up to. he tries to be more friendly somewhat with bill, i think, but even then that couldve just been to get him to snap out of it and escape the school). he said himself that people singing and dancing makes him uncomfortable. so all this is to say that, on a deeper level, i think the aspect of the singing and dancing that he hates, that he fights to resist, is the vulnerability. you can witness the madness and shame for yourself as he sings more and more, letting out his worries, unsure if his feelings are his anymore. but hey, he ends that scene with a statement reaffirming the self he walked in with (which is to say, a guy who hates musicals) and finally pulls his grenade. so its cool that he was able to resist that but. guys. if the spores didnt get him. that grenade absolutely did. he didnt even bother to throw it away from himself, he flung it down right in front of him. theres no way he didnt get blown to bloody chunks, fully intending for that to be his final act of defiance

but i think it was too late by then. he’d already breathed in so many spores, and we were shown earlier on that death is not an impediment to becoming infected. i think after he exploded, he was still absorbed into the collective and reformed as a new addition to the hive mind. his explosives might not have been enough to fully destroy the meteor. and thats why, at the very end, i believe that - despite his admittedly suspicious face journey during the song - he isnt faking it. because if he was, wouldnt the hive mind know that it doesnt contain him within it? not only that, but in the opening song emma is clearly part of the group. given that she is the only one who is undoubtedly not infected in the last song, we have to assume that she will be sometime after the finale of the musical.

and now im left with my unexplored questions: is this a musical played straight, or a ‘musical’ put on by the alien entity after it wins? and who is the ‘musical’ intended for? its fun to speculate but im not sure these are questions that can be answered by watching it a bunch of times. theyre aimed too much outside of the zone of operation, if that makes sense. its like, you cant ever look at your own eyeballs normally. you need a mirror or for someone to describe them to you. these questions exist outside of the limitations of the musical format, so we wouldnt direct them at the video, we would ask them of the creators. or not. its cool to not have all the questions answered too

ah i wrote a flippin essay, huh? i guess i wanted to prove to myself that my brain still works

[inhale-fandoms-exhale-asdfghjkl]

Starkid Shows Ranked

Apparently i have nothing better to do on a Saturday night so i figured i’d rank all of the starkid shows after getting inspiration from watching a whole bunch of these videos on youtube. I figured i’d take it to tumblr and find out everybody else’s personal ranking because again i have nothing to do plus i find it interesting.

I understand that everyone has their own opinions so i don’t expect everyone to agree with me, but here is my ranking:

11. Firebringer - i'm sorry i really really tried to love this show but i just can't. I think the music is great and i absolutely love the cast and while i find a few moments in the show funny, i just don't find the overall show that enjoyable.

10. ANI - i don't really understand all the hate for this show. I understand the music is different as it wasn't the cast singing it but how can you complain about a whole soundtrack of Clark Baxtresser? I've never seen Star Wars so I didn't really get a lot of the plot of the show or the jokes but i still really enjoy the show and i think i would enjoy it a lot more if i was a fan of Star Wars. Because if this, it doesn't have the same re-watch value as their other shows for me but i don't think deserves to be as underrated as it is. 

9. A Very Potter Senior Year - it's incredibly unfortunate that they were not able to do a proper production of this show because i believe it would have been absolutely amazing. Despite the fact they had a very limited amount of time to prepare for this show, every actor did such a great job in the show and its one of my favourite starkid soundtracks because of sidekick, when i was and gilderoy.

8. Me and My Dick - i get why this show is not a lot of people's favourite, its definitely a lot to take in but you cant deny that the concept of the show is great and unique. When i first watched this show, i was twelve so i didn't really get most of it but watching it now i can actually really enjoy it. Despite all of that, the soundtrack for this show is amazing which isn't a surprise because A.J Holmes wrote the music. I love watching this show and their other early shows mostly just to see how much all of the actors' skills have developed, particularly Joey. Watching this and then watching Starship, TTO or TGWDLM, you can see how much he has improved not only with his acting but with his singing. 

7. A Very Potter Musical - every time i watch this show i get so nostalgic, i am so thankful that 2012 me decided to watch this harry potter musical that i kept hearing about because starkid has literally changed my life thanks to this show. This show is just amazing in every way and that's all i have to say.

6.The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - such a great concept. When starkid first pitched the show i was a little unsure about it but im so glad i decided to give it a go and contribute to their kickstarter because it turned out amazing. Naturally it being their newest show, it's been the one I've been re-watching the most lately and as amazing as it is, its not their best. I love the music for this show, i love each and every one of the cast members, I am so happy Corey and Robert are getting more recognition in the fandom now because they're amazing. Also i love Jon and i want him to be in literally every starkid show from now on and i love Mariah too, her voice is phenomenal. 

5. Holy Musical Batman - why this show gets so much hate, i do not understand. For me, i had to watch it twice before i could fully appreciate it. The music is quite different from the other shows but how can you hate those harmonies in Dark, Sad, Lonely Nights. The show definitely makes up for it in the storyline and its incredibly funny. 

4. The Trail to Oregon - this show is just pure fuckery and i love it. I just think its such a great concept and they orchestrated it really well. It's a little different from starkid's other shows but its great and it's probably the show that makes me laugh the most. Also, Joey's acting skills really shone in this show and he finally got the recognition he deserved.

  3. A Very Potter Sequel -  while AVPM comes with so much nostalgia from being starkid's first show plus the show that got me into Starkid, this show is much more enjoyable for me. It's just absolutely hilarious, i still cry of laughter every time i watch this mostly because of Lupin, Lucius and Umbridge. Also the music is amazing, To Have a Home makes me cry every time without fail.

2. Starship - this was the first starkid musical i watched aside from the hp ones so it has a special place in my heart. This was number one on my list until twisted came out as its one of starkid's most enjoyable shows with great music, an amazing cast and the puppets are just amazing

1. Twisted no explanation needed but i'll give you one anyway. Amazing music, amazing acting. I love everything about it, mostly because its an great spin on my favourite disney movie. Also, Two words - Dylan Saunders.

Feel free to add your own :)

[dork-empress]

Hive Minds Vs. The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

So I’ve been increasingly loving Starkids’ latest musical “The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals” I’ve seen all their musicals that are on youtube, and I’m a bit hit or miss with them. Overall I think they have improved with time, so if the only one you’ve seen is “A Very Potter Musical” go check out some of their other musicals, but first check The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. 

The Premise is Aliens have landed on Earth and are slowly infecting people’s minds, taking over their bodies to be part of elaborately choreographed musical numbers. It has a Zombie Apocalypse sort of feel to it, following Paul (a guy who, you may have guessed, doesn’t like musicals) and his friends as they attempt to escape the alien spores. 

What I love about it is the Hive Mind presented in the story, and I’m fascinated about how it works. From what I can tell, the aliens take over a person, and have them express their feelings, unwillingly, through song and dance. It IS the original person’s feelings, though. So theres a question of balance, is the alien a single mind, as it were, reading the memories of the drones and then making them recite them? Or do the drones have some semblance of themselves hidden in the hive?

There are two real thoughts to hive minds. First and most well known is the Borg. 

The borg evolved through the series’s, but I’m going to go based off their Initial introduction. No Hugh, no Queen, no spheres, nada. The borg are not a species, they are a force, like a storm. There is no reasoning with them because there’s nothing to reason with. Every drone you see is just one part in a grand machinery. Essentially what’s happening is, there are so many minds that the individual mind gets drowned out into the one thing all life forms are built for: Expansion. Procreation. Because thats essentially what assimilation is, isn’t it? making more of itself. 

The other is the Braniac/Ultron version. Neither of those are thought of as a hive mind, because, well, they’re not. They’re a single mind, just put into different bodies. If even one piece of Braniac is maintained it can rebuild, because its all just a bunch of minds working together simultaneously. Read Ancillary Justice if you’d like to see an interesting version of this, where the minds have to deal with stupid realistic things like, communication over great distances. Anyway, Braniac and Ultron have a similar goal as the borg: Expand, make more of itself, absorb information. 

Now, the meteor in TGWDLM is considered to be kind of like Braniac. It came crashing down, spread its spores, and is now controlling them through the central hub. Professor Hidgens describes it as: On one level, they are individuals, but on another they are all appendages of a much larger organism all connected by a central brain.

He and Emma theorize that if they destroy the meteor, they’ll make the drones fall Night King style (Game of Thrones joke)

So Paul attempts it and, spoilers, blows up the meteor. But it doesn’t work!

We don’t see what happened after the bomb went off, so here is what we know. Emma got off the island. Paul got infected. Paul and several other infected souls also got off, to infect the hospital Emma was staying at, before or after Paul is revealed to Emma is unclear. 

Emma talks with a couple of people before Paul is revealed. One of them is clearly infected later, but the other isn’t seen again. I am going under the assumption she is also infected. The infected have shown they’re CAPABLE of speech, it’s just usually in sync

So why would they try to hide it from Emma by speaking? Because this hive mind has the one thing no other hive mind has. 

Several times the hive is foiled in its attempt to expand and take over because it/they were so busy with their dance number, they didn’t get the chance to assimilate. Paul is especially immune to this given, well, he doesn’t like musicals. This is why the Hive takes such an interest in him. 

Compare with Charlotte. She, Bill and Ted (and their excellent adventure...sorry) only realized something was up watching people come and go out of their bosses office singing. They didn’t get the full presentation themselves, like Paul did. When Charlotte does get serenaded by her infected/dead husband, she argues, but is eventually pulled in and killed, then infected herself. We don’t know if Emma would have been taken, she only avoided it by not drinking the coffee at her work, but it was Paul who told her to run. Paul isn’t intrigued by the Hive’s musical shenanigans, not for a minute, which gives him power, and makes him the Hive’s worst enemy.

The hive wants more than to just expand and conquer, though thats certainly part of it. The hive wants to expand so it can Put on its show.

Theater kids, amirite?

The idea of not liking your individuality taken is reasonable, but not liking MUSICALS? Heresy! thats what makes Paul special to it, and what makes this hive special in the grand schematic. 

I wanna talk about 2 moments. Moment one is the One That Broke My Heart.

So, here’s your trivia question of the day: is this Alice? Or the hive? 

The key of musicals is taking peoples thoughts and emotions and expressing them for the audience in song, steps, metaphors. Characters can have secrets from each other, but not from the audience, in song. 

There are several theories here. 1) Alice is clutching her head just before this verse, so perhaps a little bit of the real her is breaking through the hive, singing this song. I find this one unlikely.

2) The hive has absorbed Alice’s memories and has turned it into a theatrical heart breaking production.

3) The hive has absorbed Alice’s memories and is singing a song it knows will enthrall Bill, leading him to his suicide, which he only doesn’t go through with because Paul stops him. This is supported by the song “untie me now” where Charlotte’s husband sings what he needs to in order to enthrall and infect her. 

4) human emotions have infected the hive and now its feeling pain and love and all sorts of things. 

That last one is most interesting to me, though #3 is most likely. One way or another the Hive is a Dramatic Bitch and I Love Them. 

But how much individuality is maintained. In Paul’s words “Is this me? Or is this you?” 

Paul is such a unique main character. I'm a script writer and reader and let me tell you, the main thing you want for a protagonist is a motivation. A goal, a stake, something. Something to show how the story will progress. 

We don’t get a whole lot of that from Paul. Sure, he likes the Barista and flirts with her, but he doesn’t exactly do a lot to pursue her. Even at the dramatic conclusion, he is disgusted enough by her blood vomit to just Nope out of there.

He’s a normal guy. He likes black coffee, money from his job, not to be harassed by green peace. He’s not Bill, whos trying to get his daughter back. He’s not Charlotte, who’s trying to make her marriage work. He’s not Emma, trying to grow a pot farm in her sister’s memory. Everyone AROUND Paul has great motivations and stories, but not him. Not until he’s just a little infected by spores. 

He’s a main character finally. He fits into the Hive Minds narrative. He wants something (to be happy). But is this him? Or is this the hive just working through him? And if so, for whom? Is Paul still in there, watching himself come to this realization? Is this even his real feelings, or is this what the Hive is projecting through him, trying to convince him to join in on they’re/it’s fun?

Keep in mind, everyone else that we’ve seen has been dead when they were infected (that we know of.) So this song sung BY Paul is FOR Paul. And it ultimately doesn’t matter because Paul blows the thing up. And then....

Presumably, Paul died in the explosion. And, while its possible he was just unsuccessful in destroying the meteor, I find it more likely that Hidgins and Emma were wrong. The spores are more like Braniac, they carry on without a central hub. 

But how much choice is brought into becoming a drone of The Hive. Did Paul eventually side with the Hive? Probably not, but thats what he sings to try and convince/serenade Emma. 

So, what do we know about the Hive?

The hive came down in a meteor. I presume that it killed many people, but no one knew because they got up immediately after. This certainly includes Sam and Zoe, possibly Deb, Paul’s boss, and Greenpeace girl. 

The infected went in relative disguise, trying to sucker people in with musical numbers. Most people probably assumed it was a flash mob and were entertained long enough to be killed and infected, except for Paul who noped the fuck out. 

Once revealed, their songs were to get you to do what they want, follow police, untie person, etc. 

They have a strong sense of narrative. They like love stories, strong motivations. This is why Paul drove them nuts, and they took a special interest in him, making him the main character. 

They use people as puppets, getting them to do choreography, play out stories, etc. because....that just be how writers are my dude. They use the real emotions of the people they inhabit to take other people. The audience is their next supposed victim. 

They want to conquer, but not for the sake of conquering, maybe its for the sake of exploring these interesting narratives. Resistance isn’t futile. But the Apotheosis is Inevitable. 

[zackcornfield]

i was tagged by @y00bi to answer a bunch of questions about myself!

Rules: Answer 30 questions and tag 20 people.

Nicknames: don’t rlly have any lol

Gender: female

Sign: scorpio

Height: i was measured fairly recently and i’m 169cm (which i think is like 5’7)

Time: almost 9am

Birthday: november 5

Favorite Bands: i don’t actually really follow any bands but i have been listening to smallpools lately

Favorite Solo Artists: once again, don’t really follow anyone but have been listening to Hozier a lot

Song stuck in my head: i haven’t really got one at the moment actually

Last movie i watched: Grease Live

Last show I watched: the Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo

when did i create this blog: only like a couple weeks ago

what do i post: mostly try guys, but also bfu and a little worth it

what did i last google: the phone number of a nearby restaurant

other blogs: main

do i get asks: yes!! i love getting asks so much

why did i choose this URL: initially it was to just mess up every part of Zach’s name but then i realised this was actually in a video lol

following: i follow 117 blogs and most of them are related to musicals tbh

followers: 216 (this blog’s almost beat my main)

average hours of sleep: i’m on a bit of a self care kick at the moment and i’m trying to get a full 8 hours a night, but on average it’s probably closer to 7

lucky number: 5

instruments: i can badly play piano and guitar, but my real strength lies in singing

what am i wearing: a sundress (it’s too hot in aus for anything else)

Dream Jobs: actress, preferably in theatre! (i recently got cast in my first professional production and i’m so thrilled)

Favorite food: literally anything sweet

Last book i read: slowly making my way through The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater

3 favorite fandoms: buzzfeed, starkid, wayward guide

aaaa idk who to tag so if u want to do this just say i tagged y’all

[bubblykaitlin]

1-96

(1) Do You Sleep With Your Closet Doors Open Or Closed?Closed, I don't fuck with closet monsters(2) Do You Have Freckles?No but I wish I did (3) Can You Whistle?Yeah like really well(4) Last Song You Listened To.The Cure - Lady Gaga(5) What Is Your Favourite Colour?Purple 💜(6) Relationship Status?Engaged(7) What Is The Temperature Right Now?87° according to Snapchat(8) Did You Wake Up Cranky?No but I usually do(9) How Many Followers?390 (10) Zodiac Sign.Gemini(11) What Is Your Eye Colour?Brown(12) Take A Vitamin Daily? Cranberry pills(13) Do You Sing In The Shower? All the time, them acoustics(14) What Books Are You Reading?Nothing right now (15) Grab The Book Nearest To You, Turn To Page 64, Give Me Line 14.Literally no books near me, I'm at work(16) Favourite Anime?Ouran High School Host Club for anime but Fruits Basket for manga(17) Last Person You Cried In Front Of? Probs Josie(18) Do You Collect Anything?The square tab on the end of a bag of bread(19) What Did You Have For Lunch?Chipotle(20) Do You Dance In The Car?I perform (21) Favourite Animal?Jellyfish(22) Do You Watch The Olympics?I try!!(23) What Time Do You Usually Go To Bed?Midnight(24) Are You Wearing Makeup Right Now?Nope, I try not to wear a bunch to work(25) Do You Prefer To Swim In A Pool Or The Ocean? I prefer being in the ocean but literally swimming is better in the pool (26) Favourite Tumblr Blog?Snorlaxatives or baybert(27) Bottled Water Or Tap Water?Bottled or filtered (28) What Makes You Happy?Vine compilation videos(29) Post A Gif Of What You’re Currently Feeling Right Now.*insert gif of chicken stripping*(30) Do You Study Better With Or Without Music? With music(31) Dogs Or Cats?Por que no los dos? (32) If You Were A Crayon What Colour Would You Be? Idk like Wisteria (33) PlayStation Or Xbox.Anything Nintendo(34) Would You Swim In The Lake Or Ocean? Ocean(35) Do You Believe In Magic? Yeah(36) What Colour Shirt Are You Wearing?Pink tank top under my blue work smock (37) Can You Curl Your Tongue? Yes (38) Do You Save Money Or Spend It? Pretend to spend, secretly save (39) Is There Anything Pink Within 10 Feet Of You? My hair and shirt and my special pen (40) Do You Have Any Obsessions Right Now? Vitamin Water? It's all I drink(41) Have You Ever Caught A Butterfly? No but now I want to(42) Are You Easily Influenced By Other People? Yeah, I'm a pretty sensitive empath(43) Do You Have Strange Dreams? All the time!! (44) Do You Like Going On Airplanes? I enjoy traveling but I didn't enjoy my last couple of flights(45) Name One Movie That Made You Cry. Dear Zachary (46) Peanuts Or Sunflower Seeds? Sunflower seeds(47) If I Handed You A Concert Ticket Right Now, Who Would You Want The Performer To Be?Lady Gaga(48) Are You A Picky Eater? No way, food is food (NOT PEAS)(49) Are You A Heavy Sleeper? I've been training myself to not panic at every noise(50) Do You Fear Thunder / Lightning? Thunder and me don't get along(51) Do You Like To Read / Write?I love writing and reading(52) Do You Like Your Music Loud? Yeah I'm gonna ruin my hearing lmao (53) Would You Rather Carve Pumpkins Or Wrap Presents? Carve pumpkins (54) Put Your Music On Shuffle, What Is The First Song That Came Up?Maria by Blondie(55) What Season Are You In Right Now? (Weather)Summer(56) What Are You Craving Right Now? Affection(57) Post A Screenshot Of Your Tumblr Feed.Too much work(58) What Is Your Gender?Female(59) Coffee Or Tea?Tea(60) Do You Have Any Homework Right Now? If So, What Is It About?I hope I never have homework again(61) What Is Your Sexuality?Bisexual(62) Do You Make Your Bed In The Morning?No I make it right before bed(63) Favourite Pokemon?Lapras (64) Favourite Social Media?Tumblr or Snapchat(65) What’s Your Opinion On Instagram Stories?Ehhhh(66) Do You Get Homesick?Everyday (67) Are You A Virgin?Lmao(68) What Shampoo And Conditioner Are You Using Right Now?Suave Coconut Shampoo/Conditioner(69) If You Were Far From Home And Needed To Sleep For The Night, Would You Choose To Rent A Crappy Motel Room For $60 Or Sleep In Your Car For Free?If I budgeted to spend the night, crappy room. (70) Are Both Of Your Blood Parents Still In Your Life? Yes unfortunately(71) Whats The Next Movie You Want To See In Theaters? Something good(72) Do You Miss Your Ex?Yes and no. He sucks but I love him(73) What Is Your Favourite Quote Right Now?"Do you feel weird in your.... privates?"(74) What Eye Colour Do You Find Sexiest? All the eye colors(75) Did You Like Swinging As A Child? Do You Still Get Excited When You See A Swing Set? YES SWINGING WAS THE BEST(76) What Was The Last Thing You Ate? Chipotle. I think I answered this?(77) What Games Do You Have On Your Phone?HopHopHop, Spikes, Pokémon Go, Harvest Moon, Bowmasters, Ballz, Word Cookie, MyVEGAS, minesweeper, slither.io, and paper.io(78) Would You Give A Homeless Person CPR If They Were Dying? Why Or Why Not?I would because holy crap that's a person(79) Been On The Computer For 5 Hours Straight? LMAO LMAO LMAO I've skyped someone for well over 12 hours straight(80) Stalked Someone On A Social Network? What no who told you that(81) Do You Like Meeting New People? Yes!! I'm an anxious social butterfly (82) Do You Wear Rings? If You Do, Take A Picture Of Them.*insert pic of engagement ring* I would like to wear more and be a Ring Lesbian(83) Do You Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open Or Closed?Closed. Again, I don't fuck with bedtime monsters(84) What Are Three Things You Did Today? I woke up, showed up to work, and made my manager laugh so hard she cried(85) What Do You Wear To Bed? Big tshirt and panties or tank top and shorts(86) List All Of Your Different Beauty Products You Have Right Now.Dollar store makeup and splat color conditioner (87) Are You A Day Or Night Person?Night time (88) List All Of Your Video Games On Your Phone, Console Etc.I just DID THIS (89) Tell Me About A Dream That You Had And When It Happened.Last night I dreamt a tarantula crawled out of my toilet (90) Favourite Soda Drink?Pepsi, ginger ale, sprite, Dr Pepper (91) What Sounds Are Your Favourite?Twinkle sounds(92) Do You Wear Jeans Or Sweats More?Jeans(93) How Do You Look Right Now?Bor d(94) Name Something That Relaxes You.Bath time (95) What Tattoo Do You Want?- Jellyfish on leg- Quote from "Interlude" by Anthony Amorim (@jerkidiot) - Triple moon- Mermaid and fairy on my thigh- Purple flower(s) on my back/shoulder(96) Favourite YouTuber?Starkid I guess?

[millennial-poe]

New Year’s Resolutions

So I got this dandy idea from my dear friend @sherlockisadragon​, who, might I add, you're going to be hearing a lot about throughout this short piece of writing. So my dears with the new year two days down and me still finding out a lot about my 2016. I have a lot to say about the upcoming year. 2016 was rough for me and I went through things that I had seen others go through and prayed that I would never experience myself - but as life runs its course, I was hit with these situations and I had to deal. All I can say is, I'm proud to be making a mark here in 2017.

Resolution Number One: is rather plain and simple. I want to open up. As any of my friends would tell you, I seemingly obtain emotions in which I cannot explain in words. The fact of the matter is, I don't know how nor do I feel like it's the appropriate thing to do but I have learnt that not talking about how you feel, even if the words don't come easy, will only cause you more destruction. I found this particularly true towards the end of the year. I was stressed, tired and down with life. I had been living in this constant state for a while and I found emotional and mental breakdowns coming more frequently. I never told any one. On the first of January at about 1:34 in the morning. I was sat down with someone I know and they asked me how I was and why I had stopped doing something I loved doing and I explained how it was because I wasn't in the right mental mindset and when asked to explain I couldn't  and began to cry about it. They luckily promised to make time for me to just sit and have a chat - to help me make sense of the mess that is my mind and who knows maybe this short chat might be the beginning of my genuine happiness.

Resolution Number Two: I want to believe in myself. What do you mean? Well I'll tell you. I'm not the most outgoing or the loudest person in the bunch. I'm a introvert and I'm proud. I don't feel comfortable in any social situation even with my own family, how bad is that. I have so many pent up insecurities that had been caused by various things that leave me wanting to retreat to a cosy corner and go onto my phone and talk to all the beautiful people I meet online. When I set up my tumblr - this one - I wanted it to be a place where I can find like minded people and create friendships to last. People to confide when I find that no one else is there and capable of withstanding my rambling and constant struggle against myself. Someone to be wholly supportive and tumblr is the only platform I know of that hosts those kinds of people. I want to believe in myself to be more outgoing and I want to believe in myself because I lost a hell of a lot of self confidence during the last few months of the last year. I'm a part of the company for a production of Les Mis and on multiple occasions have I thought about dropping because I wasn't good enough. I passed it off as a natural response to doing such a big play but unfortunately that thought is still eating at my brain which sucks to be quite frank. I want to believe in myself with my hobbies and with everything life has to throw at me. I can and by jove, hope I will overcome it.

Resolution Number Three: GROW. I'm not going to say New Year, New Me because I don't want that. I want to grow as a person and I want to build upon the minimal talents I have and I just want to be a better me. I want to try and go for those roles I tell myself will never be mine. I want to sing those songs that I claim are not for me, despite them being in my range. I was to challenge myself and push my comfortable butt out of its comfort zone. There's no way you can grow without a little challenge and that is exactly what I want to open myself up to this year.

Resolution Number Four: Be more positive. My 2016's doom and gloom was probably encouraged by my own doom and gloom. I must admit, if there's only one thing I'm good at it's being negative. I do, however, want to stop. It's not doing anything for me nor is it doing anything for my loved ones - especially seeing as I don't talk about it anyway being nothing but a empty vessel isn't exactly something people who care about you like to see. So I'm making a vow as the third day of 2017 is approaching I will be more positive towards myself, towards the world and towards life. I will stay strong and I will fight the negativity when it surfaces and I have good friends who are willing to stay by my side and help me when things get to tough. I want to be positive, I just didn't know how in 2016 but I will take care of myself this year and I will not let my emotions get the best of me but I will get the best of them.

Resolution Number Five: I want to be more thankful. I have so many lovely friends who had not only dealt with me but all my problems this past year. @sunshineyoyo​, I don't even know how you're still by my side. I love you and You're such a great friend. I'm such a negative and downtrodden person who doesn't deserve your sunshine so thank you for sticking with me and I promise to be a better person this year. @11gallowayc​, I love you! From our mutual hatred in Year Seven to now just know I love you and you are very very special to me and I will never let you go - unlike Rose. @sherlockisadragon, how do I even begin to thank you for everything you've done for me in 2016. I know I'm not the easiest person to be around sometimes but goodness have you managed. I love you so much and I can't tell you how much I appreciate your friendship and the support you give me. Thank you for everything. I also want to thank everyone at @shipwreckedcomedy​, you made my 2016 something special and something to be proud of. You help prove to me that with a little hard work, team work and support for each other anything is possible and the most amazing things can come from it. @sineadpersaud​ and @seanpersaud​, you are amazing. Your both just amazing and you have no idea how much your work has affected my life. It seems weird to say but you really don't and I can't express just how much it means. You're both incredibly talented and deserve everything good thing that happened in 2016 and that's going to happen in 2017. @marykatewiles​, All I can say is thank you. You have shown me just what amazing things perseverance can do and how important it is to never give up on your dream. I still remember watching LBD and then following you onto everything else you did and I wish you all the best in 2017. You are talented, you are amazing and you're so incredibly strong and I aspire to be like you in so many ways. Thank you so so much. Finally I want to thank everyone over at @the-real-team-starkid​, you guys are amazing and you've started  my 2017 off with a hit and it can only get better from there. So thank you very much you talented group of people and smash 2017 as well as you did 2016.

With all that said I wish the best 2017 and I hope everyone has an amazing year. You all deserve it and who knows what wonders and friends will come along with the new year.

[ultimatenomi]

omg you guys I found my dissertation proposal from like 2013- its got a list of my early resources including a bunch of like youtube videos i have not watched in FOREVER. sidenote: when did we stop doing SIPs? I hadn’t thought about them in ages...

my title was:

#SIP: How has the relationship between audience and performer evolved through the use of online communication?

In today’s society, technology is all around us; cell phones in every pocket, the internet at our fingertips. Every theatre around has their own facebook and twitter page to keep people updated on their latest shows, rates, and offers. In my opinion, audiences have never been as connected to the people they see on stage as they are in our current times. I wish to explore the way in which the relationship between audiences and performers has evolved to where it is now, and argue that it is mutually beneficial to both the economy of the theatre community, as well as to the audiences, many of whom would not be aware of the richness and affordability of live theatre had it not been for the online community. 

Case Studies

Andrew Keenan-Bolger

The first of my case studies is Andrew Keenan-Bolger; who is currently appearing in Newsie’s on Broadway. Since graduating from the University of Michigan he has been employed several times, on national tours, a cruise ship, as well as previously mentioned Broadway. Since June/July 2007 Keenan-Bolger has put out an online vlog entitled “Andrew’s Blog”, which follows himself and his fellow performers’ journeys through each aspect of a working performers’ life. Through the use of online communication, he found an audience wider than that of an ordinary performer, with a following of over 16,000 on twitter alone (@keenanblogger).  He is one of the reasons #SIP (Saturday Intermission Pictures) is a widely utilized hashtag in the Broadway community on twitter. 

Team Starkid

The second of my case studies is Team Starkid; who accidentally founded a theatre company when they posted one of their shows on youtube, a musical parody of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter then entitled “Harry Potter the Musical” now edited under the title of “A Very Potter Musical”. The show ‘went viral’ earning them a wide audience online, which opened them to a wealth of opportunities that have culminated in five live shows published online, two national concert tours, as well as various charity fundraisers and conventions. Because of the nature of their company, their audience can be found across the globe, and their continued existence relies on their strong connection with their audience through online communication.

RESOURCES

Andrew Keenan-Bolger

  Official websites, twitters, facebooks, and youtube channels:

��       http://www.andrewkeenanbolger.com/

·       http://youtube.com/user/urintown/

·       http://twitter.com/keenanblogger

·       https://www.facebook.com/pages/Andrew-Keenan-Bolger/260341390326

·       http://youtube.com/user/disneyonbroadway

·       http://twitter.com/newsies

 Other relevant youtube resources:

·       http://youtu.be/y9wJVv1dYdc  

o   “A-Sides Interview: Andrew Keenan-Bolger of Newsies” accessed 18th October 2012 thecheappopdotcom

·       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ztf4wrwZ5EA

o   “Disney’s NEWSIES on Broadway – Chat Live With the Cast” recorded Feb 16 2012

This was the first ever livestream/chat that any broadway show broadcast online.

·       http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8D1833690CC76619&feature=plcp

o   This is the Newsies playlist on the official Disney on Broadway youtube channel.

 Other relevant resources:

·       http://www.broadwayspotted.com/sip-saturday-intermission-pictures-91512/

o   #SIP (Saturday Intermission Pictures) 9/15/12- by intern

Includes a description/explanation of the #SIP hashtag, giving a little explanation and background.

·       http://www.stage-rush.com/2012/04/newsies-andrew-keenan-bolger-interview/

o   Keenan-Bolger discusses a little of his experience with audiences, including one instance posting online and being greeted at the stage door by far more people than anticipated.

·       http://jkstheatrescene.blogspot.co.uk/2012_06_01_archive.html

o   This site writes about #SIP and gives background information regarding it, and those responsible for bringing it to Broadway audiences.

 Team Starkid

  Official website, twitter, facebook, and youtube channel:

http://teamstarkid.com/

http://www.twitter.com/teamstarkid

http://www.facebook.com/starkidpotter

http://www.youtube.com/starkidpotter

 Other relevant resources:

https://www.facebook.com/darrencriss/posts/10151069497289147  

In this, Darren Criss, one of the founding      members of  TSK (Team Starkid)      addresses his fans directly to thank them for their continued support.

http://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2012/04/27/starkids-joey-richter-on-his-disney-debut-and-what-starkid-fans-can-expect-on-the-apocalytour/

In this, Joey Richter, another of TSK’s      founding members, discusses the doors being in TSK has opened professionally      due to the support of TSK’s fans.

http://bostonglobe.com/arts/theater-art/2012/06/06/starkid-from-very-potter-musical-its-nationwide-apocalyptour/wCs9AafezLQJJcDHwQg1RN/story.html

An article about TSK’s second national tour “Apocalyptour”.

 ““We don’t experience the width and depth of our audience, because it is all online,’’ Albain says. “It’s kind of amazing to just see however many tens of thousands — when it’s all said and done — young people getting excited about theater, it doesn’t just happen.’’”

Other resources:

·       Keen, A. (2008) The Cult of the Amateur: How blogs, Myspace, YouTube and the rest of today’s user-generated media are killing our culture and economy.

o   Keen details the ways in which he believes social media is destroying culture. I think this could prove an interesting counter argument.  

·       http://www.whatsonstage.com/blog/theatre/london/E8831335348353/Honour+Bayes:+Digital+Theatre,+are+you+a+believer+or+not?.html

o   This article discusses the arguments for and against live theatre being caught on camera for people to watch, and whether or not audiences can truly get the same experience out of a recording rather than seeing it live.

·       http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/theatreblog/2012/apr/26/noises-off-social-media-theatre

o   This article discusses the ways in which theatre has utilized social media, for better or for worse.

·       http://mashable.com/2009/06/26/broadway-social-media/

o   This article is written by a Broadway and Off-Broadway producer, and he talks about some of the ways in which Broadway shows have utilized social media as a way of building a relationship with their audiences, such as Broadway’s Rock of Ages “ plays games of 80s trivia with its followers. By interacting with the customer, the shows have succeeded in keeping the product fresh in consumer’s minds, thereby making it that much more likely that the consumer will talk about the product in the next 24 hours.”

 _____________________________________________

I can’t remember exactly how my dissertation ended up- but I know I also ended up including BoM London as a case study....

I even had contacted AKB (through, like, proper channels...) to get to talk with him about it and was told he’d love to- but then I never managed to get a reply from him so i had to do without which was a shame, but ya know- thats life! *that’s liiiiiiiiiife*

I should see if I still have my finished dissertation lying around in a box somewhere (though I’m not holding my breath...)