This March, the School of Theatre and Dance presents In Pieces, a new contemporary musical, written by Joey Contreras and directed by M.F.A. in directing candidate Al Oltmanns with musical direction by Dr. Matthew Vala. It is a story of love, loss, and the paths that we take in life that can separate us and bring us back together.
Contreras is a playwright, composer, and lyricist based in New York City, where he has collaborated on multiple other shows as well as provided theatre composition work for the Walt Disney Company and The 5th Avenue Theatre. In Pieces is one of Contreras’s latest works, and he is still revising and workshopping the show in New York.
The musical provides the actors with the opportunity to experiment with the process of character development and explore their own interpretations of the characters they are portraying. During his residency at ISU, Contreras worked with the actors individually and as a group, leading discussions and providing specialized vocal training for the challenging songs in the show.
The actors were able to share the character work they had been doing in rehearsal with Contreras, who congratulated them for their commitment and ability to devise relationships and connections that were not explicitly written in the script. At the end of his residency, Contreras said, “I had a blast this week meeting and working with the theatre community here at ISU. With so much passion, curiosity, and talent, it was wonderful collaborating with these actors as they rehearsed and handled my show In Pieces with love and care.”
The story of In Pieces follows eight individuals in New York City who are looking back on pivotal moments of their lives and how those moments lead them to where they are today. While working with the actors, Contreras shared that In Pieces is a collage of moments and lessons that he has pulled from his own life as well as from the lives of those around him.
The audience will witness the anxieties and hopes that these characters play out in the realm of the imagination. The depth of their feelings is expressed through dramatic dream sequences of song and dance.
View excerpts from the musical and hear some of its beautiful music on the TikTok account, @inpiecesmusical; any of Contreras’ socials, @joeycontreras; or the Spotify playlist for the show made by Contreras himself.
In Pieces will be performed in the Center for the Performing Arts on March 1-2 and 5-7 at 7:30 p.m. as well as on March 3 at 2 p.m. The performance run time is approximately 80 minutes, with no intermission.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the Center for the Performing Arts Box Office on the campus of Illinois State University, by calling (309) 438-2535, or on the box office website.
If you need accommodations to fully participate in this program, please contact the Center for the Performing Arts Box Office at (309) 438-2535. Please allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation.
