The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals

Content Warning:
This show features graphic violence, special effects, fake blood, body parts, and organs, sexual
themes, guns, and realistic gunshot sounds

There are two ways to enjoy this show. The first way is how I’ve been watching it since we started rehearsals in October. Picking apart the meanings, trying to figure out what these jokes and characters and songs are saying. There’s something beautiful and profound being said about community, love, family, power, government, corporations, corruption, all buried underneath all the jokes and guts. I’ve spent the past six months finding it, discussing it with my actors, choosing what can help make their performances deeper and realer. The second way to enjoy it is how I’ve been enjoying this show for the past six years, which is just taking it all in and laughing your ass off. I first watched this show during my junior year of high school while waiting for a cast list to come out. I don’t think I had stopped physically shaking that whole week, and I needed something to distract myself, so I put on this musical I had heard some kids in my class talking about. For that 90 minutes, the euphoric feeling of comedy pulled me away from everything and I got lost in Hatchetfield and all of its zany characters.
Ideally, you’re going to fall somewhere between these two. You’ll fall in love with these characters because you see yourself, your friends and family, members of your community in them and their absurdities. Then when things start to go wrong, when the infection kicks in, you’ll also be able to see yourself and the people around you in the heightened and extreme version of community in decay. But, you need one to get the other.
     I think comedy could save the world. Ok, that’s dramatic. I think comedy is the key to understanding the world around us, both its beauty, love, and hope, and its scary, angry faults. With that knowledge, that understanding, we can start changing the world. I don’t think you’re going to walk away from this show with a deep understanding of how empires fall and fascism rises, I’d like to think you’re going to walk away with your face hurting from sex and zombie jokes. But, maybe you’ll think of Paul the next time you see something sinister, whether it’s showtunes or tyranny, infecting your town. The nice thing is that in real life, there’s no alien infection taking over your brain. In real life you get to make your own choices, you get to decide whether or not to join the hive. That’s really comforting to me. I love this show, I love the work me and my friends have done on this show, and I hope you love it too.

Cast

Jackson Sorice (he/him) (Paul) is thrilled to be a part of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals! Jackson is in his third year at SUNY Purchase in the Theatre and Performance program. Past credits include Purchase College’s production of As You Like It (Le Beau/Silvius), Purchase College’s production of How to Defend Yourself (Eggo), and Leaving (Sal) at The Chain Theatre NYC. Jackson would like to thank his mom, dad, and Ryder for always supporting him!

Phoebe Eileen Grech (she/they) (Emma/Donna/Infected Teen) is a Junior playwriting and screenwriting major from Long Island. Phoebe usually takes on behind the scenes/production roles, but she is incredibly excited to take on her first lead acting role in one of her favorite musicals! She would like to thank the cast for being so lovely and enjoyable to work with, and the equally lovely crew for the incredible work they put in. She would also like to thank Lily for all the incredible work as a director he’s put into this wonderful passion project. Finally, she’d like to thank her friends, family, and everyone else who has supported her on her creative journey.

Marissa Mulgrew (she/her) (Emma/Infected Teen swing) is a Junior communications major, and she is so excited to be playing the role of Emma (4/18). Marissa has been doing theater her entire childhood and is thrilled to have the opportunity to continue in college. The entire cast and crew have worked so hard on this amazingly silly show- we hope you enjoy watching it just as much as we enjoyed making it!!

Daniel Velasquez (he/him) (Bill/News Narration/Senior Producer/Set Designer) is a senior THP major who will be playing the character Bill. This is his senior project and one he is happy to see completed. It is likely the last time he’ll be performing as a SUNY Purchase student, so wish him the best! He would like to thank everyone in the cast and crew for the amazing support and collaboration. He also gives a special shout out to his fellow senior collaborators for being part of the project since the beginning, from the proposal to closing night. Daniel hopes everyone in the audience will enjoy being a part of the apotheosis!

Ainsley Schuth (she/her) (Charlotte/Nora/Deb/Colonel Schaffer/Senior Producer) is a senior in the Theater and Performance major and is beyond elated to resume musical theater performance with The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. At Purchase Ainsley was previously involved in the senior project Judy’s House and is excited to continue theatre out of college. She would like to thank her family for endless support and encouragement of performances, as well as the amazing cast and crew of this show.

Anthony Archer (he/him) (Ted/Homeless Man/Dan/Senior Producer) has been acting in plays since the third grade in any form he could. He has played roles such as Hank in Fred in Red. He has also played Duke Orsino, Antonio, and sir Andrew in a production of Twelfth Night at Purchase. He is so happy to get to play Ted. He finds Ted to be both funny and complex, an actor’s dream, and he can’t wait to put Ted to stage.

Lucas Madrid (he/him) (Mr. Davidson/Coffee Jerk/Sam/General MacNamara) is currently a sophomore majoring in theater and performance at SUNY Purchase. He is thrilled to be a part of a horror comedy musical senior project, for the second time. Last spring he was in the senior project The Haunting of Campbell House and the semester before, a project called Kill the Man! both directed by Kat Tobits. Lucas has been involved in theater and its neighboring art forms since he was 12 years old. He is currently working on finishing up an EP with his band Not A Threat *shameless plug*. Lucas would like to thank all the cast, and seniors putting on this
production, and of course his director Lily for driving him crazy enough to give a hell of a performance tonight. He hopes you know what you’re in for.

Stella Mahler (she/her) (Melissa/Zoey/Greenpeace Girl/Alice/Cop 2/Nurse) is a senior THP production student. She historically has worked backstage, including costuming Angels in America, stage managing Orlando, and set designing Fred in Red. She is also producing and costuming her senior project, Governess of Floods, which opens next week! However, she is thrilled to be performing in Guy. She performed a bit in middle and high school, but has not been onstage in 7 years and is so excited and grateful for this opportunity. She would like to thank her friends for making life worth living, her professors for making Purchase feel like home, Lily for making this experience so fulfilling, and most importantly her mother for being the greatest mother she could ask for.

Checkers Bischoff (they/them) (Obnoxious Teen/Professor Hidgens/Cop 1) is a sophomore THP major. Checkers has been involved in acting on stage for 9 years, working in multiple plays and musicals over the last decade. Having developed a slight obsession with Team Starkid in the winter of 2023, when they heard about this production, they were quick to jump on the audition list. It’s been a great joy to be a part of this production.

Production Team

Laura Robles Gomez (she/they) (stage manager) is a freshman Theater & Performance and Gender Studies double major. This is her second show at SUNY Purchase, previously being ASM for Homesick. She is so excited to be Stage Manager for such an amazing show with an amazing group of people. She would like to thank everyone in the cast and crew for making her first time being SM in college such an amazing and unforgettable experience. Most of all she would like to thank the best director ever, Lily, for the opportunity to be a part of this and for simply being amazing.

Riley Smith (she/her) (Assistant Stage Manager) is a freshman theater and performance major. This is the first show she is assistant stage managing for and she’s learned so much from Lily and is very excited to be behind the scenes of this amazing show. Previously Riley has acted as Janet in the Rocky Horror Picture Show Shadow cast, Colonel Mustard in Clue, and Aunt Sponge in James and the Giant Peach. Riley loves theater and is grateful to experience the different aspects of shows here at Purchase.

Kathryn (Katie) Heintz (she/her) (choreographer) is a fourth year THP major (writing
concentration) from Staten Island, New York. She is extremely proud to be making her
choreographic debut for theatre! She would like to thank the cast for their constant hard work, and the crew for finding knee pads! She would like to thank Lily for this opportunity, and she would like to thank her family and friends for the constant overwhelming love and support!

Danny Campbell (he/him) (music director) is an Actor, Composer, singer, and Music Director who is studying Studio Music Composition at SUNY Purchase College. Danny, on top of this, has Music directed numerous shows and Revues in the past, and looks forward to doing more in the future.

Abby Sotelo (they/she) (prop master) is a Freshman here at Purchase and is a Theater and Performance & Anthropology double major. They have been working in theater settings for the last 7 years in their hometown of Santa Cruz, CA with experience in acting, set design, props design/ master and stage management. She’s excited to help out with her first production at Purchase, creating props for a magnificent show.

Hope Lowery (she/her) (Costume Designer) is a theatre and performance junior and philosophy minor. She has costume designed for She Kills Monsters ’23 and sound designed for Collective Rage ’25. She will be Wardrobe Supervisor at the Penndragon Theater this summer and has loved getting to work with this cast and crew.

August Ricciardi (he/him) (fight choreographer) is a graphic design senior. He has had
experience as an actor, but since 2022, the majority of his experience in theater has been teaching combat for stage and screen as one of the presidents of Stage Combat Club at Purchase College. He’d like to thank his co-president Q. McElhennon, for introducing him to the world of stage combat, and the cast and crew of the show for being so wonderful to work with.

Ariah Piper (she/her) (lighting design) is a freshman Theatre and Performance major from Portland, OR. Her past Purchase projects include being the lightboard operator for Homesick, playing Eleanor in Fred in Red, and making her lighting design debut for Collective Rage. In between creating theatre, she also enjoys archery, playing pool with her friends, and learning how to fence. She’d like to thank everyone who’s taught her about lighting design in the past few years, especially her Grandpa.

Will Schwerin (he/him) (sound designer) is a Junior BFA Theater Design/Tech Sound Designer. His past credits include The Seagull (Sound Designer) The Tempest (Sound Designer) Orlando (Sound Designer) Titus Andronicus (Assistant Sound Designer) Machinal (Sound Designer). He would like to thank Sunny, Matt and the rest of DT for making this a possibility. He would also like to thank his family and friends for their support.

Griffin Giglio (he/him) (Sound board op) is a a freshman who is going in for screenwriting, he has worked on his own personal projects such as short films and videos, but this will be his first time working on a play! He’s very thrilled that his first play he gets to work on is The Guy That Didn’t Like Musicals!

Sean Cortes (he/him) (graphic designer) is a senior graphic design major. His past graphic design projects include compositions such a Luna Gale, THP festival 2024, and the latest poster, The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals. Working on this piece has been such an excitement for him and he’d like to thank all his friends and family who have been supporting him through his journey.

Lily Wolpert (any/all) (director) is a senior theatre and performance major with a concentration in directing and is honored to have you guys here. In their time at Purchase, they directed a staged reading of Karaoke Night, co-directed Ride the Cyclone, and student directed A Midsummer Night’s Dream under the incomparable Michi Barall and Peter Sprague. Lily is also president of Purchase’s improv club. This show wouldn’t have been possible without the support they’ve had, so they would like to thank the insanely talented cast and crew for making their job
so easy. They’d also like to thank their friends for believing in them over the past four years. They’d like to thank their professors who have taught them everything there is about telling stories. Lastly, they would like to thank their mother, not only for making the giant meteor, but for believing in them and pushing them even when they didn’t feel like they could. I hope I make you proud.