Sick Moves!
(or The Dancing Plague of 1518)
Music and Lyrics by Adam J. Rineer
Book by Jason Aguirre
VERY loosely inspired by actual events – SICK MOVES! (OR THE DANCING PLAGUE OF 1518) is the story of Kamille, a young 16th-century apothecary in the Village of Sass-burg. When the Village is struck by a plague that causes non-stop boogieing (...are they doing the hustle?), ex-apothecary – Kamille Remy – is pulled out of retirement and into action. Will Kamille save the Village in time? Only a toll of the Church Bell and some sick moves will tell! SICK MOVES! is an original pop/rock musical comedy about the things we turn to when the world turns upside down.
Temple University
Digital Workshop Production
Originally conceived for the stage, this workshop production pivoted to a digital format when theater came to a halt in early-2021. Seeing an opportunity for an experiment in digital performance, I requested that the University provide each actor with green screens, ring lights, iPhones, and audio recording devices. Relying on Scenic Designer ground plans and self-created storyboards, each scene and dance sequence was plotted out with accompanying shot numbers. Green screens were “keyed out” in post-production and substituted for the multi-layered two-dimensional sets. Using a combination of Zoom, Logic, and Audiomovers – actors performed, sang, and recorded the piece in real-time allowing for an element of “liveness” that otherwise may have been lost. In the end – 17 actors and 7 musicians in
22 different locations across 5 states and 3 time zones came together to perform this socially distanced piece.
