MUSICAL NUMBERS
1. 30/90…............................................................Jon, Michael, Susan
2. Green Green Dress......................................................… Jon, Susan
3. Johnny Can’t Decide…......................................Jon, Michael, Susan
4. Sunday…......................................................... Jon, Michael, Susan 5. No More….................................................................. Jon, Michael
Susan
UPCOMING EVENTS
Almost, Maine by John Cariani
April 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, @ 7:30pm and April 23 @ 2:00pm
Spring Theatre Showcase and Awards
May 5 @ 3:00pm
OTHER WASHBURN CAMPUS EVENTS
Susan
Sugar….............................................................Jon, Michael, Susan
Susan
Aperion
April 21, 2023
https://www.washburn.edu/academics/apeiron/index.html
Washburn Opera Theatre production of The Juliet Letters
April 29, 30, 2023
Joseph Coddington Senior Recital
May 6, 2023
The show will be performed without an intermission
For more information about future performances, please contact Washburn’s Theatre Department: www.washburn.edu/theatre theatre@washburn.edu
@washburntheatre
SPECIAL THANKS
Preston Walker and Black Chamber DIY
Ron Zastrow
(785) 670-1639
Is there an expiration date for success?
tick tick… Boom! hopes to answer this question with a resounding NO by showing that success can come at any age. The musical opens on the eve of Jonathan Larson’s thirtieth birthday in the year 1990. Believing that the ‘big 3-0’ signifies the doom of his chances for artistic success, Larson hopes to beat the clock with the premiere of his musical Superbia. The mounting anxiety of one man exemplifies the anxiety many face about the expectations to reach milestones in life by specific ages, and the musical seeks to remind its audience that everyone reaches success at their own pace. This need to find success or settle is one felt by many artists during their careers, and I believe that audiences of all ages will resonate with Jonathan’s fear of ‘growing up’ without the success that he craves. Many will also feel this anxiety in a new way as the COVID pandemic put the world, and many careers, on pause. This musical hopes to showcase that anxiety, but my hope is that the audience feels that they can alleviate some of that stress as they leave the theatre by realizing that they are not alone in these beliefs.
Scenes in the play take place in the world of Jonathan’s memories as he recounts his struggles with failure, aging, and the pressures of buying Twinkies. The set is meant to be reminiscent of this memory-world, as it is meant to look like the liminal space of a theatre in between productions to allow the setting to shift quickly between various locations across Jonathan’s New York. The lighting also utilizes this dreamlike element, with lamps and hanging elements meant to represent the beauty of a stage in between productions.
Thank you for choosing live theatre. We hope you enjoy the show!
-Tiffani Brooks HaganJon.................................................................................Joseph Coddington
Michael......................................................................................Josh Staats
Susan............................................................................................Tracy Bell
Director.........................................................................Tiffani Brooks Hagan
Music Director.......................................................................Megan Widger
Choreography.................................... Hannah Kirby & Tiffani Brooks Hagan
Producer.........................................................................Joseph Coddington
Understudy.............................................................................Hannah Kirby
Scenic Design..............................................................................Ted Shonka
Lighting Design....................................................................Lauren Province
BAND
Piano................................................................................... Megan Widger
Drums.......................................................................................... Matt Bell
Guitar........................................................................................ Joe Simons
Bass........................................................................................ Jaden Leffler
Costume Design................................................................Sharon L. Sullivan
Sound Design...........................Ben Bickerstaff & Angelika Velez Hernandez
Stage Manager.......................................................................Jake Andersen
Assistant Stage Manager.........................................................Kirstyn Brown
Poster Design............................................................................Caroline Rea
Production Advisor...................................................................Julie Noonan
Student Design Advisor...............................................................Ted Shonka
TECHNICAL CREW
Theatre Shops Manager..............................................................Deb Bruner
Set Crew.................................................................Practicum, Kat Halmark, Cole Malinverni & Sam Meyer
PRODUCER’S NOTE
A note from Joseph Coddington (Jon/Producer)
For my senior project, I am producing and starring in tick, tick… BOOM! I have spent the last five years at Washburn performing in many shows such as Urinetown, Mr. Marmalade, The Last Five Years, and Andersen: A Fairly Tale Life. I believe that tick, tick… BOOM! is the perfect show for me to cap my time here.
tick, tick… BOOM! was originally performed as a “musical monologue” by Jonathan Larson in 1991. Jonathan went on to write Rent a few years later. Rent premiered Off-Broadway on January 26, 1996; the day after Jonathan died suddenly, a week and a half before his 36th birthday. Although Jonathan was unaware of a health condition that led to his untimely death, there’s an uncertainty in tick, tick… BOOM! that Jonathan experiences with his relationship with time.
I would like to give a special thank you to Dr. Julie Noonan who was my advisor throughout this process and has been an integral part of my development at Washburn. To my director, Tiffani Hagan who has shared her vision and opened the creative process. A big thank you to the Washburn University Theatre department for giving me this opportunity and trusting me with a project of this caliber.