Since Ghost Quartet opens today (get those tickets now) I thought I’d share my director’s note for this beautiful, haunting play. Enjoy!

Staging a Concept Album

Humans need stories. We can create a story out of nothing. We fill in the empty space with the necessary details for a narrative to emerge. Dave Malloy challenges us to do the same with Ghost Quartet, his self-professed  “live performance of a concept album.” In the tradition of other brilliant concept albums, like The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars or The Wall, the songs of this musical are linked together by a shared collection of ideas. By freeing ourselves from the constraints of a linear narrative, Malloy’s music evokes emotional responses that, when pieced together, invite us to tell our own story. The genius of this piece is in its ability to serve as a rorschach test for its audiences – everyone sees something different. But the heart of Ghost Quartet remains the same for everyone: the struggle to connect with each other in the face of our perceived shortcomings and personal baggage. And there’s no better way to process one’s demons than to tell a story. We tell stories to help us connect to each other. We invite you to join in that connection tonight.