PERSONAL GAME is a live theatre experience showcasing Ashley Baker’s costume designs, with original music by Orchestra Next. This unusual project – which is only open to members of the UO community because of current restrictions – features performers in costumes which abstractly express different paths people take in adapting themselves for role-playing games. In this episode, Brian McWhorter and John Schmor, the director of Personal Game, discuss how the music was created for the show.

The original plan for the music to Personal Game was for the musicians to come together in a studio and record. Instead of having a composed score for them to record, both John and Brian were interested in curating a session where the musicians could devise the music together. When the recording sessions were canceled because of covid restrictions, there was a problem: devising a score together seemed impossible and there wasn’t enough time to compose something. The solution was something like a telephone game. Ultimately, the music was devised by Ken Mastrogiovanni (drums), Tyler Abbott (bass), Torrey Newhart (keys), Avery Scanlon (guitar), and Idit Shner (reeds). More information at www.orchestranext.com/personalgame