RATS: THE MUSICAL

A Devised Musical

Rats:
The Musical

A line drawing of a human with a rat head, hands, feet, and tail. It is against a green background.

Rats: The Musical

After committing too many sins, a group of humans pay the ultimate price: Being turned into human-rat hybrids. Through the songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber, these abominations will work to answer the age-old question: What is sin?

This devised piece was performed at Loyola University Chicago in the university's Underground Theatre as a part of their Second Stage Program. The piece featured Levi Welch, Gina Saglimbeni, Kieran Taylor, Sarah Gokelman, Ellie Englehaupt, and Sophia Agusta. It was stage managed by Gianni Carcagno, designed by Molly Cornell, and mentored by Dr. Sarah Gabel.

Three artists stand in front of the Rats set. They are surrounded by posters, trash, and lights.

Maggie Smith sitting on a chair in front of various rat-themed parody posters.

The Rats team standing on the set. The six performers are in their rat costumes.

As project leader for Rats, Maggie spent time collaborating with each performer, both on an individual-level and in group settings in order to create a cohesive performance with a well-knit ensemble. Each performer acted as a writer for their own song while Maggie oversaw the process, offered opinions, and supervised the script. She led the performers through improvisational exercises in order to create balanced, yet comedic characters, while still keeping the projects themes in mind.