ĭmáGen 2021

General Admission: $18.50, Students and Youth: $13.50

Professional stars and local MSU students are coming together to develop a new musical through the annual program, ĭmáGen. ĭmáGen is a collaboration between Wharton Center Institute for Arts & Creativity and MSU Depatment of Theatre. In its eighth year, this unique program brings together professional writers, directors and actors with young talent to help develop a new musical production.

Each year there is a call for a new theatre work. One show is selected and then produced as a staged concert in three short weeks. This year, MSU Department of Theatre chose the new musical PARTICLE, written by New York City-based writing team Selda Sahin and Derek Gregor. PARTICLE follows Cora, a 16-year-old who gets recruited onto a professional eSports team. She's always been her twin brother's gaming sidekick; he taught her everything he knows. Now, as the youngest member of a world-class team, she feels in over her head. When her brother gets sick, she wants to quit and go home, but he convinces her to stay—and make her way to the championship.

A  coming-of-age story, Cora is forced to grow up faster than she planned. Trying to maintain her connection with family back home while stepping into a new home in an unfamiliar world, Cora embarks on a journey both inside and outside the game where realities collide. 

Sahin and Gregor say they used modern culture to help structure the story. “We learned that online gaming was a multi-billion-dollar industry and extremely popular,” says Gregor. “We used this as the framework for the story, but it’s so much more than that.”  Sahin adds, “It’s about relationships, growing up and loss.”

Tickets for the staged concert are on sale now at Wharton Center’s official ticketing outlets: online, at the Auto-Owners Insurance Ticket Office at Wharton Center, or by calling 1-800-WHARTON.

The creative team includes direction by Autumn Reeser, who portrayed socially awkward Taylor Townsend on the popular Fox drama series “The O.C.” In addition to starring in 11 romantic comedies for Hallmark (and executive-producing her most recent film), she is also known for her roles as firecracker junior agent Lizzie Grant on HBO’s “Entourage” and scientist Katie Andrew on ABC’s “No Ordinary Family.” 

Actor's Equity performer Gabe Violett is also joining the crew.  Gabe moved to NYC to join the cast of Spring Awakening on Broadway. He also appeared on NBC’s The Voice on Team Alicia. 

Sponsored by University Outreach and Engagement.