The Sheffield University Performing Arts Society (SUPAS) have revealed their week 9 small-scale musical for the 2024/25 academic year. Proposed by members before being voted on by the society, the musical group have selected the show Be More Chill, with music and lyrics by Joe Iconis and book written by Joe Tracz.
In a post to the society’s social media yesterday, the group explained: “Be More Chill (2019 West End version) tells the story of an unpopular teen who takes a supercomputer pill to become cool – only to discover that the A.I. inside wants to take over the world”. The show ran for an off-West End run at The Other Palace in London before the Covid-19 pandemic, before getting a 10-week West End run at the Shaftesbury Theatre.
As well as announcing the show, the musical group are also now taking applications to be a part of the show’s production team. Looking for a director, musical director, choreographer and production manager, the team will be responsible for delivering SUPAS’ first production of the academic year, and ensuring all of the show’s elements come together before showtime. Successful applicants will then be able to devise their cast, technical teams and band to bring the show to life.
However, it is currently unclear to what extent this production may be affected by the ongoing situation regarding the Barber House Annexe. Both SUPAS and SUTCo (the Sheffield University Theatre Company) currently use the facility for storage purposes, but have been informed that this will be demolished in November, This comes near shows from both societies, and with no alternative currently being offered to the groups, we await to see what effects this may have on upcoming society productions, and whether this will have any impact on the scale of productions they are able to create.
Regardless of the wider issues being faced by the university’s performance societies, this announcement is an exciting development in the world of theatre at our university, with four confirmed shows from theatre groups even before the summer break. With production team applications already open, now is a prime opportunity for new or returning SUPAS members to create the next musical in the society’s roster.
Applications to join the production team of SUPAS’ Be More Chill are now open. An application pack can be found here
