STP Preview: ‘Story of My Life’

Senior theatre major Adam Silorey’s Senior Theatre Project (STP) “Story of My Life,” which premieres tomorrow night, tells the story of friendship.

“It has nothing to do with One Direction,” Silorey said.

Silorey will perform the musical Friday at 8 p.m. in the Alford Auditorium, and admission is free. “Story of My Life” is a musical about an author, Thomas (played by junior David Widder-Varhegyi), who’s writing a eulogy for his friend, Alvin (played by Silorey).

The plot sounds morbid, but the musical is really a celebration of life, Silorey said.

“This is a fun-spirited, fast-paced story that allows audience members to enjoy the journey while challenging them to appreciate the people and the relationships they’ve been given,” he said.

The 90-minute contemporary musical was briefly on Broadway in 2009. There is more singing than dialogue in the performance, and the score is 192 pages long, said Chandler Hull, the accompanist and close friend of Silorey’s.

“There’s a ton of music,” she said. “Probably about 85 to 90 percent of it is sung.”

Silorey’s faculty advisor Diane Merchant said the props add to the show.

“It’s a very unusual show with very innovative staging and set,” she said.

Silorey likened the movable set to the story.

“There’s a lot of moving parts,” he said. “It never stops. The story just continues to turn and continues to grow until you have to say goodbye to the characters.”

Senior Adam Silorey will perform his Senior Theatre Project 8 p.m. April 10 in the Alford Auditorium (photo: Jillian Philyaw).

The cast and crew of Silorey’s production include: Gisela Mullican as the director, Kevin Hicks as the musical director, Shelby Hamrick as the stage manager, Widder-Varhegyi as the co-star and Hull as the accompanist.

Silorey said he chose to work with his friends for his STP.

“It’s all my friends that I’ve met throughout the years,” Silorey said,” and we’ve just come together and done a show.”

Merchant said the crew worked together well.

“Some need more mentoring, but in this case they’ve really worked as a very smoothly functioning theatre company,” Merchant said. “So it’s been exciting to see that happen.”

The play suits Silorey well, Hull said.

“The cool thing about it being Adam’s show is that Adam is very intentional about his friendship,” Hull said. “He makes time for the people that he cares about.”

Silorey said the show has an important message.

“It challenges the audience to really appreciate the relationships that they have, the people that are in their lives,” Silorey said. “For me, it makes me want to reach out to people that were really important to me that I’ve lost touch with.”

Merchant said the show’s title gives it a greater meaning.

“The title is more symbolic than people may realize,” she said. “It really tells the story of the importance of stories in our lives and how literature really speaks to us as human beings. It, in a roundabout way, forms the basis of their friendship.”

She added, “It’s beautiful music and a beautiful story.”

Michael Shawn Carbaugh II is a freshman music composition major and arts and entertainment writer for Cedars. He likes to write music in nearly every genre and enjoys listening to new genres as well.