my dsmp stage play thoughts copy pasted from my google doc
Wilbur: Starts with a spotlight on him but also warmly lit with lights on other characters surrounding him, as time goes on the other lights will begin to fade, leaving just him and the other characters with individual lights, making him separate from them. Lots of fancy dialogue and monologues directly looking at and addressing the audience. During these monologues he will have a pulsing red light framing him at all times(the temptation of death and destruction). During the election, pogtopia, the 16th, etc. he has several small, bright, pale spotlights that follow him no matter where he goes, they fluctuate in intensity before becoming overwhelmingly bright in the button room, before all lights go out and Phil enters. Then after the “what are you doing” line, they turn back on and focus on him and Wilbur for a split second, before the battle on top is re-illuminated. The stage is also rimmed with red light during the button room. When the button is pressed, all the lights are turned to max in shades of white, yellow, orange, and red, including some facing the audience to mimic the blinding explosion. The lights start at Wilbur and engulf him as the flame did before consuming the entire stage. Wilbur's theme, much like his dialogue, would be fancy, rich, and complicated, but have a very simple melody, similar to Tommy's, underneath it. Because despite all of his poetry and prose, he is very, very, human, and only wanted to keep himself and his little brother safe. Most likely with strings, violin, cello, bass, etc. but with a flute from Tommy’s. This would also be warped throughout time, and I think in the button room you would hear a melding of both his and the L’manburg motif incredibly slowed and drawn out, and with more screechy instruments like strings, with a simple drum beat as a heartbeat/ticking clock as the time counts down. After Wilbur’s death on the 16th, he shows up after the battle on the second floor surveying the carnage and says the lil thing that he says on stream after he dies (tubbo you are president of a crater etc.) and he is bathed in white light, bowing, before walking to the left offstage into pitch darkness and a train whistle is faintly heard and then the curtain falls, Wilbur in the button room is facing away from the audience with the button in perfect view, several small spotlights illuminating it like eyes
Tommy: Almost always bathed in a soft, warm lighting, which he brings with him into a room as he enters. This can dim or change in hue throughout different events such as battle or exile, where it might turn reddish or dim. Doesn’t have nearly as many monologues as Wilbur, but does have a few, especially during exile. Tommy talks to the audience as you would talk to a god, begging for answers, mercy, and help, even if you don’t know who you’re talking to. Hair starts short and semi-uniform in early L’manburg, and slowly grows longer and more unruly during Pogtopia and after. His theme is with high woodwinds, flute, piccolo, and a viola/violin from Wilbur’s.
Techno: Red lighting that starts to grow stronger as he’s in a battle or a big event is happening, doomsday, tubbo’s execution, etc. He also gets white spotlights in particularly intense moments to represent chat. During especially violent moments it starts bathing him like blood. Addresses the audience with mischief, small winks, waves, and jokes. He also addresses the audience whenever the voices start to take over, yelling and shouting very similar to Wilbur.
Ranboo: Has lots of one-on-one monologues like Wilbur but they aren’t as fancy or dialogue-heavy. The background lighting starts purple but when Dream starts to take control it starts turning green slowly, and when Dream is fully in control, the stage goes dark except for a projected smile rimmed with green. Split-dyed black and white hair that starts short but gets longer throughout the play. A kinda slow and spooky theme akin to the music disc he plays in the panic room. As him and tubbo grow closer their themes start to mix, and it eventually turns into something warm when they’re together with Michael.
Dream: Dream’s theme would be creepy, but also a bit childish and mischievous, with a false sense of bravado that would either strengthen or chip away in various scenes(exile vs final confrontation).
Stage: Two-story stage, kinda Hamilton-esque, but with a larger upper area rather than just a walkway. During the 16th the center stage is Wilbur and the button room while the top area is Tommy, Techno, etc. Both are occurring at the same time with the dialogue going back and forth like the SAD-ist animatic. In the early days, the stage is filled, lively, full of people, props, and conversation, and slowly grows more and more desolate. L'manburg has its own motif that starts out strong, confident, loud and proud, but slowly fades and changes over time until it sounds like what could only be described as a funeral dirge or a twisted haunted reminder of what it once was(It would be semi inspired by the anthem) With the sound design, incorporating things like heartbeat, ringing, crashing, booming, all in the music. This wouldn't be overly present but you'd get little bits and pieces. Starts with a reading of Wilbur’s version of Ozymandias, each line read by different members until it gets to “My name is Wilbur Soot” where Wilbur takes over and reads the last 5 lines plus, “I never did quite forgive myself.” Each member reads from the main stage which is in darkness so you can barely see them standing on it, until it reaches Wilbur’s lines, where he is illuminated from beneath standing in the center of the second layer/bridge, light is bright enough, and angled in such a way that he’s illuminated but his features aren’t clear. Would either be separated into two acts with act 1 ending with nov 16, or two plays with play 1 ending with nov 16. The second act/play would end with disc confrontation. If it was two plays, first would have act 1 end with the exiling of Tommy and Wilbur/the election, then end with nov 16. Second would have act 1 end with I think Tommy jumping off his tower/the end of exile.
Oct 16: Tubbo, Schlatt, and company would be on the second floor and a new set piece would be put in and slowly illuminated bit by bit as it is supposedly “built”. The “fireworks” would be represented by bright lights(no actual fire but MAYBE something that can be projected that lights up).
Nov 16: Cut back and forth between Wilbur in the button room and Tommy, Techno, and company fighting. Even when we’re with Wilbur, you can still see Tommy and Techno saying things or fighting even if you can’t hear. When we’re with a character the others don’t have a light on them so it's just their silhouettes. Techno and Tommy would be on the balcony/secondary stage while Wilbur would be below(UNDER the balcony not in front). When the button is pressed several pieces of set and set decorations would be either released or triggered so they appear fallen or broken, plus rubble would be thrown onto the stage. After its destroyed, the people who were previously above will be on the stairs on either side, surrounding Wilbur and looking at him “look at them they want you to kill me etc.” but will be semi-shrouded in darkness. The above stage will appear almost broken(pieces will have a switch or something easily broken).
Techno’s Execution: “Anvil” is dropped from the balcony above Techno’s head, he is towards the middle/right of the stage(not perfectly centered). Cage he’s in has a fake door he can open and close quickly in the flash of smoke and lights when the anvil falls(yellow, green, white), then he sees Dream in the corner and moves to the side off-stage, black as we transition to next scene.
Pogtopia: Edges of the stage would be dark, sometimes even more in specific scenes, like the balcony, to give the idea of being in an enclosed space. Small rocks/boulders would be littered around the floor as set dressing+buttons everywhere obviously. For scenes that are more chill/you are supposed to see the full place, everything is pretty well-lit, just dark around the edges. For specific scenes with Wilbur, or scenes that are supposed to be in smaller rooms, the light is more concentrated, with more areas above and around being darker.
Exile: When Tommy is solely on the stage, there is only one light focused on him, rest of the stage is in darkness, similar to Wilbur in pogtopia. Small tent would be on stage, when Tommy is standing on the top of the tower, he is illuminated with several small lights directly on him(eyes) and the rest of the stage is dark except for a dark rippling blue below him for water
tagging @plaguethewaters my thoughts be upon the
