Galloway, N.J. — There are still some things to figure out about a new partnership between Stockton University and Hammonton’s Eagle Theatre.

But that’s all by design. It’s also part of a new show that will debut Nov. 12 to 15 on campus and at the Eagle on Nov. 21.

“The Figuring” is a new interactive musical written by Michael Uselmann and Alex Koceja along with Stockton Associate Professor of Theatre David Reiser and students in his Creative Project Development class. The show celebrates puzzles and problem-solving with an inventive “choose-your-own-adventure” experience where audiences help decide the order of the songs.

“We’re figuring out the show just as much as the audience is,” said Ellie Prendergrast, a senior Theatre major from Hackettstown who’s one of the actors.

And while this class has been developing productions for years, the fact that this year’s will be presented at the Eagle is something completely new.

“It’s basically taking the show on tour, which is something students will hopefully get to experience in the professional world,” Reiser said.

The partnership originated with Donald Swenson, technical coordinator for Stockton’s Theatre department, who also works at the Eagle. He connected with the managing director of the theater, Nathan Labb, who welcomed Stockton with open arms.

“We’ve been trying to get as many different acts and shows and community groups into the theater as possible,” Labb said. “So, it’s just a perfect fit. We would love to have Stockton back in the future.”

Swenson said the Eagle is slightly larger than Stockton’s Experimental Theatre where the show will debut, but it will be a great learning experience for the students.

“It’s going to give them an opportunity to be in a lot of the same types of spaces that they’re going to be in right out of college — smaller, more off-Broadway houses,” he said. “They can use this as a jumping off place for their education.”

The performance also will provide networking opportunities for the students, Reiser said, as the play’s writers are expected to attend the Eagle Theatre show along with their agents and other theater industry professionals.

“It’s a cool way to build connections and get to meet people in the industry outside of our community here at Stockton,” said Skylar Cassar, a senior from Hillsborough.

The Hammonton show will also build on the unique learning experiences the students have already learned in the class. Reiser said the students have met with Uselmann and Koceja several times over Zoom throughout the semester.

“They came to us with a bunch of songs and some ideas about what they wanted the direction of the show to go, and it just started to gestate here,” Reiser said. “It’s a holistic approach to creating a new theater work. The students really influenced how it came out.”

Rather than working from a completed script, the students in the class became part of the creative team, helping shape the musical as it developed. In addition to acting in the show, the students wrote transition scenes to tie the songs together and created the sets and the projections displayed behind the performers.

“Meeting Michael and Alex was really interesting because we got to see their thought process come to life. They would show us how they go back and forth to write the songs and create something from nothing,” said Nik Turner, a junior Theatre major from Tampa, Florida, who acts in the show and designed the projections.

Reiser said he’s trying to encourage critical thinking and problem solving with his students.

“It’s not like school where you are given a homework assignment and then either you do it or you don’t and everybody has the same answers,” he said. “No. You are given a task, and you have to work with colleagues to figure out the best solution.”

Then, there’s the complexity of the musical itself. For each show, the first and last songs are always the same. However, the order of the eight songs in between is chosen by the audience — from subjects such as Wordle to Rubik’s Cube to Duolingo — which creates some unique challenges. Actors typically will only have 60 seconds to get ready once the next song is decided on and there will only be about 30 seconds to do any quick changes to the set. New lines were even being added in the week leading up to the debut.

“It’s basically having fun with the audience,” Prendergrast said. “As an actor, you have to be on your toes constantly because you don’t know when exactly you are going to go on, and that’s something that we haven’t experienced.”

“There’s not one set character and plot,” said Brandan Bradley, a senior Theatre major from Cape May who’s the assistant director. “Every song is a different game, and no show will be the exact same.”

The uncertainty continues backstage, said Sarah Bodi, a senior from Pine Beach who’s the assistant stage manager.

“It’s a lot happening in a short amount of time. Normally, when you’re the stage manager, you have everything set, but with this, every night is different,” said the Theatre major. “We’re never bored.”

The show’s debut on Nov. 12 is sold out, but tickets are still available for 7:30 p.m. Nov. 13 and 14 and 2 p.m. Nov. 15. Tickets are $15 for the public and $12 for senior citizens (65 and older), military, youth 17 and younger, and Stockton alumni, faculty, staff and students. All shows will take place in the Experimental Theatre. Tickets can be ordered online, by calling 609-652-9000 or in person at the PAC box office, which is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 90 minutes before any scheduled show.

The Eagle Theatre show will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 21. The theater is located at 208 Vine St. in Hammonton. Call 609-678-4255 to purchase tickets.  

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