SVSU alumnus directs audio play based on Welsh folktales

A Saginaw Valley State University alumnus’ Welsh folktales-inspired musical drama will be available for audiences this weekend. The pre-recorded audio play utilizes SVSU theatre talent. 

 

Tickets are $10 for the exclusively-audio play, which will be available to purchase online for virtual performances scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21. A URL webpage link will be sent to the emails of ticket purchasers one hour prior to the 7:30 p.m. showtimes. Audiences can listen to the audio play virtually using the URL link. 

 

As director, composer, and playwright, SVSU alumnus Ryan Sequin said the process of creating the musical over the past five years was a love letter to storytelling. 

 

“Writing the play and the music came hand-in-hand. As I was writing the script, I was also writing the music,” said Sequin, a Bay City native who earned a bachelor’s degree in music from SVSU in May 2020. Today, he serves as events coordinator at Midland Center for the Arts. 

 

“Unraveling Magicians” originally was scheduled as an SVSU production earlier this year, but the pandemic delayed those plans. 

 

The musical's plot was inspired by “The Mabinogion,” a collection of medieval Welsh folktales from the 12th and 13th centuries. Sequin said he wove together stories from the book to create “Unraveling Magicians.” 

 

The plot description of the musical is as follows: 

 

“After discovering a book of spells, the royal family of Gwynedd dives headfirst into a world of magic. When they trigger a terrible curse, Gwydion, the family recluse, is forced home to spearhead the cleanup. To return to his beloved isolation, he must break the curse or risk permanent entanglement in his family’s magical mishaps.” 

 

The story will be told using dialogue, music, sound effects, and various audio recording techniques, Sequin said. 

 

For more information about “Unraveling Magicians,” visit the SVSU theatre webpage.