A New Musical
The Overview
Effect
When we leave Earth, we must take our humanity with us.
See
Ghosts
The Show
Astronauts report a profound shift when they see Earth from orbit. Viewing our planet as a small, borderless sphere suspended in the vastness of space inspires feelings of awe, humility, and a stronger sense of responsibility to our shared home.
This shift is known as the Overview Effect.
Drawing from that inspiration, The Overview Effect is an original musical. Five astronauts train for the first mission to Mars. Four don't make the cut. Stranded back on Earth in Antarctic isolation, they wrestle with lost opportunity, corporate sabotage, and each other.
Into that isolation arrives Simon, a writer. Installed in the training program as an unlikely observer, he sees what the astronauts have trained themselves not to see: this is not the noble expedition its press releases describe. The mission is driven by corporate and national interests, sold through the iconography of exploration.
As we pour itself into the engineering of getting to Mars, what gets crowded out is harder to measure: art, music, grief, love, the quiet interior life of the people doing the reaching. The crew's training cannot save them. What saves them is each other.
The story is about taking our humanity with us as we explore.
July 2026
The Cast
James
Matthew Baker
Endlessly tasteful and wildly witty, The Overview Effect is Matthew’s return to the stage after being a Los Angeles-based attorney and member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA).
Ensemble
Willis Hao
Willis hails from Atlanta, Georgia, with credits including A Chorus Line and West Side Story (City Springs), Heathers (Actor’s Express), and Children of Eden (Aurora Theater). He is joining the next M…
Ensemble
Nia Johnson
Nia is a Los Angeles native whose work spans acting, dancing, stage managing, and background casting. Her immersive theater credits include Dark Library: Paris 1925, Edgar Allen Poe, and Time Machine,…
Ensemble
Janelle Cruz
Janelle Cruz comes to us from Guam. Besides being a professional dancer and teaching Broadway Jazz at Vivre Ballroom Studio, she is a Pilates and Yoga instructor. As a performer, she has recently danc…
The Company
Writer & Music Director
Ethan Holmes
Ethan beats the house down in Austin at karaoke as a composer and trained pianist with roots in gospel music. He’s Music Director and co-writer of The Overview Effect, bringing a range that spans chur…
Assistant Director
Tess Sorensen
Tess is a Los Angeles-based performer and UCB-trained improviser. She dances with Thick Strip, LA’s original size-inclusive strip show, and performs in drag shows.
Bass
Momin Ahmad
Momin is a bassist based between Austin and New York, playing both upright and electric. He plays in Texas String Assembly, has toured with Yuno, and is the founder of MOCO Music & Arts Festival.
Sound Engineer
Brock Lammers
Brock is a Minneapolis-based sound engineer and venue programmer. He has worked at Sound Gallery Studios and Bedlam Theatre, and helped build the live music program at Mortimer's, filling the void lef…