StoryCorp, a storytelling company outside the space-time continuum.

Have you ever wondered where stories come from? Journey with us to find out how the Sparks work their magic at StoryCorp. They churn out page after page, volume after volume, of your most beloved tales. 

This track is the ad jingle of StoryCorp. The scene opens with a Television experiencing issues and the TV static playing. As the connection becomes alright the jingle of StoryCorp is heard and the actors arrive on stage.

Vocals: Nicki Butler, Taylor Lozano and Ashley Tokarzewski (also actors in the play)
Keyboard: Shravan Murlidaran
Cello: Kira Weiss
Shaker: Shashank Aswathanarayana

Story Corp

In defense of their dreams, creative freedom, and storytelling itself, the Sparks revolt against their boss. They sneak up on him and a fight ensues.

Darbuka, Tambourine and Shaker: Shashank Aswathanarayana 
Cello: Kira Weiss

Spark Revolt

As Mae, the protagonist, feels lost for ideas, Novella, her inner spark comes to life (entry from within the audience). She stealthily makes her way to a distraught Mae on stage.

Darbuka and Tambourine: Shashank Aswathanarayana
Cello: Kira Weiss

Novella

In this scene, the actors come on stage to create the main working room of Story Corp. We see actors frantically working on the computers and using office stationary.

The entire track is composed of sounds of computer keyboards, scissors and staplers all played by Shashank Aswathanarayana.

Back To Office

The main protagonist is feeling claustrophobic and feels as though she is drowning as she runs out of ideas to come up with new storylines that her boss approves off. As she enacts this out, back to office - underwater plays in the background.  In the words of the director, the idea behind the sounds being garbled on occasion and clear at other times is, "Mae feels as though she is drowning and the sounds should be such that her face is bobbing in the water." 

When the sounds are completely garbled, the imagination is that the head is underwater while they're clear when the head is out of water.

Back To Office - Underwater

Tabla breakbeat science presents Music Information Retrieval. An album of fusion improv music created for music informatics research at NYU. 

Beats, loops and production: Ethan Hein
Tabla and finger cymbals: Shashank Aswath
Vocals and synth: Rebecca Feynberg
Accordion by Rachel Wardell
Mandolin by Christopher Jacoby. 

Shashank Aswath

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