Theatre Studies New Works Project

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign | Spring 2025

THE ALGORITHM

Sound Designer - Gabriel C. Inniss

Asst. Sound Designer - Mahillan Kalaimani

Produced by: Illinois Theatre

Venue: Studio Theatre

SCENIC DESIGNER - Mary McCarthy
LIGHTING DESIGNER -Maggie Hershey
SOUND DESIGNER - Gabriel Inniss
ASST. SOUND DESIGNER - Mahillan Kalaimani
MEDIA DESIGNER - Wesley Lu
PLAYWRIGHT - Leoni Reilly
DIRECTOR - Emma Preston
DRAMATURG - Yingman Tang (edited)

Clouds Shaped Like Pianos

Sound Designer - Mahillan Kalaimani

Asst. Sound Designer - Gabriel C. Inniss

SCENIC DESIGNER - Ciera Keller
LIGHTING DESIGNER - Maggie Hershey
SOUND DESIGNER - Mahillan Kalaimani
ASST. SOUND DESIGNER - Gabriel Inniss
MEDIA DESIGNER - Wesley Lu
PLAYWRIGHT - Anne Kolaczkowski-Magee
DIRECTOR - Layla Eygabroad
DRAMATURG -Ty Hudson (edited)

For THE ALGORITHM, I asked the cast what kind of music their characters would listen to. They sent me a selection of songs, from which I chose seven to play on a loop—each representing a different character. I Hate Myself for Loving You symbolized Isla, while Bad Reputation embodied Esther. These were the only two songs I placed intentionally: Isla’s at the very beginning and Esther’s at the very end.

If you view their relationship linearly, there’s a vast space between them. But if you see it as a loop, a circle, they sit right next to each other—yet with an undeniable distance between them. That distance? The other songs. Or rather, the other girls.

In short, the playlist itself served as a metaphor for Isla and Esther’s relationship.

Pre-show Playlist

Pre-show Playlist Group Cue

Esther (left) and Isla (right)

Audio Samples

Final QLab project file
QLab playlist breakdown for Scene 0
Logic project for voice overs in Scene 2
Mixing/Recording Studio
Taken right after the recording session had concluded