In the early days of the internet, online gamers didn’t have the best social reputation. There were plenty of these negative stereotypes of gamers and geeks/nerds back in the day. Geek and gaming culture weren’t seen as popular back then as they are now.
But, thanks to 2007’s YouTube series The Guild, created by Felicia Day (Critical Role, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), the world of online gaming and geek culture were given faces and relatable stories that normalized the community as we know it.
Day starred as Cyd Sherman AKA Codex, an introverted unemployed concert pianist who was addicted to an online World of Warcraft-inspired MMORPG referred to as “The Game.” The series centered around Cyd and her online gaming guild, The Knights of Good, when the line between her gaming life became intertwined with her real life.
Since the series launch (and the finale in 2013), it has won six Streamy Awards, four IAWTV Awards, SXSW’s Greenlight Award, and was named one of “The Net’s Best Serial Shows” by Rolling Stone in 2009. The series holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes for its first season. To add to the impact of the series, Dark Horse Comics even released a limited series comic book of the show in 2010.
The Guild launched Day into Geek stardom, earning her the nickname “Queen of the Geeks.” This prompted her to create the multimedia platform Geek & Sundry (now owned by Legendary), which launched the popular web series Critical Role.
Now, the beloved web series is coming back… as a MUSICAL!
Produced and developed by Day and Tom Lenk (Broadway’s Rock of Ages), The Guild: The Musical will have its first staged reading of the musical on Sunday, February 23, at 4 pm PT at the Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. It’ll also be available to stream online simultaneously.
Day returns as her original character Codex and is joined by an all-star cast (filled with many POCs): Phil LaMarr (Futurama, MadTV) as Vork, Kirsten Vangsness (CBS’s Criminal Minds) as Clara, Anjali Bhimani (Disney+’s Ms. Marvel) as Avinashi, Rama Vallury (X-men ‘97) as Zaboo, Lauren Lopez (Netflix’s Monsters) as Tink, and Joey Richte (Nickelodeon’s Danger Force) as Bladezz. The script is written by Allison Frasca, with music by Mark Schenfish and Sam Balza.
Like the series, The Guild: The Musical will follow a group of online gamers who meet in real life — but with music, avatar emoting, and LAN parties! This may be nostalgia for those who followed the web series! Day notes that if the musical is successful, this could lead to a full production of The Guild: The Musical.
For those wondering, Day did ask the original cast to return for their roles, but neither of them were interested in the musical theatre aspect. But, Day hinted at the possibility of a future The Guild reunion.
The Guild: The Musical premieres on Sunday, February 23 at 4 pm PT at the Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles. Although the In-Person tickets are sold out, livestream tickets are still available here.
