It’s a small world & A KILLER PARTY!

I think one of the best parts of working at Norwegian Creative Studios is our close connection with the world of contemporary, mainstream arts and entertainment. On any normal workday at our studios there’s a strong possibility you’ll cross paths with a Broadway Director or Choreographer, Celebrity Choreographer, Pop Artist’s backup dancer, Ballroom World Champion, or even a Tony Award Winner. It’s a great feeling to know that they’re not only a part of our creative family but, like any one of our performers, they’re at the studio to do one thing: deliver the highest quality entertainment possible for our guests. This common goal makes our space literally the place where creativity comes together.

Kevin Duda

Kevin Duda is one of those mainstream Broadway NCS creative family members. He was the producer, alongside Christopher Allen, of NCS’s hit productions BLAZING BOOTS, DIAMOND RUN, BOHEMIAN SOUL, and CROSSROADS. He and his team create the concept, hire the creatives and then work in tandem with Norwegian Creative Studios to develop the final product from page-to-stage. Kevin explains that his favorite part of working with Norwegian Creative Studios is the NCS Team itself, “Every time we bring in a concept, it gets bigger and bolder because of the folks we get to work with at NCLH. Creativity doesn’t thrive in a vacuum; the more we can share our ideas, concepts and execution, the more we get to play with the “what if” conversations, giving everyone a part to play in making the production come to life.”

DIAMOND RUN is one of Kevin’s most recent projects for NCS and was developed for the Regent Splendor. The creative leadership at NCS knew they wanted a theatrical production with a “secret agent/007 feel” and tasked Kevin and his team with developing the concept. This project was a mission of its own, but one Kevin and his team were happy to accept. “Diamond Run was a unique obstacle because we were challenging ourselves with telling a full-length story within the show, without using any dialogue. We knew that we wanted to approach the show with the dancers as the focus. Often times, it’s the singers who will step forward to connect the dots in a show, because they can utilize the lyrics in the given song. For Diamond Run, we wanted to be sure that we were almost creating a ballet, with each movement and shape helping to tell the story of this jewel heist with clarity and excitement. Chad Larabee, our fantastic director, along with Chase Benz, our incredible choreographer and his assistant Britt Stewart, were able to create a vocabulary that was built from contemporary jazz, ballet, martial arts and mask-work which allows the audience to follow the drama as if they had dialogue. It’s impressive!” explains Kevin.

Now, with the lights of Broadway dark, the ships safely in port until further notice, and all actors hungry for work, Kevin has delivered something new and unexpected. With a team of Broadway professionals and with New York City’s heavy quarantine regulations in place, he’s produced a new 9-part series hit musical called A KILLER PARTY. This one of a kind virtual hit was filmed ENTIRELY on iPhones, in collaboration with 40 Broadway professionals, and ALL done while in quarantine.

I asked Kevin...

What sparked the idea for the series?’

“Jason Howland, who created all of the orchestra tracks for both Diamond Run & Crossroads, realized fairly quickly that if Broadway was going to be dark for as long as we thought - there had to be projects that were going to start to generate income for members of the Broadway community. He quickly enlisted 11 amazing actors and an incredible creative team and we went to work! What started as a 2-3 week “side” project, turned into a 10+ week creative behemoth! I’m so glad I answered that call.”

What are the biggest most surprising outcomes from the series? Is it being received better than expected?

“I think one of the initial challenges we faced was that no one wanted to make a “zoom musical,’ that is, we didn’t want actors singing directly to their laptops or iPhones. While time consuming in pre-production to figure out all the angles and blocking, the editing and the feeling that this was a “one camera” shoot was truly astounding. There are moments we lean into the “yes, we’re all in different spaces” but there are moments where you completely forget that we are all over the country - filming this in quarantine. It’s astonishing. I was also amazed that we were reviewed by both The New York Times and The New Yorker! Craziness.“

Diving deeper into my inquiries with Kevin, I learned that Music Theatre International has acquired the rights to A KILLER PARTY and they’re licensing the virtual version while simultaneously creating a script for the stage version. On top of that, Broadway Records has just released the Original Cast Album. Kevin urges “Take a listen - and you won’t believe that all the vocals were recorded on iPhones and home v/o mics. It’s insane!” Also, our NCS Creative connection to A KILLER PARTY doesn’t stop with Kevin and Jason; Kevin explained, “Bobby Pearce (Costume Designer Bohemian Soul and Blazing Boots) was our magical Costume Designer - diving deep into the actor’s closets to pull together the wardrobe. Chad Larabee (Director Bohemian Soul and Diamond Run) was an Associate Producer on the project and filmed all of Alex Newell’s footage.”

A KILLER PARTY is a hit that’s only begun to see its future in the arts and entertainment world. For me, it’s the perfect example of what being creative is all about, being challenged and rising above with new and innovative ways of doing what we’ve been born to do, entertain. Though they’re sometimes hard to find, there are positive outcomes from all the negatives this pandemic has placed upon the globe. Who knows …A KILLER PARTY may even find its way to one of our supper clubs in the future!

For more information on A KILLER PARTY, go to - akillerpartymusical.com/