Partition

Conceived by: Jermaine Risby

Music and Lyrics by: Jermaine Risby

In a hyper-connected world, one man attempts to partition his mind into pure productivity—only to discover that his digital virus is the only thing feeling human.

PARTITION is a contemporary, non-linear chamber musical that reimagines the Jekyll & Hyde narrative through the lens of transhumanist ambition and digital decay. The production utilizes a cyclic, 10-scene "ronde" structure to mirror a mind under psychological duress, rejecting traditional linear storytelling to explore the "lack of intimacy in intimacy" within a hyper-connected society.

Visually, the show undergoes a jarring transformation from a sterile, high-key corporate environment into an explosive, messy modern goth rock concert, defined by a palette of black, pink, and deep blood-red. This visual shift is underscored by a specialized 5-piece chamber pit band that juxtaposes the acoustic, classical precision of Jekyll's intellect against the abrasive, industrial glitch-aesthetic of Hyde's digital virus, all while employing complex, Sondheim-inspired contrapuntal vocal textures to simulate the chaotic noise of the system.

A Note from the Creator

Welcome to the world of PARTITION.

If you are reading this, you are catching my new avant-garde chamber musical at its absolute genesis. I wanted to take a moment to share why I felt compelled to write this specific story, and where we currently stand in the long, thrilling process of theatrical development.

Why PARTITION? We live in a hyper-connected digital world, yet we are plagued by a profound sense of isolation. I wanted to explore this "lack of intimacy in intimacy" by reimagining the classic Jekyll and Hyde narrative as a modern tale of biohacking and transhumanist dysphoria. In musical theater, the greatest question a dramatist must answer is whether the story they are telling truly "sings," and if the subject is emotionally off the ground enough to compel characters to burst into song. For PARTITION, the fracturing of a human mind under the weight of a sterile corporate algorithm—and its explosive collapse into a chaotic digital virus—demanded a highly specific, dissonant musical voice to express that internal terror.

To tell this story, I am leaning heavily on the introspective music drama traditions established by Stephen Sondheim, Michael John LaChiusa, Dave Malloy, and William Finn. I strongly believe in the principle that content must dictate form. By confining the score to a 5-piece chamber band and a 10-person cast, the music itself will mirror the claustrophobia and technological tension of the characters' minds. Ultimately, all writers write about themselves and the shifting world they observe, bringing forward the best of what they've been given to construct something new. PARTITION is my attempt to make sense of human fragility in the modern age.

Where We Are Now: The Beginnings of Development Right now, the show is in the very earliest stages of incubation. The contemporary musical theater pipeline is a complex journey from concept to Broadway, often taking years of continuous writing, rewriting, and refinement.

Before we ever get to a 29-hour reading, a regional workshop, or a commercial enhancement deal, I am currently doing the foundational architectural work. That means rigorously mapping out our non-linear 10-scene ronde structure and defining the "unwavering want" that will relentlessly drive characters like Jekyll, Utterson, Lanyon, and Lucy. I am currently in the "song-spotting" phase, carefully identifying the emotional climaxes where spoken dialogue is no longer enough, ensuring that something fundamentally changes for the characters by the end of every single musical number.

As we build the book and generate the score with the assistance of AI tools like Suno and Gemini, my immediate goal is to continue refining the lyrics, conversational prosody, and the distinct diction of each character. Eventually, rather than relying solely on traditional theatrical gatekeepers, I plan to release our early tracks as a digital concept album. This will serve as a launchpad to introduce this world directly to you, treating the audience as a collaborative partner in the development process before we ever mount a physical production.

Thank you for being here at ground zero. The algorithm is just getting started!

****This is in very early development****