$9,180 raised
Two goals down ✓
$3,320 to our next goal
$12,500All donations support the production directly, no crowdfunding middlemen, no ticketing fees, nothing.
Tickets
631 W 2nd St, Los Angeles, CA 90012
All performances will be filmed
Run time: 2½ hours, including intermission.
Saturday, July 25 · 7pm
Sunday, July 26 · 6pm
Vinyl Soundtrack
2-disc original cast recording
First edition pressing · 200 total
Not in LA? Donate!
You’re funding the choreographer’s morning espresso for like 3 days. He NEEDS it.
$50 more to
We need Theia Branded polos. You are providing one.
You’re feeding the cast and crew dinner. They’re very hungry. Thank you VERY much.
✓ Thank you in the playbill.
Questions or support? info@theovervieweffectmusical.com
Regardless of fundraising efforts, the project will progress at the expense of the creators. We deeply appreciate your support. All contributions support the development of The Overview Effect. Refunds will be issued in the event of catastrophic failure.
See
Ghosts
The Show
Astronauts experience a profound psychological shift when they see Earth from orbit. Viewing our planet as a small, borderless sphere suspended in the vastness of space, they return with awe, humility, and a stronger sense of responsibility to our shared home.
This shift is known as the Overview Effect.
Drawing from that inspiration, The Overview Effect is an original musical. Five astronauts, having been passed up for the first mission to Mars, continue training for an uncertain future. In Antarctic isolation, they wrestle with lost opportunity, corporate sabotage, and each other.
We must take our humanity with us as we explore.
July 2026
The Cast
James
Matthew Baker
Endlessly tasteful and wildly witty, The Overview Effect is Matthew’s return to the stage after being a Los Angeles-based attorney and member of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA).
Ensemble
Willis Hao
Willis hails from Atlanta, Georgia, with credits including A Chorus Line and West Side Story (City Springs), Heathers (Actor’s Express), and Children of Eden (Aurora Theater). He is joining the next M…
Ensemble
Nia Johnson
Nia is a Los Angeles native whose work spans acting, dancing, stage managing, and background casting. Her immersive theater credits include Dark Library: Paris 1925, Edgar Allen Poe, and Time Machine,…
Ensemble
Janelle Cruz
Janelle Cruz comes to us from Guam. Besides being a professional dancer and teaching Broadway Jazz at Vivre Ballroom Studio, she is a Pilates and Yoga instructor. As a performer, she has recently danc…
Ensemble
Paislee Tanoura-Estrada
Paislee Tanoura-Estrada is a performer based in Los Angeles who has been dancing and performing since the age of 8. Previous credits include A Chorus Line (Conejo Players Theatre), Footloose (High Str…
The Company
Writer & Music Director
Ethan Holmes
Ethan beats the house down in Austin at karaoke as a composer and trained pianist with roots in gospel music. He’s Music Director and co-writer of The Overview Effect, bringing a range that spans chur…
Assistant Director
Tess Sorensen
Tess is a Los Angeles-based performer and UCB-trained improviser. She dances with Thick Strip, LA’s original size-inclusive strip show, and performs in drag shows.
Assistant Director
Brydi Frances
Brydi most recently produced and starred in Crooked Pixie Productions’ Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at West Hollywood’s Marilyn Monroe Theatre.
Bass
Momin Ahmad
Momin is a bassist based between Austin and New York, playing both upright and electric. He plays in Texas String Assembly, has toured with Yuno, and is the founder of MOCO Music & Arts Festival.
Synth
Leo Vondracek
Leo is the frontman of dance-pop band Hot Freaks, whose track ‘Puppy Princess’ went viral on TikTok. He also plays in The Golden Bubbles with his brother Christopher, releases solo music as Joey Joey…
Sound Engineer
Brock Lammers
Brock is a Minneapolis-based sound engineer and venue programmer. He has worked at Sound Gallery Studios and Bedlam Theatre, and helped build the live music program at Mortimer's, filling the void lef…
Production