rise and grind
Business is good.
The Show
Or at least that's what Ric truly believes. Rise and Grind is an original musical about ambition and the quiet violence of modern work culture. It follows a man whose attempts to do everything right lead only to everything going wrong. When his sense of purpose collapses, he's forced to confront how much of himself he's given to a system with no interest in him. On a single, unraveling day, the line between success and delusion disappears.
Working World
Act I
The fragmented landscape of modern remote work. Characters exist in separate physical spaces (apartments, home offices, corporate rooms) and interact primarily through calls, screens, and overlapping conversations. Onstage, these environments appear as modular worlds: visible to the audience simultaneously, lived independently by the characters. Connection is constant. Proximity is rare.
Act II
After a buyout forces a return to in-office work, the workers reconvene inside a revitalized corporate headquarters. The scattered modules collapse into a single, shared space. What once felt distant becomes inescapable. The office becomes the dominant environment: a physical and psychological hub where power and control can no longer hide behind distance.
Themes
-
Ambition vs. Erosion
The drive to succeed slowly hollowing out the self.
-
Identity through Work
When purpose, value and worth are outsourced to a job.
-
Validation and Delusion
Chasing eternal approval until belief becomes self-deception.
-
Control and Opportunity
Systems that frame exploitation as growth.
Cast
- Ric A driven, affable white-collar worker who has staked his entire identity on being good at his job.
- Claire Ric's partner and emotional counterweight. Grounded and perceptive, with a patience that has limits and a clear view of where Ric is headed.
- Edward Ric's longtime friend and ideological foil. Settled in himself, skeptical of the grind. He asks the questions Ric refuses to.
- Elliot A former colleague on the margins of the system. Disillusioned, watching closely. He knows something Ric would rather not hear.
- Xander Endur A charismatic disruptor who reframes chaos as opportunity and makes unchecked ambition feel like vision.
- The Bosses A corporate collective that speaks in metrics, platitudes, and pressure. Less villains than byproducts of the system itself.
Music
- 01 Good Opening Number
- 02 Waiting Character-driven waltzy duet
- 03 Another Day at the Grind Ensemble / Thematic Centerpiece
- 04 Box It Up Solo ballad
- 05 Freedom Protagonist-driven finale
rise and grind
An Original Musical
Developed with Jon Kingsley, Producer
For inquiries & materials