Last Friday, I attended the sold-out performance of a student-created musical that thoughtfully examines an infamous moment in American culture – and was developed through Mizzou faculty mentorship and research support.
 
Andrew Smith – a computer science and digital storytelling major with several minors including theatre – began work on an ambitious project his first semester at Mizzou and continued over two years as a Discovery Undergraduate Research Fellow in the Honors College. In 2024, the result of Andrew’s research and writing, “UNABOMBER: The Musical,” was awarded the Outstanding Honors College Research Award and workshopped at the Missouri Playwrights Workshop.
 
Andrew’s historical drama features 17 original songs from a variety of perspectives, including the victims, investigators, family members and the perpetrator. The production explores important questions about technology, mental health and society.
 
This most recent performance featured the play’s first act and was produced as part of the Mizzou New Play Series. Led by Dr. David Crespy – who also serves as Andrew’s faculty mentor – the series showcases over one weekend numerous plays created by students, faculty and alumni. This is the first musical script produced by the Mizzou New Play Series, which is committed to presenting the completed stage reading next year.
 
Congratulations to Andrew on his achievement, along with the show’s director, Andrew Moon, and all our talented Mizzou playwrights and performers.
 
— Mun