With music by Dan Gibson and the book and lyrics by Alex Higgin-Houser, “Discovery” is a new musical set in the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster. It follows NASA’s astronaut corps as they navigate tragedy and eventually return to space with the 1988 launch of space shuttle Discovery. Largely centered around Sally Ride, the first female astronaut to go to space, it covers themes of perseverance, healing and self-realization. 

This production marks a unique collaboration between the MSU Department of Theatre and Wharton Center, allowing MSU students to work with Broadway professionals. The partnership runs through the New Musical Laboratory (NML), which gives writers the opportunity to develop new works. 

“Discovery’s” development began back in 2019, when Higgin-Houser and Gibson set out to write a musical around a single question: “How do you come back from the worst-case scenario– and do it well?” Their question led them to the Challenger tragedy, and eventually to Dr. Mary Cleave, one of the astronauts now depicted in the show. 

Cleave connected Gibson and Higgin-Houser with other astronauts from that era, sharing personal stories with them, such as the story of “Max Q,” a rock band NASA astronauts formed in the years following the Challenger disaster. Those conversations greatly shaped how Gibson and Higgin-Houser approached the material. 

“It is a work of fiction because it must be,” Higgin-Houser said. “The astronauts obviously didn’t sing at the time. However, we’ve done our best to try to honor their stories.” 

What began as a 10-minute piece has since grown, over years of workshopping, into the full-length show now in rehearsal at MSU. This is only the second time the show has been staged with actors, and the first time fully on its feet. Despite the long development process, this particular production’s timeline has been anything but. With just a couple of weeks to rehearse and the script and score changing almost daily, actors will be performing the piece "on book," meaning they will have their scripts with them. 

For the students bringing the show to life, the fast pace has created a unique experience. Animal science senior Sarah “Bel” Corwin, who plays Sally Ride, described the experience as unlike anything they’d ever done before. Working closely with Higgin-Houser and Gibson, Corwin has had to quickly build their character. 

“Going based on what other people have said about (Sally Ride) has been a bit of a challenge in building who she was as a person and bringing it to stage in a way that’s truthful,” Corwin said. “It’s been difficult, but also really amazing. I just want to do her justice." 

Acting junior Aubriana Scott, who plays astronaut Mary Cleave, has experienced a similar challenge. Unlike performing an already published show with prior performances to draw from, Scott has to build her character from the ground up, relying on a lot of research. 

“This being based on people that Dan and Alex have had interviews with, I was able to not only do research on these real-life historical figures, but also talk to Dan and Alex about their conversations with them,” Scott said. “It was an acting lesson, but it was also a history lesson." 

For all members of the cast, the unique setup has had an impact. Acting junior Anna Zaccari, who performs in the show's ensemble, has taken a lot from the process. For Zaccari, the constant changes and fast pace have actually been a part of the show’s appeal rather than a source of stress. 

“Maybe we’re cutting a line, maybe we’re adding a line, maybe we’re changing blocking,” Zaccari said. “Even though it’s fast, even though things are changing all the time, you can always find the fun in it too.” 

That balance of urgency and hope runs through the show itself. For Gibson and Higgin-Houser, they hope that “Discovery’s” themes of perseverance in tough times will resonate with audiences. 

“What I hope that people get out of (Discovery) is that we are not alone, that we have a light at the end of the tunnel and that we can re-identify ourselves,” Gibson said. “We can come out on the other side of challenge with a purpose, with a new sense of identity and together as a unit.” 

“Discovery” will continue to be developed after this production, with additional workshops and regional runs as the show makes its way towards Broadway. For now, it runs at Wharton Center’s Pasant Theatre Sept. 24-27, one stop on the road to “Discovery.”