EPIC: A new model for musical theater in the age of YouTube
Apr 04, 2025 – [[read-time]] minute read
Musical theater is experiencing a renaissance, from Broadway productions to global blockbusters. Yet, inaccessibility has long been a concern, with limited opportunities to create, perform, or co-create new works, especially outside major markets. Thankfully, that’s where the internet is doing what it does best. Here in the digital realm, a new kind of musical is emerging, one that breaks down those barriers and invites everyone to the stage
This is the world of EPIC the Musical, a vibrant retelling of Homer’s “The Odyssey” that has captivated millions on YouTube. EPIC is more than just a musical; it's a testament to the transformative power of fandom, a groundbreaking example of how a passionate community can shape and elevate a work of art, and a beacon of accessibility in a traditionally exclusive space, offering a new model for creators seeking to bypass traditional gatekeepers.
The story of EPIC is inextricably linked to the journey of its creator, Jorge Rivera-Herrans, who kindly sat down with us to tell us about his experiences, inspirations, and thoughts on the future of fandom.
Jorge, your concept albums for EPIC have been groundbreaking in the theater world with a current monthly audience of over 15 million. Did you always know you wanted to write musicals?
Jorge: Music was always a side hobby for me, actually. For the majority of my life, I thought I was going into medicine. I was the president of the med youth club and had spent two summers in high school shadowing surgeons. I was accepted into the pre-med track at Notre Dame. Then, when I got to college I found myself writing songs for fun in my free time. I ordered this tiny piano keyboard off the internet that I could put on my desk and play with. I couldn’t focus in my classes, because I’d constantly be thinking of songs. There were times where I’d be in chemistry or biology and my notebook would be an equation followed by lyrics.
So eventually I switched out of pre-med without telling my parents and started doing musicals. By 2019, I had finished writing my first musical — at the time titled Stupid Humans — and decided that for my next project, I wanted to create something epic in scale.
It can be easy to feel like there's not a lot of insight into the actual process of creating a project like this.”
Jorge Rivera-HerransAnd that’s what led you to write EPIC?
Jorge: Kind of. I was itching for something that had fight scenes and love and lust and battles. When I told my friends this, they asked if I was adapting The Odyssey. At first, I told them no, but then I thought about it longer. A lot of my biggest inspirations come from anime, which have lots of larger than life themes, and video games, which have an addictive sense of progression. The Odyssey has so many different characters and iconic characters. Like a video game, it has a lot of boss battles. In the end, it just felt like the perfect way to lean into my inspirations.
It took me a bit to find my voice with EPIC. It sounded wildly different when I started writing it in 2019. Originally the idea was to fit the entire story of The Iliad in act one and then somehow fit all of The Odyssey in act two. I worked on that for a couple months and then decided to start over from scratch just focusing on The Odyssey and a singular main character.
What led you to start sharing your songs online?
Jorge: When COVID hit and school was canceled, I became a hermit for a few years. I spent a lot of my time watching video essays and documentaries on YouTube. I feel like you can learn so much on YouTube now — I would go on walks for hours just listening to videos on how to write exposition in a way that's not boring, how to create suspense, how to write character arcs. Then, some friends of mine who knew I was writing a musical told me I should put it up on social media.
I didn’t sleep that first night after I posted because I was so stressed. It was just a work-in-progress, after all. But thankfully I had a great support system of friends who encouraged me to keep going and then eventually a community of people started building around it. The journey of writing became a whole thing in itself. I’d post progress updates and get feedback. It can be easy to feel like there's not a lot of insight into the actual process of creating a project like this. A lot of times we'll hear about musicals once they’re on Broadway, or once they’re a movie. It was really cool to really explore and document that process with the growing community around EPIC.
It got to the point where with every saga, we were casting people who were fans of EPIC and we were commissioning visual artists who were fans of EPIC.”
Jorge Rivera-HerransHow have fans contributed to the creation and growth of EPIC?
Jorge: It’s really a community more than a fan base because of the level of engagement back and forth. There’s just been so many opportunities to get creative in the way that we engage with each other. The first big example was when we decided to do online auditions for the role of Calypso. I didn’t know what to expect, but within a few days there were over a thousand submissions and it had to become a whole family operation where my parents would help me watch and keep track of every single one. It allowed us to connect with such a wide variety of vocalists from all over the world. Barbara Wangui who voices Calypso is in Nairobi, Kenya, and we had vocalists from the US, London, Puerto Rico, just all around who I never would have met otherwise.
The second big example that comes to mind is with animation. When we were releasing the Ocean Saga, I wanted to do something special, so I reached out to Wolfie the Witch, who had done a lot of beautiful animatics around EPIC and asked her to create the official trailer for the concept album. Even now, for the visuals we’re collaborating with the community. So it got to the point where with every saga, we were casting people who were fans of EPIC and we were commissioning visual artists who were fans of EPIC, and what made it so cool was that everyone was so passionate about the process.
Logistically, how did you handle not being physically in the same space as your co creators and collaborators?
Jorge: Initially, because we were creating videos for social media, I would just record my part looking at the camera as if I was looking at the other character, the other person would do the same and I’d edit the videos together. Nothing too elaborate. Things got trickier with the art. I’d create these absolutely hilarious reference videos for the animators using action figures and random objects and draw terrible outlines for the concept art. It was a lot of trial and error.
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What does global accessibility mean to you as a creator?
Jorge: Accessibility was big for me. In EPIC, the story is told entirely through song – the dialogue is sung, not spoken. This means you can understand the entire musical just by listening to the concept album, making it accessible to those who might not be able to see a performance. But we also wanted to create a visual experience and reach a global audience, so we used YouTube livestreams to present EPIC with all the commissioned animatics, visuals, and illustrations, allowing anyone, anywhere, to watch it.
What’s the end goal for EPIC? Broadway? Film? Something else entirely?
Jorge: The answer is all of the above. I think a lot of people hear the word musical and then understandably assume that the goal is Broadway. I’m not necessarily opposed to the idea, but I wouldn’t say that’s my main goal for several reasons. I’m really interested in seeing a fully animated film version of EPIC. There are so many character moments that I’d love to see acted out in a live action adaptation and big scenes that I’d love to see in a Cirque style stage production. I’m also super excited about the idea of a video game that expands on the world of EPIC. I know it sounds crazy, but EPIC sounded crazy too before I wrote it. I feel that there’s so much fun to be had on so many different mediums and we’ve only just scratched the surface.
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