(no) Pressure Creatives, Georgetown’s Asian American musical theatre production group, is back for a third season with its new musical, Off The Record. Following the huge successes of its prior performances, (No) Pressure: an asian american musical (2023) and Autumn Leaves (2024), this new show is a “comedic mystery musical” that follows the story of Ariel and Ben, two aspiring artists who get swept along in a mystery involving their newly signed record label, Maneki Neko Records (MNR).
Despite their initial apprehension toward working together, the young musicians are brought together as they unravel the conspiracy behind MNR’s history. This adventure leads the pair to get to know themselves and their pasts in a process of self-discovery, one of the major themes explored in this production. As for the show’s central message, Off the Record amplifies the importance of being yourself in budding friendships, such as the unlikely one formed between Ariel and Ben.
The motifs present in Off The Record diverge from (no) Pressure Creatives’ previous musicals—Autumn Leaves focused on familial bonds and the difficulties of navigating generational differences in a family-owned business, while (No) Pressure followed the story of five college students pursuing their dreams. The diversity in ideas that (no) Pressure Creatives showcases on stage is central to its philosophy: delving into narratives that originate from the Asian American community, the production group is committed to telling the wide range of stories, histories, and experiences that belong to the community.
Off The Record is a testament to the production group’s mission, not just through the show’s on-stage narrative but also in how (no) Pressure Creatives has evolved and developed over just three short years. With more vigorous songs and longer scenes, as well as a desire to maintain high quality work, this show is an ambitious endeavour, which came with its fair share of creative and operational problems. For one thing, the entire creative process for Off The Record took place within one academic year, beginning in the Fall of 2024. According to members, scheduling was also a major difficulty because the holiday calendar and Gaston Hall’s availability forced the production into a tight timeline.
But the team isn’t deterred by difficulties, instead taking it upon themselves to take these challenges as opportunities to improve in upcoming years. In preparation for the next show, for example, they plan to begin working during this spring semester to give more leeway to both the creatives and management teams involved. Making new adjustments each year, (no) Pressure Creatives continues to improve and grow as a whole.
Even now, these developments, such as the structural changes made over the past three years, have resulted in major improvements to the group’s inner workings. Though past years relied on core members who began (no) Pressure Creatives as a passion project, this year morphed into a community-based production. With the work split more evenly among more people, the group has not only grown in size but has transformed into a body that represents a larger community of creatives.
As the musical has evolved over time, so too have individual members through their engagement with (no) Pressure Creatives. For many, this is not their first time participating in a production; however, they have continued to return, having found a creative outlet, a close-knit community, and a space where they belong.
This is particularly true for Mara Goldstein (COL ’27), who collaborated with Caroline Chou (MSB ’27) as a scriptwriter to produce this exhilarating piece. This is not Goldstein’s first time engaging in (no) Pressure Creatives. Last year, she was cast in Autumn Leaves as Lena Singh, one of the main leads. With a passion for writing and having found camaraderie in the production, Goldstein returned this year to further her aspiration to be a script writer. Hence, Off the Record was created.
Goldstein and Chou started writing in the fall. With the show’s fast turnaround and ambitious vision, the production process has been both enriching and demanding. Goldstein recalled spending hours in Sellinger Lounge building plot development and character design, meeting with Chou regularly for updates, and facing numerous creative challenges. Nevertheless, the fulfillment of watching the production take its form is incredibly rewarding and fulfilling.
The development and realization of (no) Pressure Creatives is also a core part of Lucy Zhang’s (COL ’26) Georgetown experience. From an assistant director in (No) Pressure to a creative director in Autumn Leaves to current executive director for Off the Record, Zhang has been with the production since its conception, remaining present for all parts of the show.
“The project grew with me and I grew with the project,” Zhang said. “I learned a lot of leadership skills, learning how to organize the lead [roles in the show], gaining institutional knowledge of how clubs work at Georgetown, learning how to understand people’s different creative processes, learning every part of the production.”
Not only did Zhang gain knowledge and skills from (no) Pressure Creatives, but the production itself also benefited from her vision and hard work. This year, she pushed the project one step further by pitching it to the Performing Arts Advisory Committee (PAAC), an advisory board that oversees funding and programming of co-curricular performing arts groups at Georgetown. With recognition from PAAC, (no) Pressure Creatives now has full access to benefits, including more sustainable funding sources and greater access to venues.
Not only does the musical’s structural reform bring tangible benefits, but it also signals to and encourages other performing art organizations on campus.
“Having our existence be legitimately acknowledged is really impactful. I think it serves as a positive driving force for the rest of this kind of community on campus too. I see this project as kind of like a gateway, a space to bring Asian Americans against people who otherwise have not done theater, to bring them in. And then hopefully that can diversify the theater scene on campus.” Zhang said.
Off The Record premiers on stage on March 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets are available here.
