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POSTER BOY is an original musical, with a book by Joe Tracz and music & lyrics by Craig Carnelia. It was produced at Williamstown Theatre Center in 2016, directed by Stafford Arima, and choreographed by Danny Mefford. The production had a brilliant cast, which included Taylor Trensch, Noah Zachary, Stephen Wallem, Levin Lallayil, and Jerry Dixon. 

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POSTER BOY tells the true story of Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old college freshman at Rutgers University in 2010. Three weeks into his freshman year, Tyler’s roommate, Dharun, set up a webcam and spied on Tyler having a date with a man, and then posted about it online. 

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In response, Tyler turned to the chat room of a gay website he frequented called “Just Us Boys”, to ask for advice. The advice he was given was smart and helpful, and Tyler started taking steps to protect himself. He also scheduled a second date with the same man, and once again, Dharun set up his webcam, this time posting about the upcoming date and inviting people to watch. 

 

Tyler, not knowing this, but taking no chance, unplugged Dharun's computer and turned the camera away. After the date, he checked Dharun’s twitter account, and saw that he invited people to tune in and watch. He then told his cohorts in the chat room what had occurred, and the steps he had taken to get a room change and file a formal complaint. He also told the guys that he and his date “had a great time”. 

 

Eight hours later, he sent out the following text: “Jumping off the GW Bridge, sorry” and was gone. 

 

The story is told in a hybrid style, part documentary, part invention. Throughout the book and score, the words of Tyler, Dharun, and their friends are their own, taken from documented text available in print, and/or online, from court records. 

 

The play takes place online, in the “Just Us Boys” chatroom, which is depicted onstage as a throwback, old-school gay dive bar. This is what the site feels like to these men, so this is what we see.  

 

The following songs are selections from the score. 

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“Where Was He Lost” Sung by the men in the chat room, whose usernames are Distance Runner, Loki, Harrison42 and Sexposition. Devastated by Tyler’s suicide, the men set out to figure out why, since Tyler seemed to be dealing with his situation so well, why he would then take his own life.

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“Trust Me” In searching through Tyler’s past posts, they come upon this. These are Tyler’s actual words. 

 

“The First Week” This song is taken from a series of online conversations between Tyler and Hannah, a friend of his from high school, during Tyler’s first week at Rutgers.

 

"Alternate Land" Distance Runner engages in magical thinking, and imagines what might have been if Tyler had not taken his own life.​Throughout the play, Distance Runner and Loki clash over Distance Runner’s belief that there’s a rational answer to this mystery, and that, if he were to find it, it would somehow make things better.

 

“Anonymous” A stranger shows up in the chatroom.

 

“Where Was He Lost (Reprise)".

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“Interrogation” This is Dharun’s interview with the police, shortly after Tyler’s death. These are Dharun’s own words.

 

"Curiosities and Concerns" Dharun had an accomplice of sorts, Molly, a friend of his who lived directly across the hall in the dorm. During Tyler’s dates, it was Molly’s room and Molly’s computer the two used to access Dharun’s webcam. In her testimony in court, she is asked why Dharun wanted to see what was going on in his dorm room. She claims that he had "curiosities and concerns”. When asked why she didn’t immediately turn off her computer once they saw what was happening in that room, she tries to explain. During this, one of the men, Sexposition, finds himself empathizing with Molly. In this song, Molly’s words are her own, Sexpositions are invented.

 

“Door Number Three” The friction between Loki and Distance Runner comes to a head late in the play. Loki Sings. 

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“Apology” 20 minutes after Tyler sent out his suicide note from the bridge, Dharun texted him. We don’t know if he had read Tyler's note and was trying to quickly cover his tracks, or if the timing was coincidental and his message sincere. Either way, these were his words.

 

“A Stone’s Throw” Distance Runner is the last of the group to give up on trying to solve the mystery. He suggests that the men meet up in person and not online, since they have never actually met. They choose a spot in New Jersey for their gathering, a bowling alley. From the parking lot, on this clear night, they can see the George Washington Bridge.