MILTON, Del. - The Milton Theatre’s upcoming production of West Side Story will combine classic musical theater with cutting edge technology, featuring fully animated digital sets created with the same tools used in The Mandalorian and other Star Wars productions.
Running July 10 through Aug. 3, they say the show is the centerpiece of the theater’s 2025 Mainstage season, with 23 performances scheduled.
Designed by local artist Mal Meehan, the 3D digital environment recreates a detailed version of New York City’s West 68th Street circa 1958. The theatre says this was built over six months using Twinmotion software powered by Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.
“I see the animated backgrounds as another actor in the performance,” Meehan said. “It gives the performers something more accurate and inspiring to perform to.”
Meehan, originally from the United Kingdom and with experience designing shows in London’s West End, said the project aimed to recreate the neighborhood before it was demolished to make way for Lincoln Center.
“No other theatre in the nation has these images,” Meehan said. “So patrons of the Milton Theatre really are getting a very unique, never-to-be-seen-elsewhere, high-tech experience.”