One of the largest bank collapses in American history could be explored in a musical.
The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, a unit of SVB Financial Group, was one of the biggest events of 2023 and rattled the regional banking sector.
A bank run by customers trying to get deposits out along with the company selling treasuries at a loss were among the many contributing factors. The bank collapsed and saw the U.S. government step in.
Silicon Valley Bank became one of the biggest storylines of 2023 and also saw increased interest in merchandise related to the regional bank.
People interested in the story of the bank might be happy to hear that ideas to turn the bank collapse storyline into a musical are in the works.
Software engineer and composer Mauricio Costa is in the process of creating a musical called “The Valley,” based on the events of Silicon Valley Bank.
“I could see the entire hero’s journey and the hero’s lifecycle on this story, so I thought maybe there’s something here, and maybe we can tell the story in a way that nobody has ever seen,” said Costa in an interview with TechCrunch.
Costa calls “The Valley” a musical comedy and said he took inspiration from Lin-Manuel Miranda, the well-known playwright behind hits like “In the Heights” and “Hamilton.”
For the musical, Costa imagines a gospel and hip-hop feel with venture capitalists serving as preachers in the plot and startup companies acting as “churchgoers.” Another central musical character is Greg, which could be related to former Silicon Valley Bank CEO Greg Becker.
Costa said the musical is not completed yet with a first draft taking around four months to complete. The first draft consists of six songs that include titles like “We are Gonna Die,” “The Valley is Great” and “Blessing in Disguise.”
Some of the musical’s story comes from tweets.
“I cite some of the tweets verbatim, sharing some of their opinions. For example, I include lyrics from one person’s tweet who is sarcastically saying ‘thank you’ to all the venture capitalists for destroying or collapsing a very trustworthy and reliable bank.”
Costa told TechCrunch he has not reached out to Silicon Valley Bank, venture capitalist firms or startups. The composer plans on showing the draft to the parties involved.
“I don’t know if Greg or VCs will find it comedic or if they will find it insulting, but it was never my intention to if they find it insulting,” said Costa.
Costa is also looking to collaborate with musicians on adapting the story. The University of Central Florida alum is also talking to theaters on interest in housing the musical in the future.
“It’s my first time writing for gospel and hip-hop, but I love it. It’s beautiful. I think it has the potential to attract other people who are interested to know about this story.”
Produced in association with Benzinga
Edited by Alberto Arellano and Joseph Hammond
