5-Question NYMF Interviews: SHELTER

Next up in the 5-question interview series is Shelter, a new musical showcasing the voices of women in a Philadelphia women's shelter. Written by Brittany Bullen (with music by Newell Bullen), this heartfelt show tells the story of a woman trying to start over, and has also taken on a philanthropic angle, having raised over $10,000 for homeless shelters. Below, Brittany Bullen shares more about bringing Shelter to NYMF:

Me: How would you describe your show in one sentence?

Brittany Bullen: A contemporary pop/rock musical about love, loss and starting over.

Me: What was it like collaborating with your brother-in-law on this show?

Brittany: It was a fun process. I had a great deal of the music written in my head when I asked for his help, but I never could have done it without him. Several days a week, I'd take my 2 year old son Thomas to Newell's apartment and we'd spend most of the day working on the show while Thomas played (more like fought over toys) with his daughter, Laura Klein. I'd sing a song for him and give him a general idea for what I wanted the instruments to do and he'd flush it out. He was like my musical translator. We always knew we were on the right track when Thomas started dancing.

Me: This show is very female-centric. What has the process been like developing a show that is so rooted in women’s issues?

Brittany: Writing a show for women was always my goal, but there have been some unexpected challenges that came along with it. First of all, you are limited in the kinds of harmonies you can write. That said, I haven't been shy about testing the limits of our cast's vocal ranges!

Secondly, when you write a show for women, you have to be very careful about the subtext because even if you're not trying to convey a particular message, people expect one and will be looking for it. Ultimately, the show isn't just about women, it's about all those who feel weighed down by the past and are struggling to move on.

Me: What is it like as a writer to also be acting in the show?

Brittany: It's fun! I think in a different setting it might be difficult to wear so many hats, but because our process with the creative team and actors has been quite collaborative, it feels very natural. I wrote the role of Gloria with myself in mind. It's more like a cameo than a role, actually, because my character is basically mute for most of the show.

Me: What are you most looking forward to about NYMF?

Brittany: I am excited to see how New York audiences respond to the show. We were received very well in Salt Lake City where we originated, but I am aware that New Yorkers are a much tougher crowd to please. We are up to the challenge and thrilled to have the opportunity to bring some more attention to what we feel is a really amazing piece with a message worth hearing.

For more information on Shelter, check out the show's blog, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

5-Question NYMF Interviews: RIO

Yesterday morning, NYMF hosted a special preview presentation of songs from 9 of the musicals that will have productions as a part of this year's festival. Amongst the performances were a song from A Letter to Harvey Milk sung by Leslie Kritzer and a song from today's 5-question interview show, Rio.

Rio, with book, music, and lyrics by Mitch Magonet and Joey Miller, is the story of twelve year-old Pipio who is searching for his mother amidst the colorful and cruel streets of Rio. Inspired by tragic true events in Brazil, Rio is a rich story of survival and identity, set against a vibrant cultural backdrop. Below, Mitch shares a little more about their journey in writing Rio and getting to NYMF:

Me: How would you describe your show in one sentence?

Mitch Magonet: Rio is a musical about celebrating life and finding hope even in the darkest of times and places.

Me: I read a little bit about where the inspiration for Rio came from, and it seems to be tied to some really powerful stories and a personal connection to the place. Can you tell us a little bit more about the show’s conception?

Mitch: As writers, Joey and I have always been attracted to characters who have an inner need to find their history and who are relentless in their search to find themselves – characters who have inner rhythms, where music plays an important part of their lives. The rhythms of Brazil was a natural place to start. Fascinated by the intricate music and characters of Rio, Joey and I began an eight year journey of discovery about this violent, yet beautiful city. After learning about the tragedy of the ‘Candelaria Massacre’ where many homeless street-kids were brutally murdered at the church by the police, we felt that there was an important story to be told. Within six months, we composed a crop of exhilarating songs that explored this fragile and powerful world.

But it wasn't so much that 70 children were shot and 8 died on those church steps. That was tragic enough. But several years later, that 39 of the 62 survivors were killed either by police and street-life was just incomprehensible to our North American sensibilities. How could a country let this happen to their future - again. As a father of 2 young girls, I could never imagine even one of my children going one day without clean running water, an education or a hug from their parent, and yet, this is what these street-kids live without everyday. This is their imprisonment. And yet, no prison can keep them from their music. To be able to dig up hope and joy from the mudslide of their daily existence with music and Carnival was so deeply inspiring that we knew if it could move us, it would move any audience.

Me: How did you and Joey become collaborators, and what is your writing process, given your distance from one another in where you’re currently based?

Mitch: Knowing each other through relatives, Joey and I realized we had such similar tastes in music, theater, film etc. So it was a very easy fit. While we were both living in Toronto, we were searching for a project that would combine both my pop music sensibilities and his background as a percussionist. What started out as a ‘test’ project to see if we could even work together, turned into a complete labor of love. We had no set rules. Sometimes we would choose a character and write songs using his or her unique and distinctive musical rhythms and language. Then we would meet and help shape each others’ songs but always being tough critics on each other. We tried sitting in a room together and working on a song but it just didn’t work for us. So now that we’re living in different cities, we work through a million emails mp3s and phone calls. Once in a while we travel to each other’s city and play what we have. We established this method that worked best for us.

Me: How did you approach translating Brazil as a place into music and onto the stage?

Mitch: We started with a universal story - one that would work no matter where it took place. We always knew that it would be impossible to recreate the actual Carnival in Rio. That must be seen and experienced. We take a lens, and against the background of Carnival we tell the story of a twelve year old boy who never stops believing that he will find his birth mother. He is an innocent child, who with the pure faith of a child, changes the life of a young girl who has almost given up believing in herself.

Me: What are you most looking forward to about NYMF?

Mitch: Seeing the audience respond emotionally to a musical that we have been nourishing and caring for all these years is the best reward we could ask for. We’re excited to share the journey through our music and story, and to have an audience experience those travels with us. We hope this story impacts them as it does us and that the audience will love this production as much as we do. The gift of seeing an audience respond to your work is invaluable, and through the Festival we know that other musical theater writers appreciate the incredible opportunities this process offers.

For more information on Rio, check out the show's official website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.

5-Question NYMF Interviews: A LETTER TO HARVEY MILK

Here we go, guys...

As I recently mentioned, NYMF is right on the horizon, starting in July this year instead of in the fall like years past. There are 21 full productions gracing NYMF stages this year, in addition to other events, including readings and a Cutting Edge Composers concert (which is always a lot of fun). To keep up on all things NYMF, check out the festival's official website and follow them on Twitter.

Last year, I contacted many of the NYMF shows and conducted 5-question interviews with the writers, getting a sneak peek at how they were preparing for their productions, as well as learning more about their shows. This year, there are a ton of fantastic offerings with themes and subject matters ranging from iconic historical figures, political issues facing our country, and original material putting a new spin on how we view the modern musical. Over the next month, I'll be rolling out 5-question interviews with writers of shows in this year's festival... and today we are starting with A Letter to Harvey Milk!

A Letter to Harvey Milk is based on a short story by the same name by Lesléa Newman. With a book by Jerry James, music by Laura l. Kramer, and lyrics by Ellen M. Schwartz, this funny and touching musical explores the stories of a retired kosher butcher and young lesbian teacher and stars Leslie Kritzer and Jeff Keller. The writers shared more about their shows below:

Me: How would you describe your show in one sentence?

Jerry James, Laura l. Kramer, and Ellen M. Schwartz: A Letter to Harvey Milk is a mystery story that examines the question, “What do we owe the dead?” with humor, warmth and compassion.


Me: What inspired you to write this musical?

Jerry, Laura, and Ellen: When we realized that the three of us—one a Jew, one a gay Jew and one neither—were all equally excited by Lesléa Newman’s beautiful and touching short story, with its message of the healing power of love in the midst of horror, we knew we were onto something. To paraphrase the old rye bread ad: you don’t have to be gay or Jewish to love A Letter to Harvey Milk—only human…

Me: What has it been like giving voice to such an iconic figure in politics and civil rights?

Jerry, Laura, and Ellen: Humbling and liberating. Our Harvey appears in scenes that are completely invented, and if we try to make him say or do something that rings false, something that is somehow untrue to the life and legend of Harvey Milk, we know it. Harvey lets us know. But he also urges us to say and do things we might never have thought of without him.

Me: The musical seems to take place after Harvey has died. What role does his character take on in Harry’s current story?

Jerry, Laura, and Ellen: Our musical takes place in the spring of 1986, almost eight years after the assassination of Harvey Milk. He appears only in flashbacks. But what happens in those flashbacks is central to Harry’s solving of the mystery that threatens to destroy him.

Me: What are you most looking forward to about NYMF?

Jerry, Laura, and Ellen: To see our work—done in collaboration with our director David Schechter and our wonderful cast, headed by Jeff Keller and Leslie Kritzer—in front of an audience and to see their reaction to the qualities in the source material that inspired us to write it in the first place.

For more information, like A Letter to Harvey Milk on Facebook!

We Are Dinosaurs: A Glimpse Into Triassic Parq

If you've been loving a lot of the interviews and guest blogs lately from writers and people in the industry, much more of that kind of content is on the way as I'll soon be rolling out the NYMF 5-question interview series once again for this year's summer festival. If you can't wait, feel free to browse through some of last year's interviews to gear up for a July full of new great shows.

Before you do that, though, let's talk Triassic Parq, a musical send-up to/parody of Michael Crichton's famous novels (and subsequent movie adaptations) by Marshall Pailet, Bryce Norbitz and Stephen Wargo. This show was a hit at Fringe 2010, but even having heard hype from friends, I had no idea what to expect when I went to the production that just opened at SoHo Playhouse.

I wish I could accurately describe this show, but the truth is, it's hard. I enjoyed it very much, and I was practically hypnotized by the zany plot (based on scientific details from the famous source material), dedicated actors, and wild choreography. Still, in the closing number, both my friend and I had a moment where we wondered, "How does something like this even exist?" There is definitely a lot going on this show, which tells the story of the park's dinosaurs developing male organs to reproduce and their relationship with humans, and it's not necessarily for everyone-- but there is a lot to like. In fact, this show may be perfect for you if you like:

• Jurassic Park. Though this show stands on its own, it definitely has roots firmly in the world of Jurassic Park in a refreshing way. Also, were you aware that the theme song has lyrics? The final song reflected the tune of the theme with lyrics that included, "We are dinosaurs." As though we would want them to be anything else.

• Morgan Freeman. Guess who plays narrator throughout? No matter what characters mistakenly say throughout the show, it's not Samuel L. Jackson.

• Gender bending. Men playing women. Women playing men. Lady dinosaurs becoming dudes.

• Surprise raps about the scientific method.

• Irreverent, raunchy humor. Ever want a song about what it feels like for a male dinosaur to be sexually stimulated for the first time? Don't act like you haven't...

• Mime. There is a Mime-a-saurus. You know, that rare species of dinosaur with the face paint and penchant for exaggerated movement.

• Bad ass choreography. These dinosaurs practically soar, jumping around the stage, breaking through fences, and scaling doorways.

There are a lot of other great things about the show, as well as a ton of surprises. But some things are just left to the imagination, and it is totally worth checking out for yourself. Grab your ticket, see some dinosaurs, and enjoy the ride.

Second ACTS - Changing Careers Through a Musical

When Mark Hagan contacted me about his new show, Ripper, written with MCHM partner Michael Carach, I was eager to hear more about the show and their development process. Rather than write about it myself, I asked them to put together a guest post (the first and last guest post with R.C. Staab and Daniel Sturman was last August) talking about their project. Below is their account of the beginning of MCHM, the inspiration behind writing Ripper, and the challenges on the horizon as they look towards a production.

Formed in 1985, MCHM was the summer folly of two youths growing up in rural New Jersey. Best friends Michael Carach (MC) and Mark Hagan (HM) would spend their endless summers rewriting current Broadway shows to create parodies for their friends. Armed with a tape deck and a crude microphone from Radio Shack, the duo would sing along with popular shows at the time and compile them into new shows with new lyrics and story lines. “We never put these shows together for anyone but our small circle of friends, but we always dreamed of someday being able to write a real show from scratch" says Hagan. This eventually led them to build a small play theatre in the loft of Mark's parent's barn like a scene out of “Our Gang.” Nothing came of that venture except for dust choked rehearsals and a chaotic fantasy dance sequence that nearly brought the house down...literally.

The two went on to college some twelve hundred miles apart and upon graduating, entered wildly different careers. Hagan worked as an architect for some twenty years. During that period he started a record label (www.GlobalDance.com) and attempted to enter the music industry only to find it to be a closed system where the independent artist had few opportunities to be heard. Meanwhile Carach became a television director, writer, and finally a production manager for live television events where he later went on to win two Emmy Awards for technical excellence.

Quickly approaching mid-life when most professionals are simply funding their 401K accounts, they discussed re-booting their careers and starting over as writers. They would begin this effort by trying to write that “real show” they had dreamed about since High School. “Neither of us knew what the other could produce, but the planets had realigned and MCHM once again began to write.” says Carach from his backyard writer's retreat.

What came from five years of intensive writing, re-writes and musical scoring, MCHM's Ripper was born. “Back in the eighties is when Mike and I experienced Broadway. It was a time of large-scale British imports of bombastic proportions, usually based on some historic events like the French revolution or the Paris Opera House's resident ghost. It was at that time that the greatest unsolved mystery entered my consciousness” says Hagan. “I always thought it would make a jarring and aggressive musical. The idea gestated for a few years until I saw a PBS documentary on the subject suggesting the Royal Family's private doctor may have been involved. So I thought to myself- there is a lot here that COULD have happened and perhaps there are some valid reasons to why the mystery was never solved despite modern day forensics. When Mike and I sat down to begin work years later, we decided we would take Dan Brown's The DaVinci Code approach where we would construct a completely original piece based on historical facts. Our goal was never to solve the mystery, but to present a show where the audience could draw their own conclusions and come away with some possible explanations of why the mystery was never solved.”

The PITCH: An Interview with the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival's Ed Sayles

The Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival is a summer-long festival (May 30-October 20) located in Auburn, New York and produced by Merry-Go-Round Playhouse. This year, the festival will feature shows from Altar Boyz and 9 to 5, to My Fair Lady and Fingers & Toes. New to the festival, however, is The PITCH, a festival of new work where every night 2-3 writing teams present a 40-50 minute musical sample from their shows. Live audiences will have the chance to give feedback on these musical pitches and to see works-in-progress in a bare bones setting. The full roster of presentations is listed on the festival's website, but to delve even deeper into how The PITCH came to be, I asked Ed Sayles, the festival's Producing Artistic Director, some questions:

Me: Where did the idea for The PITCH come from?

Ed: I’ve always loved the movie Yankee Doodle Day with James Cagney as George M. Cohan. In the movie, Cohan and his partner Sam Harris meet with a producer, and Harris sits at the piano while Cohan “pitches” their story for a show in less than 15 minutes. Pitch. The idea stuck with me for a while. Over the years I’ve become disturbed at the production costs creative teams incur in the early stages of developing their musicals. So The PITCH came into being as a way for creative teams to receive feedback about their work without any out-of-pocket expenses. This summer, The PITCH will be hosting 20 new musicals, which we hope will give them a start on the way to being fully realized productions. I suspect that a number of wonderful ideas for shows have never reached fruition because of the financial burdens that accompany the development process. It is my wish that, in a small way, this will remedy that problem.

Me: What was the process like curating all the musicals that will be presented as a part of The PITCH?

Ed: Oh, it was great fun. Highly amusing as we were going through the shows. The PITCH Coordinator, Walter Ryon, is based in New York City, so he was in a perfect position to establish personal relationships with creative teams. The finalists were vetted by the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival staff, and then the final selections were made.

The Dolls of New Albion: An Interview with Paul Shapera

When musician Paul Shapera contacted me about reviewing the recent recording of his steampunk opera, The Dolls of New Albion, I was certainly intrigued. What would steampunk sound like? When I tried to imagine it, all I could think of was the recent storyline in The Guild that ends in characters riding into a convention hall in a steampunk airship (aaaaaand I am officially revealing more of my geeky self than intended).

Just listening to the overture of The Dolls of New Albion, however, and I instantly recognized the influence that the genre had on the music. This musical is all about moving parts -- from the way the narrative weaves through different generations of characters to the sounds that come together in one musical machine. To share more about his vision for New Albion, Paul agreed to answer some questions about the recording, steampunk, and more.

Me: Where did you get the idea to write The Dolls of New Albion?

Paul Shapera: A friend of mine once pointed out that the Dresden Dolls song which inspired the plot is a song about a… uhm…a vibrator.

About a year ago a director I know asked how I felt about writing an opera My response was mixed, in that I didn’t want to write an orchestral opera with operatic singers. I am more a rock musical kind of composer. I responded off of the top of my head that the kind of thing I would be interested in writing would be a steampunk opera. I wasn’t really serious and was just trying to come up with a unique combination to demonstrate where my interests might lay. I went on to suggest it could sound like the love child of the Dresden Dolls, Rasputina, Tom Waits and Stephen Sondheim and left it at that.

A month later however I could not stop thinking about it and the musical possibilities. I emailed the director saying that I needed to write it. I had to write it. I couldn’t not write it. If I did write it, would he put it up? He told me to go for it.

Obviously the next step was to come up with a plot. Two days later I was driving alone, humming the song “Coin Operated Boy” by the Dresden Dolls, which is actually about a vibrator but also suggests a mechanical boy. I flashed on an image of a mad scientist trying to build a mechanical mannequin and boom. Over the next 25 minutes the first 2 acts and a good bit of the third just poured out.


Me: How do you define 'Steampunk' in the context of The Dolls of New Albion?

Paul: The very first thing that makes the show steampunk for me and the reason I became obsessed with writing the piece was trying to imagine what music for a steampunk show would sound like. There’s only a smattering of steampunk music since it’s mostly an aesthetic and literary movement. I was enthralled with trying to make the music, especially at first, which sounds like what you would THINK steampunk sounds like.

After that, I tried to create a city in an alternative reality whose description fits the bill of a fantastical city from a past that never was. The city of New Albion itself plays an important role in the show. Additionally, once the show is staged and visual design elements are present the steampunk aesthetic will have a chance to really shine

I also see steampunk as a movement containing strong women and bizarre and iconic individuals. Why strong women and steampunk seem intertwined, I’m not sure. Perhaps because there is such a large online presence of women who have embraced steampunk design and who create an image of steampunk femininity which is strong and full of vivacious personality.

The moment I thought of the idea of a mad scientist bringing to life a mechanical doll, it was clear to me that the mad scientist needed to be female especially since the mad scientist trope is so thoroughly male. It made the premise more interesting and at the same time I was convinced that it also made the concept more steampunk.