5-Question NYMF Interviews: STUCK

Have you ever spent a long commute on the subway thinking to yourself, This could be a musical? At this year's NYMF, Riley Thomas's Stuck responds to those thoughts with a new show about a group of people stuck on a train. Weaving together the stories of strangers, Stuck is an examination of lives converging in a certain place and time. Below, Riley answers 5 questions about the inspiration for the show and why Stuck is perfect for NYMF audiences.

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

Riley Thomas: A humorous and heartfelt ride accompanied by fun and evocative music.


Me: The idea seems like such a great concept for musical/song cycle. What prompted you to write it?

Riley: Predictably, the idea popped into my head when I was stuck on the train. As I took in my surroundings I was struck by a unique quality about the subway: nowhere else can you find such a diverse group of people in the same place. I whimsically began inventing a backstory for each rider and realized that trapping these profoundly different people and watching them interact would be fascinating.

Me: Having a musical take place in one location seems tricky writing-wise. What your approach to the piece to make sure audiences don’t feel confined with the characters?

Riley: Occasionally throughout the show, vignettes take the audience off the train and into the life of each character, weaving history and fantasy into the present action.

Me: How did you decide on NYMF as a good showcase for this piece?

Riley: Other writers may yearn for a complicated Broadway-style production, but the size and scope of NYMF's presentation is perfect for Stuck. The small cast, the austerity of the set and the minimal technical demands are things that would allow Stuck to flourish as part of NYMF. The quality of NYMF's previous presentations has created a respect that attracts top tier talent, and the resulting notoriety pulls in industry professionals interested in analyzing, collaborating, or discovering the next step.


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

Riley: The opportunity to watch Stuck come alive via the artistry of a powerfully talented cast and creative team, and to share my work with audiences and industry alike.

For more information on Stuck, like them on Facebook or follow them on Twitter.

5-Question NYMF Interviews: LIVING WITH HENRY

Many of the NYMF shows this year are addressing important issues facing our country and society, from poverty to politics, and in the thick of it is Christopher Wilson's Living With Henry, an honest musical portrayal of a man living with HIV. Inspired by Christopher's own personal journey, Living With Henry is by turns comic and heartbreaking-- a work about living day to day just as much as it is about dealing with illness. The show was selected as a Next Link project and was performed as a part of the Toronto Fringe; below, Christopher Wilson shares more about the NYMF production.

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

Christopher Wilson: Framing HIV as a chronic illness rather than a death sentence, Living With Henry is a musical drama that explores the fears, complications and complex realities of living with HIV today.


Me: What inspired Living With Henry, and what was the writing process like creating a musical about such an important issue?

Christopher: The piece began with my personal HIV diagnosis 10 years ago - and grew as a means to cope with something that was initially very frightening - to shift it into something more humanized and emotionally manageable.

It began with personal dialogues and journal entries. Those further evolved into writing scenes and composing songs. And it landed as an hour and a half musical drama - exploring some very important and hard-hitting issues that continue to confront both our gay community and the community at large.


Me: What role has your company, Beyond Boundaries, had in the development of this show?

Christopher: Beyond Boundaries is an ensemble-driven company that has been focused on the development of this specific work. As the show has had two previous incarnations here in Toronto, the vast majority of our company have been with the piece since its inception last summer at the Toronto Fringe Festival.

Our extraordinarily talented and committed ensemble explore intensely to uncover the truth in these characters and their intentions. They have worked tirelessly to help figure out the plot puzzle as the piece has evolved, and strive to tell the most honest and effective story possible.

I say jokingly, if you want to engage in therapy but not pay a therapist, write a show about your life - give it to a group of smart and questioning actors - and have them rip it apart and put it back together. The process is incredibly enlightening, terrifying and equally inspiring.


Me: What has the process been like bringing the show from the Toronto Fringe to NYMF?

Christopher: Exciting, terrifying, epic, daunting and logistically challenging! Living With Henry has grown throughout the past year since its Fringe debut, with a second production at the Next Stage Theatre Festival here in Toronto. Being invited to NYMF as one of 10 Next Link Productions was a dream that surpassed all of my previous expectations!

The NYMF staff has been incredibly supportive and encouraging throughout the entire process. If I am not mistaken, we are the only international company participating in the Festival this summer - and working out the details of getting our company to New York from Canada has been its own unique dance.


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

Christopher: It is a privilege to be a part of such an exciting and creatively vibrant theatrical community. The opportunity to share this new Canadian work in the artistic mecca of musical theatre is incredible - and we hope that as many patrons as possible will resonate with the honesty and boldness of the piece.

It is also a cherished honor to share this musical work with a community such as New York, that has been so deeply affected and impacted by HIV/AIDS since it emerged in the 80's.

Although HIV is a much different animal than it was twenty years ago - there is still a great deal of ignorance, stigma, misunderstanding and fear that we need to work through together as a united community.

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

5-Question NYMF Interviews: PRISON DANCER

Remember this video of Cebu prisoners dancing to Michael Jackson's "Thriller"?

Not only does this incredible viral hit hold up as an impressive work of choreography and performance 51,000,000 views later, but it is also now making its NYMF debut through a musical written by Romeo Candido (music, lyrics, and book) and Carmen De Jesus (book). Prison Dancer tells the story of the prisoners behind the video, creating a wonderful blend of real life events with fresh new characters. Even further blurring the lines between real life and viral video, Prison Dancer has also been existing online in the form of a web series. Below, Carmen and Romeo talk a little more about the project and what you can expect from their NYMF debut of the show's first fully staged production.

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

Carmen De Jesus and Romeo Candido: A love letter to outsider in all of us, in the form of a musical inspired by the Cebu Inmates viral video.


Me: You did a lot of research for this show; what was that process like?

Carmen and Romeo: Much like how we discovered the phenomenon of Byron Garcia and the Dancing Inmates from Cebu, we turned to Youtube to do research. Everything is on Youtube! Regarding research, we didn't want to be accurate to any one specific in the real prison. Instead we wanted to create a fictional mythology and interpret what could have happened behind the scenes, and blur the lines between what is real, and what is not, to ultimately tell the tale about different people imprisoned by their circumstance.


Me: Prison Dancer will be on stage for NYMF, but it is also a musical web series. Where did the idea from that come from, and what has the experience been of putting that together?

Carmen and Romeo: We workshopped Prison Dancer - the stage musical - twice, in two separate Toronto theatre festivals (fuGEN's Potluck Festival, Summerworks Theatre Festival). Ana Serrano, who runs the Canadian Film Centre's Digital Media Lab. She specializes in developing and launching digital media projects. She was in the audience during one of those workshop performances and came on board our creative team, spearheading the move to "transmedia." She thought it would be great as a webseries, and encouraged us to adapt the work for Youtube.

It's not easy to truncate a 120 minute stage play to 12 5 minute episodes for Youtube. We had to sacrifice some characters, some songs, and some of the more theatrically dramatic storylines for the webseries because we just didn't have the time to develop the narrative to engage the Youtube audiences in some of the darker tones of the piece. So we fashioned each episode around a song, added interactive elements to extend the narrative of each character where possible, and the resulting webseries stands alone but also gives a great taste of what the full stage production will be.

Prison Dancer has had many iterations, from a screenplay, to a staged musical, to a webseries, and then revised back into a stage musical. While there are differences between the webseries and the NYMF production, all the stories and characters exist in the same world. We started creating rules to the 'storyworld' of Prison Dancer as to keep the experience between stage and screen consistent.


Me: How do you view the relationship between the web series and the stage show?

Carmen and Romeo: The webseries and the webseries cast stands alone as a complete show, a complete product - one that will exist for as long as Youtube exists. It's the "immortal" representation of our Prison Dancer story. It also serves as the evangelical platform for introducing people all around the world to our Prison Dancer universe - to the characters, the stories, the songs. The webseries exists to not only fulfill the audience members who can't come see a stage production of Prison Dancer - because of location or cost - but it also exists to help cultivate an audience and a hunger within the general public for the live stage experience.


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

Carmen and Romeo: We've never had a fully staged production of Prison Dancer before - with the full out choreography - 12 dance numbers! So exciting. Even in our web series we didn't have the time to get all the hardcore "dancing" of Prison Dancer out. Also, the talent within our NYMF cast is truly awesome - Filipino triple threats of Broadway renown and caliber, that's got me giddy with excitement to see how they and our Director/Choreographer, Design and Music teams will interpret and breathe life into the material! We're so thankful to NYMF for this opportunity to take our show to the next level!

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

5-Question NYMF Interviews: HE'S NOT HIMSELF

In the next show in our 5-question interview series, protagonist Gene finds himself unconsciously living a double life in the musical comedy He's Not Himself by Marc Silverberg. Having a previous production as a part of Planet Connections Theatre Festivity, He's Not Himself is a NYMF Next Link selection full of hilarity, adventure, and gangsters. Below, Marc shares more about his show and what to expect from the NYMF production:

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

Marc Silverberg: A non-stop comedy romp, with a traditional jazz score.

Me: How does a comedy/farce translate into a musical in He's Not Himself?

Marc: Very few musicals that I have seen incorporate the style of theatre known as farce, probably because it’s a very difficult thing to do. To properly execute a farce, the show must establish a plot that involves mistaken identities, constant confusion among the characters, misunderstandings, and climax in a non-stop chase that has characters running in and out of entrances as quickly as possible. Traditionally, musicals focus more on the music than the story, and I wanted to write a musical that focused equally on both, while still trying to be as silly as possible.

Me: You seem to have a lot of choir/a cappella experience. Has that had any influence on writing the music for He's Not Himself?

Marc: Being rooted in choral music and a cappella music for most of my life has given me opportunities to study with some of the greatest musicians and teachers in the country. By traveling and collecting information on how to compose, arrange, and understand music, I had the knowledge I needed to try my hand at composing a musical theatre score. In my opinion, music and theatre go hand in hand, and I was able to take the skills from one and translate them to the other.

Me: How has the show evolved since its productions at the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity?

Marc: The production that was seen at Planet Connections Theatre Festivity was the seventh draft of the show. The production that will be seen at NYMF is the eleventh draft of the show. With every draft, the script keeps getting tweaked until we are all satisfied with the outcome. There aren’t many big changes in terms of the script- unless someone was in the audience for all six performances, they wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The major changes involved the big chase scene at the end (we just wanted to include more action, and make it a little longer) and many of the lyrics in the songs have changed. In terms of the overall production, we feel that the show audiences will see at NYMF is much stronger than in past incarnations. We have a bigger budget, more time to rehearse, and lots of support from the festival.


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

Marc: I’m hoping that the popularity of NYMF will bring awareness to this show and draw more audience members. We were chosen as a Next Link project, which gave us a huge amount of support and insider info, allowing us to hire the right people and promote the show effectively. It has been a dream of mine to present a show in NYMF, and now I looking forward to seeing that dream become a reality.

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!