A New Musical - Part 6 - The Vegetable Song

As I wrote before, there is no formula to writing a musical (at least not for me.) I'm not working in a linear fashion, from the beginning of the show to the end. It's more circular, with one idea leading to another, then back again as a theme becomes a song, which becomes a reprise, etc. 

This is what happened with "The Vegetable Song." I had lyrics, but no melody. So I reworked the lyrics; still no melody. I wanted a song that was light, fun, and danceable. I pictured Peter Rabbit singing a love song to vegetables, with giant vegetables dancing with him on stage. I wanted kids to know that vegetables are wonderful! But all my ideas fell flat until...

"What are about Rabbit Chase?" I thought. "Would it work?!"

Take the sped-up ragtime, slow it down to a normal ragtime speed, tweak it a bit, and... voilà! It works! I'm delighted with the result.

So what was an incidental piece became the theme for Peter Rabbit. "The Vegetable Rag", as I now call it, is reprised three times in the show by Peter's cousin, Benjamin Bunny!

(Listen for two bits in the song that are nods to two of my favorite musicals, Godspell and The Sound of Music!)

 

A New Musical - Part 5 - A Chase!

When it comes to writing a musical, I don't have a formula, but I do have a method.

But when it comes to writing a song, I don't even have a method. I start with whatever inspires me the most, whether it's a lyric, a melody, or an image.

Still, sometimes you just get stuck.

If you've read the story of Peter Rabbit, you know that Farmer McGregor chases Peter all around the garden. But how to show this on stage without it getting boring? 

Add music, of course!

My choices were to either write a song to be sung by Peter and Farmer McGregor as they run around, or write incidental music (also known as underscore.) I chose the latter, so I really needed to think about the feel I wanted to convey in this scene. Frantic? A little. Scary? No. Silly and fun? Maybe.

But how to convey this with music?

I was stuck.

Then... an idea. (You really never know from where inspiration will arise!)

I had written a ragtime piece earlier and it sat on my piano without a name. Or at least, I thought it was on my piano. I looked for it, and was almost in a panic when I thought to look behind the piano. Ah, there it was.

And it was the exact feel I needed! I could picture the chase in my mind, like I was watching a black-and-white Charlie Chaplin film–sped up, goofy, exciting. I looked up when ragtime music was popular, and it was right around the time when Beatrix Potter wrote Peter Rabbit–even better!

So the piano piece finally got a name, "Rabbit Chase," and it became the underscore for the chase scene in my musical. And, what's even more amazing is that that little piece of music, initially not written with the musical in mind, has inspired more music in the musical! I'll share more about that in my next posts!

A New Musical - Part 4 - The Opening Number

This post is more video than writing. I feel that the video covers everything I want to say, plus cover musical things that are easier to show on a video than to describe in a paragraph. Here is the explanation video:

My little daughter interrupted me as I was filming, so here is take 2 (actually take 3 or 4) of the end of the video:

And finally, here is the song itself:

A New Musical - Part 3 - Putting It All Down

One of the most important steps in writing a musical is putting everything down in a legible form. You've seen my scribbly notes (in a previous blog post). No one is able to interpret that except me. 

So once I have the script and music in a state that I'm happy with, I start typing up the words and entering the music on Musescore. This is not very exciting (believe me) but doing this also helps me see with better clarity and make decisions on the details, like the piano part and harmonies. (Sometimes, my favorite thing to do is to just sit at a piano and sing and play, and not worry about every little note!)

To show you what this all looks like...

On AI and Art

Our children are growing up in a world where AI cannot be avoided (well, if you lived completely off the grid, maybe you could...) People argue that AI has its uses, but the problem I see is that we can no longer trust what we see, read, or hear on the internet. I would be watching a video of an animal, and my son walks by, takes one look, and says, "That's AI."

As an artist, I lament that people are relying more and more on AI to generate art, music, and even the written word. Again, AI has its uses, but what AI cannot ever do is replace human interaction.

Which is why the antidote to AI is COMMUNITY and COLLABORATION. 

You can "observe" animals on websites. Or you can go to the park or the zoo.

You can "travel" the world thru the internet. Or you can get out and experience the world around you.

You can "make" art by yourself at the computer. Or you can collaborate with other artists and go see live performances.

The more we do with other people, the more we are rooted in what is real.

This all hit me yesterday, as my family went from one activity to another.

We started off with rehearsal for my kids who are involved in the CYT Tri-Valley production of Frozen. I am on the set committee for this show (I get to paint!) and so I joined other set parents at our rented warehouse space and organized the paint supplies and old cans of paint while the kids sang, danced, and acted.

Meanwhile, my husband went to a café near us to meet with local artists. They chatted and shared their art and ideas, and one painter invited my husband to an art show and reception that afternoon at the library.

So in the afternoon, my husband and I took our youngest child to the library and admired the beautiful floral art done in glass, textiles, watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, acrylic, and oil. The artists were present and shared a bit about their processes and their inspirations. Then they held a raffle and I won a set of cards from one of the artists!

But we were still not done. In the evening, I took two of my girls to see my friend's professional ballet company perform in town. My other friend had choreographed one of the dances. As I watched, I marveled at their graceful movements set to the music. That night, I worked on a piano piece that I hope will be part of their performance someday.

Sprinkled in between all this activity was a guitar lesson between my husband and son, kids making birthday presents, and baking in the kitchen.

It was a full day, and I loved all the artistic things my family got to experience. My husband and I want to work more on "getting out there" and interacting with our community. That might be as simple as going downtown and listening to a band perform at the park. It might be as elaborate as becoming a part of the art association and helping with the next Comic Con in our town. Or in my case, workshopping a musical and performing it at the local theater!

Your family may or may not be artistic, but that's not what matters. Keep putting in the effort to connect with people, whether at home, at school, at work, or beyond!

A New Musical - Part 2 - Writing and Rewriting

 In the video on my last blog post, I noticed two mistakes.

1) I forgot to tell you the working title of the new musical! For now, I call it "In Miss Potter's Garden."

2) I said that I finished the musical this past summer. Really, what I should have said was that a shareable version of the musical was finished this past summer. I'm feeling good about the script and the songs, but this doesn't mean that the musical is finished! My next step is workshopping, which is when I get a group of actors to read through the script. I also play them the songs and ask them for honest feedback. 

Every time I've workshopped a show, I've heard lines that needed tweaking, or scenes that could be smoother, or songs that sounded too short (or too long). The actors always had some very important and helpful feedback to give as they were in the dual roles of both audience and players. After hearing their thoughts, I would go home excited to add to a scene or a song.

So I expect to do more rewriting. Writing is really about rewriting, and rewriting, and rewriting. I know that this musical will go through several versions before it is truly done, so I try my best not to hold on to any part of it too tightly (which is easier said than done!) And just so you can "see" what my writing process looks like, I'm sharing with you the pages of my notebook in a video.

(Background story: I used to write notes on random pieces of paper, and clip them together, which meant that my notes didn't always stay together. Then my friend "KW"– the director of my first musical– gave me a Christmas present of a set of small notebooks. I decided that I would use one whenever I started a new musical. And now all my scribbly notes are in one place!)

A New Musical - Part 1 - A New Seed of Inspiration!

 In 2022, I had written my first musical, Five Children and It, and blogged about it in a series titled "A Musical is Born!" The blog posts cover much of the production of the show, but very little of the writing process before that.

Since then, I've written a second musical and started two more. With high hopes of getting these musicals on stage, I decided to start sharing more about my writing process, before the musical is fully finished. A nerve-wrecking task, being the perfectionist that I am, but I'm pushing myself to do this. And to make me even more nervous, I'll be incorporating video, which is also a very new thing for me. (I'm a writer, not a videographer.) But with help from my adult children, I am now on Instagram and will be able to share songs through that medium (and also post the videos here!)

So, watch the video below to hear about what I'm working on right now!

 

Giving Children Freedom

As far as jobs and careers go, I never want my kids to feel like they need to live up to my expectations. They don't have to become pianists, they don't have to become doctors, they don't have to get a bachelor's or master's degree.

I want my children to have the freedom to succeed, in whatever way they choose to do.

But with the freedom to succeed comes the freedom to fail.

I've been thinking about this quite a bit lately, as I now have three adult children trying to make their way in the world. One chose not to continuing with schooling, one is working towards her bachelor's, and one is just starting out at a community college. And in all they do, I see them fearlessly try different things, and I've come to the conclusion that it's because they know that they will not be judged for trying and failing. They themselves have seen their dad and I work endlessly on creative projects, sometimes with success and sometimes not. We are not afraid to share our failures with our children.

And that makes a big difference.

Parents, be aware of your expectations (what is your definition of success?) and watch how you speak to your children about them. My parents encouraged me in my music, but still questioned me if I brought home anything less than an 'A' on my report card. I always felt like I couldn't do enough. Talk to your children about perseverance and diligence more than winning. Tell them that it's okay to try, and fail. Share your stories and listen to theirs. And please, share your stories here! Tell me about your experiences with failure and success, either as a child or as a parent.

Food for the Soul

During the Covid pandemic, I had a clear understanding of the purpose of art. Though most people had food and shelter during the lock-down, it wasn't enough. We aren't simply robots, needing a recharge and tune-up every now and then. We are human, we are souls, and art fed those souls. So my family and I painted cards to send to people and made music videos to share online. At that time, I understood that art was a necessity.

But somehow, this past year, I lost that understanding. I no longer had a clear vision of the "why" behind what I did. My head knew it, but my heart didn't. As I tried to think of ways to bring in more income to help my college-bound children, I felt more and more that artists were undervalued in society. Schools were cutting art and music programs. Tech and computer skills were desirable in the job market. I could make $25/hour teaching music, but if a fast-food employee makes $20/hour (new law here in California), then does that mean I'm worth a little more than a McDonald worker? (I know it's not the right question to ask, but that's where my heart was at the time.)

What made matters worst was that after I finished vocal directing The Wizard of Oz in June, I felt a big hole. I had spent months working on this beautiful show, and it was all over in four days. What was I doing? I asked myself. Is it all meaningless?

I needed someone to shine a light through my fog, so this morning I had breakfast with my friend KW (who was the director of The Wizard of Oz and my musical, Five Children and It.) As she talked about collaboration and worship and God and all things dear to her heart, she couldn't hold back her tears. I just sat and listened. 

Hours later, I thought about her words, and it was then that my fog lifted. This is the vision I have now:

The shows I work on are like apples (or fill in with your favorite fruit here.) Most people will eat an apple, appreciate it, and enjoy it in the moment. They probably will not think about where the fruit came from, beyond the grocery store they bought it at. I, on the other hand, was there before the apple even started growing. I cared for the tree, saw the blossoms, and tended the apples as they grew. I worked alongside the Creator to ensure a sweet, beautiful crop. And in the end, when I enjoyed a bite of the apple, I could think back to the day I first saw the tiny apple growing on the tree. And I could be proud of the work I've done, even after the apple is gone.

So now I see that being an artist is an amazing blessing, not a curse. The world may not value it as such, but that's okay. I'm working with God to cultivate food for the soul!

Who Does She Look Like?

When I look at you

I don't see your sister

Nor your brother

Nor your father

Nor even me

When I look at you

I see the Designer

the Artist

the Architect

the Sculptor

the Engineer

the Knitter

the Scientist

the Musician

the Writer

the One who gifted me with this work of art

and allowed me to hold His masterpiece

this six pound eleven ounce masterpiece

in my arms

Advice to Young Artists

I started teaching classes for my local branch of Christian Youth Theater in 2021. I never saw myself as a natural with teenagers (in high school, I always preferred to be with the children or sit with the adults), but I found myself really loving my time with the teens. In each young artist, I saw glimpses of my younger self: unsure and awkward, but eager to walk through open doors, if someone would just believe in me.

So I found ways to give bits of life advice in the midst of teaching singing technique and harmonies. I wanted these teens to know what I wish I had known at their age–what I wish someone had told me as I was learning to write, draw, paint, sing, and play the piano.

And that's what this post is about. I've written about creativity in one book, and about teenagers in another, and now I'll combine both loves and share with all young artists out there bits of advice that, I hope, will help them in their journey. I've also asked my artist friends to contribute (including my personal artistic heroes Ben Hatke and Sara Groves!!!), so scroll down to read their words of advice!

1) It's okay to copy...

I learned to draw and paint horses from copying drawings and paintings of horses. Studying someone else's work taught me to see the shapes, shadows, and colors that would be difficult for me to see on a live, moving horse (besides that I was living in Queens, New York, at the time, where there were no horses.) Once I understood how a horse was structured, I was able to try drawing horses on my own. Even so, professional artists work with models and reference photos all the time. It is not a requirement that you can draw everything from your head to be a good artist. Dancers, actors, musicians, writers... start by studying and copying the artists you admire. Now read on...

2) ... but find your own style.

When I hear young singers, oftentimes they want to sound just like the recording of their favorite singer. But the goal is to be a good singer, not a good mimic! As an artist, there is a point where you have to leave the safety net of copying and come up with your own creative ideas. Take the dance moves you learned and choreograph your own dance. If you like Billy Collins's poems, that's great, but mimic his style in your own voice. Don't sing like Ariana Grande; sing like YOU!

3) Try new focuses within your craft. 

If you love drawing animals (like me), also work on drawing people or objects (that's what I'm doing now). If you dance ballet, try tap or jazz. If you play classical music, learn to improvise by reading a lead sheet and playing from chord charts. In other words, don't get stuck on one thing. Don't be like "I only do graffiti style art, that's my thing." It may not come as easily as you like (jazz is still difficult for me to play), but by taking chances and stretching your mind, you'll also stretch your skills and be a more well-rounded artist.

4) Don't think in terms of winning or losing.

One of the biggest mistakes young artists make is believing that if they don't get the lead, or the solo, or the first place ribbon, they are a failure. Every attempt is worth taking.

5) It takes time, both long term and short term.

Another mistake young artists often make is waiting around for inspiration to hit. Learn to make your art a daily practice. When I was working on my musical, I did a little every day, no matter what. And it still took me years to finish it! And I was able to write it only after years of studying and practicing piano, music theory, composition, choral music, and writing. When I was a teenager, I would have NEVER imagined that I would be writing a musical in thirty years. I just saw piano playing as either a hobby or a chore. I am thankful now that my parents told me to practice the piano for an hour everyday! As I matured, I gave myself assignments: set this poem to music; harmonize this melody; write a short story using a given prompt. The key is to keep practicing your craft. For example, if you draw, carry a small sketchbook with you and rather than look at your phone while waiting for something, sketch your hand, your shoes, or your surroundings. When I started this blog, I set a goal to write something every week; that's when my writing really took off! And...

A few months ago I got an idea to dress birds up in clothes.
I didn't know if it would work, but I started sketching.... 

6) Don't worry so much about the final product.

Every project doesn't need to be a big, impressive final product. There are plenty of songs I never finished writing. Many drafts of stories that stayed drafts in my notebook. Pages and pages of sketches that were failed attempts at capturing an idea in my mind. The key is to just start and see where it takes you. Don't be afraid of the blank page. Don't keep your sketchbooks shiny and pristine. Remember that you are on a journey of learning and practicing, and every step you take, whether big or small, is moving you along!

7) MOST IMPORTANTLY: Do NOT compare yourself with others.

This was my biggest downfall. I spent my high school years constantly comparing. "She sings louder and higher than me." "His photos are so much more creative than mine." Now I know that there are certain things that a person can change about him/herself through learning, and there are certain things that a person cannot change. For singers, your physical structure dictates somewhat how high or low or loud you can sing. Some people are naturally loud. I, on the other hand, am naturally quiet. With training, I've exercised my voice to be louder and stronger, but I can only reach a certain level of loudness before I start hurting myself. And I will never be able to sing the high notes my daughter can sing–she's a natural soprano, and I am not. Again, I've trained my voice to reach some of the higher notes, but I physically cannot even squeak out a high C. So why waste my time lamenting over what I cannot do?! Other things that I can't do well (or at all): dance, play sports, play the violin, whistle, juggle. And that's okay. Nowadays, we hear this message: You can be anything you want to be. The truth is, I will never be a Major League baseball player or a ballerina, no matter how hard I work at it. But I can focus on what I'm good at, develop the talents God has given me, and become the best writer/artist/musician I can be. And be grateful everyday that I get to do what I love! 

(AND WHATEVER YOU DO, STAY OFF OF SOCIAL MEDIA! DON'T WATCH VIDEOS OF THE FIVE-YEAR-OLD PRODIGY OR TWELVE-YEAR-OLD CELEBRITY AND COMPARE YOURSELF TO THEM!! DON'T DO IT!!!)

And now, some excellent advice from other artists...

Aaron Anderson
Photographer
andersonvisuals.com

What you are going to experience is more fun and beautiful than you can ever imagine, you will do things and see things that are inspiring in every way, most of which are once in a lifetime and few people will ever experience. It will also be one of the hardest things you've ever done, there will be moments where you question your own sanity, where nothing makes sense and it feels like everything is falling apart. You will have to hold on, and believe in what you're doing even when there is no logical explanation or evidence that you aren't a crazy person. In the end you need to make sure you enjoy every moment, don't get so caught up in what others are doing and what you don't have, and allow yourself to drink in the experiences that you've been given.

Joanna Crawshaw Miller
Painter/Visual Artist
joannacrawshaw.com

Never stop learning.

Don't be afraid to try something new.

Surround yourself with other creatives, including older creatives.

Go see shows, plays, concert, etc.

Keep your eyes open; inspiration comes from everywhere.

Camden Daly
Pianist/Accompanist/Conductor/Composer

Stay patient. You are going to learn so many things... things will come your way.

Jana Gehring
Painter/Visual Artist
leafbyjana.com

Don't be so afraid of looking different or slowing 'everyone' down that you ignore the desires you have to play with paint and pencil.

You'll almost never feel "ready" or that things are "finished". Frame them/finish them anyway, and learn what you can to keep going.

Spend as much time as you can playing and learning from your materials and techniques and methods. You'll never regret the time you spent learning to draw or paint something new, or learning a new medium. It's all building blocks you can use later.

You can do a lot more with 15 minutes a day, most of the time, than you can with 4 hour blocks once a week. Don't let "I only have a bit of time–it's not worth it" stop you.

Sara Groves
Singer/Songwriter/Recording Artist
saragroves.com

Don't edit yourself. You can't play the role of producer and songwriter in your head at the same time. There has to be a point in the process where you let it ALL out, unedited. You might edit later on, but you have to be in no-idea-is-a-bad-idea mode when you are creating.

Don't teach; bear witness. The songs that move me are just bearing witness to what is true about life. Even in a song that is written for advocacy–if I feel like my story telling is devolving into finger wagging, or a sales pitch, I back and rework.

Songwriting is not prose. It doesn't have to be linear or make sense in story-form. Sometimes a collection of words evoke emotion and create a setting better than any word-for-word description.

"God is the ocean and we keep writing about a cup of water." Producer Charlie Peacock told me this years ago, and it has stayed with me. The subjects for songs are everywhere, inexhaustible.

Ben Hatke
Author/Artist/Illustrator/Fire Eater
benhatke.com

Making art consists of two skills–the skill of *making* and the skill of *sharing*. How you combine those two skills is up to you. For instance you could use the Emily Dickinson Method, where you write poetry every day, very well, and put it all in drawers to be discovered after your death. You could also work like a performance artist, making art live and up close before your audience with every bit of your process on display.

When I was in college I enjoyed making a series of stores I called "Bathroom Comics." These were sheets of paper I would tack up to the wall in our dormitory bathroom and I would add a little bit to the story every time I was in there. My roommates loved it (I enjoyed hearing them laugh when they were using the facilities).

Both making and sharing have their challenges and can be scary. You have to make a habit of both (even if you are using the Emily Dickinson Method you have to form the habit of always putting the poem in the drawer).

I think you have to practice *every day*. As the painter Apelles (4th century BC) said: "never a day without a line." So keep those sketchbooks! Scribble those half-formed ideas. Learn every day and don't worry if your drawings are "perfect."

Genoa McDowell Sperske
Dancer/Choreographer/Director

Trust that you - as you are, as God made you - are enough. There will be people tearing you down as you learn your craft. Always take the opportunity to learn, but don’t let critiques lead you to change your spirit. You have something to offer the world. Find teachers who see that and guide you to develop the great things about you. Find the right balance between being strong in who you are and being teachable and open to self-development.

Find the space that is right for you. If you feel like your artistic community isn’t aligning with your personal convictions or isn’t emotionally healthy, find a new one. Or move into a different aspect of your art that supports you mentally, emotionally, spiritually. For example, if the competitive nature of auditioning as a performer feels like it’s weighing on you emotionally, try teaching for a little while. Take care of your soul to become a better artist. 

Remember that your worth doesn’t come from your art - what you produce, what role you land, etc. God gave you a special gift, but He would love you just the same without it. Your worth is in the fact that God made you and loves you. Try not to find your identity in your art. 

Humility and empathy go a long way in the arts. People and relationships are more important than the art you produce. Making art together is one of the most amazing feelings and you can’t have a positive experience making art with others without humility and empathy.

Bottom line - Stay true to yourself, be teachable, don’t find your worth and identity in your art, stay humble. 

Martha McDowell
Actor/Singer/Musician

Commit the gifts God has given them to Him and make Him an audience of One in both your preparations and performances. Work at your gift striving to please Him primarily. He will comfort you when you are disappointed in some aspect of your art whether it's not getting a role or making a mistake in a music recital. Because God has a plan for every aspect of your life you can trust Him to develop whatever area of art He has blessed you with. If you glorify God in your attitude and effort He will bless you. I know this from direct experience.

Alyssa Penman
Paper and Fiber Artist

It is enough to create what I do because it brings me joy. Comparison is the thief of joy and it is so true when you are one among so many talented artists. Also, it isn't foolish or crazy to want to make a living from creative pursuits. Maybe if I had pushed on when I was younger it would be easier to find my niche.

Heather Warren
Dancer/Choreographer/Actor/Singer

Trust your instincts and don't be afraid to try something new! Personally, my biggest regret in life was passing up a job with East Bay Parks as a Naturalist-in-training for what now seems like silly reasons. I'm trusting that God is using my decisions to place me exactly where I should be, but there were times I was afraid to jump into the new and unknown. Don't be afraid to try and fail!

A Musical is Born! -Part 17- The End?

The cast recordings are not yet done. We spent 2 days–nearly 8 hours–in the studio getting every cast member on the recording. Now it's time to edit, balance, fix, and maybe add some instruments (everything was sung to piano only.)

And I still need to update the script, librettos, and all scores to reflect the changes we made in perfecting the show. I want to have the new scripts, scores, and recordings ready for another theater group. I would love for Five Children and It to live on on other stages. And I would love to see the other versions of it!

As I reflect back on the whole process, I am still in awe. I feel like the show was handed to me... I opened my hand to receive it, and there it was. Not that I didn't spend hours at the piano searching for the perfect "magic" sound, or restless nights working out a stubborn lyric in my mind, but I feel like the pieces came together so effortlessly. I can't really tell you how it happened! God gave me a mind that can solve musical/theatrical puzzles! Where I was doubting myself months ago (constantly asking myself, "Is this good? Will people like it?") now I know that I have a good sense of balance, pacing, and musical lines. Something I didn't know about myself a year ago! (which goes to show that life doesn't stop when you have kids or when you turn 40! There are always opportunities to learn and try something new. I say, go through those doors, especially when God is inviting you to do so!)

And I am still in awe of the community that came around me. This musical was like my heart on my sleeve. There was a bit of me in every character. All the "Lessons Learned" were lessons I had learned in my life, and hope that my children will learn. That was what I wanted to give the world–beautiful, Godly life lessons presented in a format that made it easier to digest. "A spoonful of sugar," as Mary Poppins would sing. I really wanted the show to be more than just entertaining. And everyone, from my artistic team members to the actors to the parents who worked behind the scenes, saw that too, and treated the musical like my newborn baby. I cannot thank them enough.

So what's next, besides all the work I still have cut out for me? Well, I have the first drafts of a script and songs for a new musical. I'm a little nervous about this one, because it's very different from Five Children and It, but I'm also so excited about. So back to step one for me! Writing, rewriting, a read-through, rewriting again... and maybe in a year or two you'll hear about the birth of another musical!

A Musical is Born -Part 16- The Shows!

Opening night was two weeks ago, and I am just now starting to feel normal. Our five shows were just THAT amazing, THAT emotional, and THAT exhausting! After spending 5+ hours at the theater every day for tech week, then spending 5+ hours at the theater every day for shows (including a back-to-back show on Saturday), plus the hour-long round-trip drive every day, I was done. But if I could have kept going at that pace, I certainly would have. It was just THAT magical.

Our tech week went as smoothly as it could have. After moving into the theater on Saturday and doing a rehearsal on the stage for the first time, we started adding elements.

On Sunday, we did a cue-to-cue rehearsal. This means adding any lighting cues, sound effect cues, or cues for the backstage crew. We worked out how exactly we wanted the show to start– do actors enter in darkness and we turn on the lights as the music begins? Or do we start with the lights and music and have actors enter? We went with the latter. This rehearsal can mean a lot of stop-and-go for the actors, because it's the stage manager's and director's first chance to work on timing and problem-solving. A show involves a LOT more than just the people on the stage!!

On Monday, we added costumes. This was wonderful because our Psammead (Sand Fairy) really got a chance to get into character with his whiskers, round belly, and furry feet. All other actors felt like they were from the time period. It was also their chance to practice dancing and moving in skirts and high heels. And it was also the time to practice any change of costumes required! For Act 2, we needed almost everyone in a soldier outfit, which they needed to get out of immediately after the scene. Some of these "quick changes" were not quite quick enough on the first day; that's why we give ourselves a few days to fine tune everything that needs to happen backstage!

On Tuesday, we added makeup. We require our actors to put on their own makeup before they arrive at the theater. Those needing special help (like when we did Beauty and the Beast in the fall) get help from our theater moms. Also, special mustaches, wigs, eyebrows, etc. are added at the theater. And we use lots of hairspray!! Any flyaway hairs can create a halo effect around an actor's head.

And throughout the week, we kept perfecting the show. The sound tech and I tried different configurations for the band so that we would have the best blend in the house. KW (the director) reblocked a scene that looked crowded on the stage. I threw out an unnecessary line (at the end of Scene 1) and changed an ambiguous lyric. Anything that we were not completely happy with, we found a way to make it better. And I saw the actors do the same! They were trying new ways to move in character and new ways to say their lines. I watched as they became more and more their characters with every run-through!

Wednesday was our dress rehearsal. Everything was in place, except for two things: 1) an actor sprained her ankle earlier in tech week and was slowly recovering, but we weren't sure if she would need crutches on stage; 2) illness had been plaguing us (no pun intended) on and off this winter, and two actors were sick for the dress rehearsal. We had two actors fill in with scripts in hand, and we were still able to go through the whole rehearsal. Everyone prayed that we would have a fully-healthy cast for opening night.

I was surprising relaxed on opening night. At this point, my job was mostly done. All I had to do was warm up the singers, lead them in a worship song, then conduct the band. The rest was up to the performers. I was so confident in our actors that I didn't worry about them at all. And we had ALL healthy actors that night! I KNEW that the show was going to be splendid. And I also knew that in the world of live theater, if something does go wrong, you just recover quickly.

And opening night was FANTASTIC! A few tiny things might have not gone as rehearsed, but I didn't even notice them! When I was conducting, I felt the music carry me away. When I wasn’t, I sat back and enjoyed every moment of the story. The audience laughed and cried and clapped and cheered. Many of them were not familiar with the story of Five Children and It, and they simply fell in love with the Psammead. The second, third, and fourth shows were the same. Every night, everyone gave their all. By Sunday's matinee, we had a sold out show!

I am so proud of my actors, and also proud AND grateful for everyone behind the scenes who made this show possible: sound tech, makeup and hair, costumes, sets, band, publicity, the directors and stage managers and everyone backstage. Without everyone's help, Five Children and It would still simply be words on a page. This two-hour production took an entire village and months of preparation. 

And like I said, I would do it all again.

But my job is not done yet. I will revise the script and scores to reflect the changes we've made in the show since November. And this weekend, we are recording an ORIGINAL CAST RECORDING!!!

A Musical is Born! -Part 15- The Set

It's a busy week, so this will be my final post before OPENING NIGHT!

Last Saturday, we moved into the Village Theatre in the town of Danville. This theater is not very large; it has two small dressing rooms and almost no backstage. For our larger cast, we put actors (and costumes) in the dressing rooms and spill out into the hall. Large props that cannot fit backstage must sit on a covered porch right aside. The great thing about this small theater is that there is no bad seat in the house. Every audience member has a wonderful view of the stage.

And this is what they will be seeing:

The lower part of the stage in the front is the "apron". We added those platforms to extend the stage and give our actors more room to move. There are steps leading up to it. We also added a platform to the left for the sandpit, where the sand fairy will live. And you can see that there is no "pit" for the band, so we fit the five-piece band to the right of the stage.

As far as sets go, this is pretty simple. There are some doors and fences that come off and on, but not much else. We could have made it more elaborate (which would have been hard in such a small space, but not impossible), but KW wanted to do this show in a more "poor theater" style. "Poor theater" is when everything is stripped away except the stage, the actors, the audience, and the pure essentials. The audience must use their imagination more because there is no "Disney theater magic" happening. Even our scenes that involve magic will have no fog machine, no flashing lights, and no explosions. The audience will see everything that happens, and feel like they are a part of the magic!

So we are eagerly counting down the days. It has been refreshing to get to rehearse on the stage. The past two days (part of what we call Tech Week) were all about problem solving. 

"How do we actually get that bike on and off stage?" 

"What should the lights be doing at this moment?" 

"How do we time that sound effect so it matches the action on stage?"

"Why can't I hear that actor when he's onstage, but I can hear everything he's saying backstage?!" 

I'm just kidding about that last one, though we did have some issues with mics.

Tonight, we put mics AND costumes on the actors, which really makes the show come to life! But with costumes means timing costume changes and making sure everyone is wearing what they should be at the right time!

Tomorrow night, we add make-up, which is the final element.

Then on Wednesday, it's our dress rehearsal, when we run the show from start to finish as if it was the real deal.

This is it! We are on the last few miles of this marathon!!

A Musical is Born! -Part 14- The Happy Accident

We are on week 10 of rehearsals.

I don't have much to report today. We continue with run-throughs, fixing little things here and there. MZ (the choreographer) rehearsed parts of the dances that didn't look unified. I rehearsed all the ensemble songs and was as nit-picky as I could be about vowels, cut-offs, and breathing.

I can see that the cast felt tired today. At this point, we all feel comfortable enough with the show to relax a bit, but we are lacking the excitement of the first few weeks. Doing run-throughs over and over again helps us refine, but it also means a lot of sitting around for most of the actors–times of quiet concentration, followed by a need for a sudden burst of energy.

It's all wonderful training for these young actors. These are the practices and scrimmages that will help us win the championship. And I am certain that these actors WILL win the championship! With every run-through, I see them grow more confident and more clear about their characters. Their stamina is growing during these long rehearsals (the show will be about 2 hours long). And once we are in the theater and the stage (!), the adrenaline will flow through us and it will not be difficult to find our energy again. Everything will come together beautifully!

So what is this "happy accident", you want to know?

All throughout, I've been making changes here and there–adding music where music was needed, removing music where there was too much, changing a few lines to better match the action that is happening in the scene. For the most part, my job at the rehearsals is to just watch, play the piano at the right times, and take notes on what can be improved upon. At one rehearsal last week, one of the actors missed singing a snippet of a song, and the scene continued until she remembered to sing the song. This happened right when the sand fairy made his exit. The moment was so tender (it made me tear up), that I didn't even realize until later that this was different from what I had written. When this hit me, I grabbed a script, saw that it was indeed an easy change (the lines flowed effortlessly without the song there) and the scene was indeed much better by putting the song at the end! How happy I was that this mistake had been made during rehearsal!

So, you can see how this musical is a living, growing thing. And if you come and see the show, watch for this moment in Act 2, Scene 4!

As I mentioned earlier, we will soon be at the theater. Next Friday, we will hold a regular rehearsal. Then on Saturday, we load-in at the theater! This means the sets will get moved in (with the help of a rental truck), all costumes and props will need to find a home backstage, the band will set-up in the "pit", and for the first time, the actors get a real feel for what it's like to been the sage with the lights and limited space. We have less than two weeks until opening night! It's so exciting!

A Musical is Born! -Part 13- The Costumes

Three weeks to the show, and we are chipping away at our to-do list: band, choreography, blocking, costumes, props, sets.

The props are still being rounded up, but we did finish choreography for the finale today (yay!), the sets are done (though I haven't seen them yet), and I saw the actors in costume on Friday!

First, I have to give credit to our costume moms. CYT does not hire "professionals" to build or paint our sets or make our costumes. These are all done by our parent volunteers. Our parents spend endless hours lovingly working to bring the vision to life–and they always do an amazing job! When I first started with CYT, I was put on the costume committee, so I have a special place in my heart for these moms who are at our rehearsals hemming, sewing, fixing, and fitting to make sure ALL our actors look perfect on stage.

Because Five Children and It takes place in 1907 in England, we have racks of long skirts and blouses for the women, shirt dresses and pinafores for the girls, knickers for the boys, and slacks, shirts, and vests for the men. Boxes hold bowlers, newsboy caps and floral hats. Brown and black leather shoes and boots line the walls, each labeled with masking tape on the inside of the shoe.

What is unique about the clothes for this show is the color–or the lack of colors. KW wanted the color palette to be like that of the ocean and beach; everything is in shades of brown, gray, blue, or green. Why? Because (and this is brilliant!), when the "magic" happens on stage, jeweled tones will appear on stage and brighten up the scene (which makes this idea brilliant both literally and figuratively!) The actors will then come out wearing a brightly colored hat, or sash, or tie, or skirt. This gives the audience a visual that something is different in the town, though the actors themselves look the same.

Now normally, we would do something called a "costume parade." All actors get into costume and "parade" in front of the director and costume director in small groups. This way, the directors can see not only how individual costumes fit, but also if they go well with other costumes in the show. A family should look like they go together. People of a certain working group or class should look similar. Then the directors make notes and give the costumers time to shorten, lengthen, or change any items.

For this show, we didn't have time to do a proper "costume parade," so we did a virtual one. Actors were photographed both by themselves and in groups for the director to review later. 

This weekend, we also added a new element to our rehearsals, what we call "rehearsal clothes." This means that girls need to bring (or wear) a skirt to rehearsal, boys need slacks rather than shorts or jeans. Actors should also wear shoes similar to their characters' shoes. This is so that the actors get used to moving in clothes similar to what they will be wearing on stage. 

You might have noticed that I did not mention one particular costume at all. The Psammead's costume was not ready, because it is being hand-made (one can't just go and buy a Psammead outfit on Amazon!) I saw the beginnings of it, and it was delightful. But I want it to be a surprise, so that is all I am going to say about that...

A Musical is Born! -Part 12- The Band

Today, I will introduce the band! Since I'm not mentioning names, I'll just talk a little about the band members:

-the drummer is my oldest son! This is the fifth show that he has drummed for CYT! In many ways, this show is not the most exciting for a drummer, so I told him he can elaborate sometimes. He helps out on the tambourine and triangle when the percussionist is already playing something else. I'm very proud to be doing a show with him!

-the percussionist is the oldest son of a fellow CYT teacher. He is a high schooler, but he has experience playing in orchestras. This will be his first time performing in a "band" on a midi keyboard. (so instead of playing on a real marimba, he's playing on a piano keyboard.)

-the violinist is also a high schooler. She has already played with CYT twice and is loving it.

-the pianist is a friend of mine and a fellow piano teacher. I'm so glad she agreed to play, despite her busy teaching schedule! This is a first for her!

-the bassist is a professional who plays for musicals all over the Bay Area. He played for CYT back when we performed The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Godspell. I reached out to him on a whim, and he happened to be free the weekend of the show!  He is in the middle of playing for Assassins right now, and will join us as soon as that show closes.

And that's the band! 

So far, we've had three weekend rehearsals, and today was our sitzprobe.

You're probably wondering, "What a weird word! What on earth is a sitzprobe?!"

The word 'sitzprobe' comes from the German for 'sitting rehearsal'. Plainly put, it is when the cast and band meet for the first time. The singers and dancers get to hear what the music will really sound like, and the band gets to hear what will be happening on stage. For us, it is the only time the actors will see the band until we are in the theater.

I've only been to a few sitzprobes, and always it had been: band is set up to play, singers come up to a mic or on stage, sing the song, sit down. But I asked another vocal director what the "rules of a sitzprobe" were, and he said that there were none! Some groups like to go through the show in order, some don't. Some will dance, and some won't. I can do whatever is most beneficial on that day!

So this is what we did:

1) Did a regular rehearsal from 8:30-12 with the entire cast and just me on the piano. We breaked for an hour lunch.

2) Cleared the room of tables and chairs. Determined the approximate size of the stage, and which way the audience would be. Then I set up the band as it would be at the theater, on stage left. (Which means if you are standing on stage looking our at the seats, the band is on the left.)

3) At 1pm, I warmed up the cast. Then we started with the overture, which didn't have singing, but had movement. The actors danced through the overture.

4) Then we went through the show in order, skipping only the music that didn't involve moment, lines, or singing (mostly the scene change music.) On the big dance numbers, we went ahead and danced and sang. On the smaller solos and duets, the singers stood by me and just sang. We also rehearsed one short scene that involved multiple wishes happening (which always has accompanying music) so the band can get a feel for how everything will click together.

5) At the end, the band played the 'bows' music for the cast. We finished around 2:45.

There were only a few times when we needed to go back and rehearse a part of the song again! We still have some things to fix, but part of it was my getting used to being the conductor, not the pianist. This is a first for me! 

It has been a very full day. I have some work to do... possibly a little bit more music to write, but maybe that can wait until tomorrow...

A Musical is Born! -Part 11- The Struggle-Through

I met with 4/5 of the band today and so I was all prepared to write about them, but I will need to write about them next week, because today I had an unexpected surprise!

An "unexpected surprise"? Isn't that redundant, you ask?

That was how BIG of a surprise it was!

This morning, I had my printed schedule for rehearsal and I was all set for working with small groups. Then at 9:30am, KW (the director) said, "Let's do this. Let's do a run-through."

She saw the look on my face and immediately asked, "You don't think they're ready?"

I was thinking of all the songs that the actors needed to review, but I myself was eager to start seeing the pieces of this show put together.

So we did it.

We did what we call a "struggle-through," because a first run-through is always more of a struggle than a smooth, problem-free run.

And yes, our struggle-through was far from perfect, but it was also hardly a struggle. It had so many wonderful moments! There were songs that sounded great, scenes that were touching, dances that made us smile. The most difficult part for everyone were the transitions, because actors needed to figure out where they needed to be for the next scene and how to get there. We stopped many times to fix small things, and just to laugh at our mistakes, because we were all "struggling" together.

By the end of our rehearsal time, we had made it through the WHOLE show. For the first time! This was a big feat!! All the work we have done in the last six weeks finally looks like a SHOW! I am so impressed with all the memorization of lines and dances the actors have done. I found myself sucked into the story and having to remind myself to play the piano. And I admit, I teared up a couple of times. I may be a fountain on opening night!

I left rehearsal walking on air and excited for next week's step... refining!

A Musical is Born! -Part 10- The Playbill

"Playbill" is the fancy word for a poster for a show. Basically, when you walk by the movie theater and see the posters for the movies featured at that theater, you are looking at playbills. They give you information about the actors, writers, times and dates. Some playbills are iconic; when we think of Gone with the Wind, we instantly see in our minds' eye Clark Gable with Vivien Leigh in his arms, in front of a background of flames. Playbills give information about the show, but also set the tone for what to expect. Will this show be funny? Serious? Light-hearted? Dark? Is it a western? A mystery? A romance? A tragedy?

Usually, for a community theater group, not much goes into designing the playbills for our shows. The theater company provides us with the images, sometimes even telling us what colors are allowed on the poster, and tell us what text we are required to use and how big the names need to be. But now... 

we have a show that has NO images, NO requirements, NO playbill whatsoever! We are the designers of the very first Five Children and It musical playbill ever!

My husband, being a graphic designer once-upon-a-time, took the reigns on this. We knew we wanted color, magic, fanciful things. We also knew that many people were not familiar with the original story; it is considered a classic, but it is old and British and so not very well-known. So my husband chose images to represent elements in the story: the country cottage, the sandpit, the various wishes. And the only hint of the mysterious sand-fairy is the "V" in the logo. We also needed to put the time and place and ticket info (of course), but more information about the origin of this new show. Hence, the words "based on the novel by" and "a new musical by." His final poster is eye-catching and fun! And next weekend, our CYT actors will put these posters up all over our valley's downtowns!

A Musical is Born! -Part 9- The Overture

I didn't write an overture for my musical. In my mind, the curtain opens to reveal actors posed like an oil painting, and when the first note is played by the piano, the actors magically come alive.

But the theater we are in doesn't have a curtain. And KW, the director, wanted a different way to (literally) set the scene... by introducing the audience to the townspeople first.

And so, she asked me to write an overture, to which I happily obliged.

For those of you not familiar with the term, an overture is the piece of music that happens before the actual story begins. Oftentimes, there is no action on stage; the overture is the time for the orchestra to shine. The lights in the theater dim, the overture begins, and the audience knows that it's time to quiet down and settle in for the show. An overture usually introduces the audience to themes from each song, while giving its listeners an idea of what the overall tone of the show will be. When musicals moved from theaters to movie theaters, the overture was kept and sometimes used as background for the beginning credits. But some time after the 1960s, overtures in musicals became old-fashioned.

I grew up watching musicals with overtures and without. Most often, if I was watching a movie with an overture, I would just fast-forward through it to get to the action. At my young age, I didn't appreciate the composer's masterful way of weaving the different themes together into one piece. Then I discovered Into the Woods, where the story starts immediately with the actors on stage. And this became the basis for the beginning of Five Children and It.

But... like I said before, this musical is only half-done. It is still in the process of finding itself, and adding an overture is not difficult. I just needed to find the right tone and decide how to work in the themes.

It helped that KW already had in mind what she would like to see: different groups of townspeople coming on stage at different times, each in character and portraying an aspect of town life. She didn't need it to be long, so I knew right away that I didn't need (or want) to write an overture that was 5 to 10 minutes long. I just needed to find the right tone, something that is light and bouncy like the first song, but not exactly the same. I decided on the instrumental background to "Hilary St. Maur Devereux Albert William," a song from the second act. I tried playing snippets of other songs on top of that background, and it worked! A recognizable 4-measure bit of one song here, followed by another 4-measure bit there. Then I alternated the melodies between the glockenspiel and violin, so that a whimsical, staccato phrase was followed by a more serious, legato phrase. This was the perfect background for the different personalities on stage.

The final step was crafting a beginning and an ending. I could start the song immediately with the "Hilary" sound, but I wanted something quieter, as a way to ease the audience into this magical world. Since I hadn't used any of the slower songs in the overture, I picked the sweet ending of "Castle Siege" to start everything off. Then for the end, I took the chorus of the first song, "Fairy Palace", changed the melody a bit, then repeated it, with the melody in cut-time to create a ritardando (slow down) effect. The final overture is a little over a minute long; I was happy with the end result.

I was glad to hear that KW was happy with it too! She immediately blocked the opening, and I was able to see it today! I loved how the "children" scamper onstage during the lighter melodies, then while they are acting, the "adults" come on and open their shop, etc. I'm excited to now announce that the show has an overture, and that we now have an opening scene!

Addendum: At one point in the rehearsal, a singer asked if they were to sing the beginning of a phrase that was meant to be interrupted by the soloists. Originally, I had only the soloists sing the phrase, but the question made me think. I didn't favor one way or the other, so I asked the ensemble what they thought. I just think it's so fun having the cast be directly involved in the creative process, even if it's for one musical phrase. Also, an actor asked if we will be doing an "original cast" recording. If we could pull that off, it would be an AMAZING opportunity!!