Carol de Giere -- who wrote Stephen Schwartz' biography -- and who runs a mean website at MusicalWriters.com, put on the first MusicalWriters.com Swapfest Saturday in NYC. I'm expecting big things to flow from this, and I hope anyone who can get to future similar get-togethers will do so.
(* Photo: Carol de Giere introducing Schindler the Musical with your humble correspondent in the front row. Photo: Martin Weinberg)
Five musical theater writers or writing teams presented a few songs each from works in progress. I served on a panel with Carol and Noel Katz, who was outstanding, and we experienced these works and offered critique and encouragement. One group came all the way from Leeds, England, to present four songs from their new workSchindler the Musical, based on the life of Oskar Schindler in World War II. There was an urban-vibe musical The Devil Ain't Gonna Win, tackling the effects of addiction on a family and looking at the effects of addiction on the wider African-American community through the lens of a God vs. Satan battle. Songwriters Jan and Mike Graves presented songs from Carmelita, a musical based on a portrait of a Spanish woman (they found it at a garage sale, Jan said, "I thought it was like Elvis on Velvet,") but it has gone on to profoundly affect their group of friends. Martin Weinberg played songs from Keaka!, a musical based on a children's book written by his next door neighbor about a drum-obsessed Hawaiian boy. And Dina Brumn walked us through the plot and a couple of songs from All That Matters, which follows the love story of a young artist who can't quite believe she's worthy of love.
What excited me--in addition to the chance to talk musical theater writing with a group of people who are passionate about it--was how each of these songs came from such unexpected sources. A next door neighbor. Personal experience with addiction in a family. An historic figure. Garage sale art. Inspiration is everywhere . . . and so are inspiring, aspiring musical theater writers!
Another one of these is planned for this summer around the time of the New York Musical Festival. Hope to see you there.
OK. That's it, and that's enough.
(* Photo: Carol de Giere introducing Schindler the Musical with your humble correspondent in the front row. Photo: Martin Weinberg)
Five musical theater writers or writing teams presented a few songs each from works in progress. I served on a panel with Carol and Noel Katz, who was outstanding, and we experienced these works and offered critique and encouragement. One group came all the way from Leeds, England, to present four songs from their new workSchindler the Musical, based on the life of Oskar Schindler in World War II. There was an urban-vibe musical The Devil Ain't Gonna Win, tackling the effects of addiction on a family and looking at the effects of addiction on the wider African-American community through the lens of a God vs. Satan battle. Songwriters Jan and Mike Graves presented songs from Carmelita, a musical based on a portrait of a Spanish woman (they found it at a garage sale, Jan said, "I thought it was like Elvis on Velvet,") but it has gone on to profoundly affect their group of friends. Martin Weinberg played songs from Keaka!, a musical based on a children's book written by his next door neighbor about a drum-obsessed Hawaiian boy. And Dina Brumn walked us through the plot and a couple of songs from All That Matters, which follows the love story of a young artist who can't quite believe she's worthy of love.
What excited me--in addition to the chance to talk musical theater writing with a group of people who are passionate about it--was how each of these songs came from such unexpected sources. A next door neighbor. Personal experience with addiction in a family. An historic figure. Garage sale art. Inspiration is everywhere . . . and so are inspiring, aspiring musical theater writers!
Another one of these is planned for this summer around the time of the New York Musical Festival. Hope to see you there.
OK. That's it, and that's enough.
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