So, in finding ways for the stories to combine, and unite; I had a phenomenally brilliant idea. It's a clever plot twist that would have blown everyone away, and would have ruined the show.
SPOILERS!
I mentioned in the previous post that Emily is struggling with her sexual identity because of the conflict between her dedication to her father, and her personal feelings. She watches video clips from her father where he talks about her "finding a nice boy," and other such stereotypical assumptions about what girls should be. The audience will assume that they're Skyping, but it is later revealed that they are video diary clips that he made before he passed away. These really create the conflict. Finally, the last clip will drive home his final message to her: Above all, be true to yourself. He'll do this by telling her a story of when he was younger, in a dead end job that he did only for the money. He quit to pursue his dream, and although there was some struggle, it was more rewarding, and the hard work to overcome it was worth it.
It then occurred to me that this was basically the Brian/Lena story line. So, I thought... what if Emily's father IS Brian? The Brian/Lena storyline would be a flashback, and Emily's story takes place 18 years later. Mind. Blown. Not only that it's a clever twist, but I love it when shows come together like that. These disparate stories shouldn't mix so easily, and when they do, it's like it was meant to be.
There IS a problem, though. If Emily's story takes place in present day, then Brian's takes place 18 years ago. Brian and Lena have a newborn child, their first, which motivates him to work in order to support them. I would like to have technology throughout the show, and impacting on the plot whenever possible; and the teleconferences that open the show and that will happen throughout would not have happened in 1996.. Alternatively, if Brian's story takes place in present day, then Emily's story, and indeed the rest of the show, takes place 18 years from now. This raises all kinds of questions such as: Will coming out be easier in the future? (I hope so) Also, what does this do to the technology featured in the other story lines?
So, I figure that we should keep all story lines in 2014, and Jerry's message to Emily will be told in a song. I have been toying with the idea of Brian taking more and more demeaning jobs throughout the show just to make ends meet. By the end of the piece, he's working at a coffee shop where this final scene takes place. Emily and Christine are meeting there so that Emily can apologize for her previous behavior. To explain her actions, she shows Christine the videos. (This is where the audience finally finds this out.) And she plays her the final video. On a video screen, we see the performance of the song. Brian, bussing tables, happens to pass by, and eavesdrops, hearing Jerry's message. This inspires him to quit this job, and follow his bliss, which is taking care of his family.
Tuesday, June 24, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
Welcome to the New Blog.
On this weblog I'll be chronicling the creation of a new musical.
In 2011, my friends Sean and Christine made 52 short films in a year. One of them was going to be a musical, and I was asked to write a song for it. The result was "Love is...." and you can read the story of its creation here. The response was amazing, and the most common response was that it sounded like the opening number of a bigger musical. People wanted to know what happened next in the stories of the 5 couples.
In 2013, I teamed up with the folks at the New Musicals Project at the Patchogue Theatre. They asked if I had any shows to consider. I offered them my holiday show, "The Legend of Saint Nicholas," and an idea for a new show tentatively titled, "Good To See You." This year, I'm going to write it.
I started speculating on the rest of everyone's stories, and came up with some very predictable storylines. Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, etc. They have a date, they fight, they make up, they're happy. It's evolving into a more complex and more relevant plot.
As I write, my goal is:
A) to make the stories interesting and relevant,
B) to make the show more than 5 separate stories. I want the characters to interact with each other throughout the show,
and C) The overall theme of the show will nor deal with our ideas of traditional gender roles. I was inspired by the recent "#YesAllWomen" movement in response to violence.
I have a few rough sketches at this point, and concepts for new songs, but no real material written out. Some stories are more fledged out than others. Here's the deal so far: (I'm using actor names, until I come up with new character names.)
Brian and Lena: Brian has been working towards a promotion, which he will be passed over for. He quits in anger, and then must search for a new job. He is troubled by his inability to provide for his family. In the end, he finally admits to his wife that he's unemployed, when she tells him that she's been offered a job. He ends up being a stay at home dad while his wife works.
Joe and Kim: Joe comes out to Long Island, and things are awkward between he and Kim. Somehow, they will both make a big change in their life for each other to make their relationship work. (I'm leaving this flexible until I see what the other stories become.)
Jerry and Emily: HERE'S the biggest change.... and a major plot twist, so, SPOILER ALERT.
Throughout the show, she will be appearing to chat via Skype with her father. Her father will be constantly referencing how she's "his girl" and how she should "find a husband." She'll respond verbally, but the thing is... it will later be revealed, that Jerry is dead. What Emily has been watching was old videos that he made for her. She has been trying to come to terms with her sexuality, and the big conflict has been her father's old fashioned ideas which have been instilled in her. She's been watching the videos to help her gather the strength to finally be honest about her feelings, and come out. Thus, this storyline connects with...
Emily and Christine: They obviously have some difficulty because as much as Emily likes Christine, and wants to try "this lesbian thing," she's very uncomfortable with the lifestyle. Christine has been out and is a part of the community. Her behavior and brazenness makes Emily all the more uncomfortable.
Tiff and Dan (And Rob): Dan has been in love with Tiff, but she rejected him when he told her. They agreed to be friends. Tiff is dating Rob, and reveals that she's thinking about sleeping with him; against her own personal feelings about pre-marital sex. Rob reveals to Dan that he's been grooming Tiff for this, and once he gets his way, plans to move on. When Dan tells Tiff about this, she assumes that he's trying to sabotage them because he still has feelings for her. When Rob makes his move, and Tiff says no, Rob gets enraged and violent. Dan steps in, after Tiff takes care of the situation herself. She yells at Dan that he was wrong to feel that it's his duty to protect her. After they cool down, she apologizes, and Dan tells her that he did what he did not for love, but out of genuine concern for his best friend.
It's been my dream that this show would come together online. The concept of the original movie is that it would involve web chatting. I'd like to almost crowdsource the writing of this musical. So, feel free to comment with your thoughts on these topics. I'll write more, when I figure it out.
In 2011, my friends Sean and Christine made 52 short films in a year. One of them was going to be a musical, and I was asked to write a song for it. The result was "Love is...." and you can read the story of its creation here. The response was amazing, and the most common response was that it sounded like the opening number of a bigger musical. People wanted to know what happened next in the stories of the 5 couples.
In 2013, I teamed up with the folks at the New Musicals Project at the Patchogue Theatre. They asked if I had any shows to consider. I offered them my holiday show, "The Legend of Saint Nicholas," and an idea for a new show tentatively titled, "Good To See You." This year, I'm going to write it.
I started speculating on the rest of everyone's stories, and came up with some very predictable storylines. Boy meets Girl, Boy loses Girl, etc. They have a date, they fight, they make up, they're happy. It's evolving into a more complex and more relevant plot.
As I write, my goal is:
A) to make the stories interesting and relevant,
B) to make the show more than 5 separate stories. I want the characters to interact with each other throughout the show,
and C) The overall theme of the show will nor deal with our ideas of traditional gender roles. I was inspired by the recent "#YesAllWomen" movement in response to violence.
I have a few rough sketches at this point, and concepts for new songs, but no real material written out. Some stories are more fledged out than others. Here's the deal so far: (I'm using actor names, until I come up with new character names.)
Brian and Lena: Brian has been working towards a promotion, which he will be passed over for. He quits in anger, and then must search for a new job. He is troubled by his inability to provide for his family. In the end, he finally admits to his wife that he's unemployed, when she tells him that she's been offered a job. He ends up being a stay at home dad while his wife works.
Joe and Kim: Joe comes out to Long Island, and things are awkward between he and Kim. Somehow, they will both make a big change in their life for each other to make their relationship work. (I'm leaving this flexible until I see what the other stories become.)
Jerry and Emily: HERE'S the biggest change.... and a major plot twist, so, SPOILER ALERT.
Throughout the show, she will be appearing to chat via Skype with her father. Her father will be constantly referencing how she's "his girl" and how she should "find a husband." She'll respond verbally, but the thing is... it will later be revealed, that Jerry is dead. What Emily has been watching was old videos that he made for her. She has been trying to come to terms with her sexuality, and the big conflict has been her father's old fashioned ideas which have been instilled in her. She's been watching the videos to help her gather the strength to finally be honest about her feelings, and come out. Thus, this storyline connects with...
Emily and Christine: They obviously have some difficulty because as much as Emily likes Christine, and wants to try "this lesbian thing," she's very uncomfortable with the lifestyle. Christine has been out and is a part of the community. Her behavior and brazenness makes Emily all the more uncomfortable.
Tiff and Dan (And Rob): Dan has been in love with Tiff, but she rejected him when he told her. They agreed to be friends. Tiff is dating Rob, and reveals that she's thinking about sleeping with him; against her own personal feelings about pre-marital sex. Rob reveals to Dan that he's been grooming Tiff for this, and once he gets his way, plans to move on. When Dan tells Tiff about this, she assumes that he's trying to sabotage them because he still has feelings for her. When Rob makes his move, and Tiff says no, Rob gets enraged and violent. Dan steps in, after Tiff takes care of the situation herself. She yells at Dan that he was wrong to feel that it's his duty to protect her. After they cool down, she apologizes, and Dan tells her that he did what he did not for love, but out of genuine concern for his best friend.
It's been my dream that this show would come together online. The concept of the original movie is that it would involve web chatting. I'd like to almost crowdsource the writing of this musical. So, feel free to comment with your thoughts on these topics. I'll write more, when I figure it out.
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