Fun Home - September 29 - October 08, 2023
Interior Independent Theatre
Music Director's Notes
The opportunity to music direct a show that is so brutally Queer had not initially been something that interested me. I wasn’t familiar with the show when Gwen first approached me about joining the creative team and I reflexively balked after reading a short synopsis. Bipolar Disorder and Lesbians who draw weren’t exactly things I’d imagined singing about. I listened and read through the show and decided I would at least join the band. A month or so later I found myself as the music director, leading auditions where a dream cast turned out. With the most-discussed problem being how to disguise a growth spurt, we are extremely fortunate to have such a powerhouse group on stage.
The music contains a beautifully created through line of visceral highs and lows of emotion. General themes of conflict and resolution are in stories everywhere but the choices and themes you will hear extend the experience beyond our seats - as they should well do. Musicians’ classic practice techniques and warm-up patterns are sprinkled throughout the show, literally underscoring the process of learning and relearning resolution taking place on the stage.
As a predominantly - by a wide margin - Queer cast and creative team, we each have moments within the show that mirror our own memories and life experiences. We have all been able to sit down on multiple occasions as a group and discuss the specific experiences we have that mirror different characters and how we can incorporate these into our performances.
One of the best experiences about shows with a small cast is the concentrated energy produced throughout the production process. In terms of emotional development, we’ve each had our rehearsals where we discovered both how difficult and how rewarding it is to sing and play through ugly-crying as our own stories are being drawn out on the stage.
It has been an immensely healing production; family that matters is very difficult to come by and I’m grateful to be able to present to you this family we have each found.
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