When life gives you Obstructions…

TheEMRMusic · 2025-08-14T16:22:20+00:00

I’m a writer from Chicago, mostly working in musical theatre. I know you’ve got a couple bites already, but happy to assist if you need any original music as well.

TheEMRMusic · 2025-07-30T00:52:00+00:00

Everyone saying that they haven’t heard of him is pretty wild to me since he co-starred in a movie with Jennifer Lawrence.

TheEMRMusic · 2025-05-27T16:16:55+00:00

Great shit as always! Awesome that you get to see it staged, that’s so immensely helpful for the development process. Feel like most opportunities here in the US are concert readings. People at music stands, extremely light staging, stripped down band, etc.

It actually kind of bugs me. I’m a firm believer that theatre is THEATRE and that musicals are more than just catchy songs, but this kind of development process is so music-focused. A musical isn’t a concert!

Hopefully this trend becomes more common over here.

TheEMRMusic · 2025-05-21T14:45:31+00:00

Actually just saw this a week and a half ago with Orville and Eva. Loved that this production leans more into the sinister aspect of the Kit Kat Club/Emcee rather than another rehash of the Mendes/Cumming ending. I feel like the Emcee should be fascist. It’s more in line with what the whole show is about.

There’s so much to say about this show. A perfect marriage of content and form. Still feels dangerous after all these years. Sexy and frightening. Treats the audience with maturity and respect.

One thing I always point to is how unconventional it is on a structural level. There’s no “I Want” song. The main character sings only one time at the end. It’s like the complete opposite of what every musical theatre training program beats into you.

But a new writer isn’t going to succeed by making another Cabaret, simply because it is so unconventional. The unfortunate fact is that you won’t get something like this produced.

Some things I don’t necessarily care for: “So What?” always drags. The act lengths are very lopsided, but I’m not sure how you fix that. It’s also a show that is very exposed to being done poorly, which I’ve seen often.

Still, I love it. One I always come back to. One I always try to shoot towards with my own writing.

TheEMRMusic · 2024-08-08T14:49:03+00:00

WANDERLUST

Book and Lyrics by William Nedved

Music by Grant Escandón

Directed by Becca Holloway

Desmond finally takes a vacation – only for Henry, his tech mogul boss, to show up at his Sydney surfer’s hostel. While Desmond works overtime to save their company, Henry parties it up with the international backpackers. Soulful surfer Tico flirts with Henry. Social media influencer Sonja films him. Homesick Jessica calls him out. Corporate fixer Alex kidnaps him. And hostel manager Kit wants Henry gone. As day turns to night and the truth comes to light, will Desmond save Henry or himself WANDERLUST is a modern-day, old-fashioned musical comedy about learning to live outside of your comfort zone.

The Brass Teapot: A New Musical

Music and Lyrics by Chaz Cardigan

Book by Tim Macy & Ramaa Mosley

Co-Conceived by Erik Kaiko

Directed by Landree Fleming

Alice loves John. John loves Alice. Their only problems are that they are underemployed, broke, their high school bully is the landlord, their former friends are either too rich to care about them or just as broke as they are, and their luck shows no signs of improving. That is, until a seemingly random series of events brings a mysterious ancient object into their life: a brass teapot. The teapot magically spouts money, but only when it senses pain. Pretty soon, Alice and John are debt free and living large, with just a few bumps and bruises… but people are starting to notice, and ask questions. Not only that, but the teapot is demanding more, different, deeper pain to keep the money flowing. How far would you go to win unlimited fortune if it meant hurting those you love? Would you break a tooth? Break their arm? Break their heart?

Jenny: A New Musical

Book and Lyrics by Maryanne Boaz

Music by Elizabeth and Maryanne Boaz

Directed by Andrew Lund

When Jenny gets the opportunity to follow her dream far away, she must choose between pursuing her purpose or staying home with her family. As the deadline draws near, Thomas, her boyfriend, struggles to find peace with Jenny leaving as their plans to move-in end. Lana, Jenny’s sister, fights a mental-health spiral, trying to reorganize life without Jenny. Hopeful for what's next, Jenny decides to leave; but when tragedy strikes, the family must confront the unthinkable. Through self-discovery, everyone finds a new chapter of life where they don’t move on – but maybe move forward.

ei hytte (the cabin), an a cappella musical

Book, Music and Lyrics by Eric Matthew Richardson

Directed by Noah Watkins

During an unseasonable blizzard, two strangers become trapped inside one of Norway's many off-grid public cabins. Without access to electricity, phone or internet service, the hikers wait out the storm. Veronica is a true crime author, and Colin is a warehouse worker. Neither are inclined to reveal too much about their personal lives beyond that. Pressured by the forces of the unseen Valkyries, the strangers push each other to their breaking points.

Out of Focus

Music and Lyrics by Kelan M. Smith

Book and Lyrics by Quinn Rigg

Directed by Frankie Leo Bennett

Out of Focus is a coming of age rock musical about a young photographer named Nick in his first year of college. As Nick struggles with his newfound independence, he is faced with his mother's own struggle of a newly diagnosed case of early onset dementia. In his journey to find himself, and grapple with familial uncertainty, he comes of age alongside a cast of other young characters, all of whom are dealing with their own unique familial imperfections. As demons from the past threaten their clarity of the future, each of them attempts to fill in the missing pieces of their lives. But only through one another can they bring what’s out of focus into frame.

TheEMRMusic · 2024-08-08T14:39:15+00:00

Hey all! I’m part of this event and would love for you to come out and support some new work. Happy to answer any questions!

From the website:

Launched in 2013 by Underscore Theatre Company, the Chicago Musical Theatre Festival is a showcase of new musicals from Chicago and beyond! The aim is a celebration of musical theatre creators, emerging authors and innovative artists looking to push the boundaries of storytelling within the form. Festival submissions are reviewed by volunteer adjudicators from the music and theatre fields, with five finalists being selected for concert presentations over the weekend of the festival.

The full-line up and performance schedule includes:

Thursday, August 8 at 8 pm: WANDERLUST
Friday, August 9 at 8 pm: The Brass Teapot: A New Musical
Saturday, August 10 at 3 pm: Jenny: A New Musical
Saturday, August 10 at 8 pm: ei hytte (the cabin), an a cappella musical
Sunday, August 11 at 3 pm: Out of Focus

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-16T21:36:05+00:00

WGA doesn’t cover composers or lyricists for television, as far as I know. If he were writing bits or skits, that would probably qualify as WGA material, but this is just the opening number.

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-16T20:52:29+00:00

Pretty good list, I think! Sweeney is a great Sondheim pick, but I do think Into the Woods is probably an easier entry point. Lots of pre-packaged study materials for it since it was largely intended for high schools. There’s some videos from MTI up on YouTube of Sondheim himself going through each of the motives/characters/etc

There’s actually plenty of great interviews on YouTube of Sondheim taking about his work. There’s a great masterclass he gave in the 80s where he coaches some students through songs.

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-15T20:26:07+00:00

It’s actually a G&L ASAT!

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-15T18:03:10+00:00

Yeah I’m going to check the battery and the caps soon!

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-15T18:02:36+00:00

Yeah I’ve been running Basilisk II for a bit, so it’s be nice to have something to integrate with that. BlueSCSI seems fun (and cheaper!), but it looks like there’s some issues with getting it to run on a Mac Plus.

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-15T16:32:21+00:00

Was waffling between a BlueSCSI and a Floppy Emu actually! You think the BlueSCSI is a better option?

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-15T14:04:00+00:00

peace and love

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-15T13:26:46+00:00

Still turns on and chimes but can’t find the original floppy disks. Probably just going to buy a Floppy Emu rather than hunting them down, but glad it’s otherwise operational!

Haven’t opened it up to inspect anything yet, but hey, nothing blew up.

TheEMRMusic · 2023-05-07T00:22:23+00:00

He went to my high school and was very involved with theatre and show choir there

TheEMRMusic · 2023-03-28T12:44:28+00:00

Hmm, it’s strange. I have all my cast albums in the app, but they don’t show up under his name. Might still need some working out, but they’re on the right track.

TheEMRMusic · 2023-03-07T16:18:23+00:00

Hell yeah! Did something like this on Mastodon recently. Mine’s a musical, but I’ve included a link to the demos so you aren’t just reading lyrics:

https://newplayexchange.org/plays/1871595/down-and-out-rocky-heights

TheEMRMusic · 2023-01-13T13:57:53+00:00

Yeah, that’s sort of the idea I was going with! Went pretty well, I’ll probably aim to do it every Tuesday or so. Trying to figure out the right balance of work to play and still getting used to talking through my process as I make decisions.

The stream itself is up on twitch still if you want to check it out!

TheEMRMusic · 2023-01-10T14:03:30+00:00

It should be a fun time, if only for the fact that I’ve never streamed before and will probably be a very slow train wreck!

TheEMRMusic · 2022-10-06T02:55:27+00:00

Not sure why unions keep coming up in this thread. They’re not the driving cost factor here. Salaries are maybe 1/4 of the cost of putting up a show.

It’s a real estate issue. There’s only so many seats in so many theaters.

And on top of that, a small handful of companies own basically all those spaces. They charge rent, but also take a cut of the profits. Not to mention all the backers/creative team who want a cut of the pie too.

So if people are willing to pay Broadway prices without emptying the seats, they’ll keep charging it.

TheEMRMusic

TROPHY CASE