Could It Happen?

Orchestrations done

2010-08-19T20:32:00.001-07:00

I meant to post this as soon as it happened, and I ... kind of forgot to. But c'mon, I was traveling from Massachusetts to NYC to Milwaukee to San Francisco to Reno to Tahoe to Reno San Fran and back to NYC, so I got caught up. But anyway, here's my anticlimactic announcement:

I FINISHED THE ORCHESTRATIONS, LIKE, A WEEK AND A HALF AGO.

Snap. Three weeks of my life debating which parts of The Time Travelers Convention were begging for harp, accordion, and sine wave. (Answer? All of them.)

It's not a great representation of what the final product will be, BUT I am going to post the orchestrated version of our song "Page One" (sans vocals, drums, and real guitar, and played by a computer). But I feel like I gotta share SOMETHING. Go here ito hear our demo of the song from 2007 (sung by Courtney Balan), and below is the 2010 orchestrated computer version. Enjoy.

- mike
www.mikepettry.com

Our All Star Cast of Erstwhile Time Travelers!

2010-08-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

I'm pleased to announce that we are fully cast and ready to go!

Our radio-podcast Time Travelers Convention will star (in order of appearance) Phoebe Strole as Julia, determined leader of the Time Travelers Club, Stephanie Spano as Samantha, nerdy math wiz with a secret, Jason Wooten as Greg, a geeky boy who would do anything to lose weight except give up his potato chip habit, Jeff Essex as Mr. Edwards, Julia's father and a guidance counselor who has lost his way, Lorinda Lisitza as an ultra-rational science teacher, and Nick Blaemire as mysterious visitor and possible time traveler Romi.

We cannot possibly say how incredibly pleased we are to have such an incredibly talented cast. We have had the pleasure of working with all of them before, and could not be happier to be working with them again!

We are in negotiations with a talented artist to provide art for the Youtube version of the podcast, and hope to announce her name soon...

PODCAST

2010-08-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

Over a year has passed since our last reading at CAP21. We thought it went splendidly, but nothing came of it. So Heidi and I have been asking ourselves, "How do we blow on the embers of this show, which we think is a pretty good contestant for The Best Musical Ever That You've Never Heard Of?"

Answer: Podcast series.

The idea came from our desire to produce the show in a different way. Originally we thought we'd film it and release it as a series of web videos, but the monetary restraints of filming a 2 hour musical seemed overwhelming. We asked around to see what the typical budget would be for a bare-budget indie film, and it was like 10x more expensive than what we could afford. And we SO do not have connections to people willing to throw money at projects. I'm from West Virginia, Heidi's from Hawaii, go figure.

Thus the idea of recording the whole show as AUDIO only surfaced. We could still create a web series, but without video, like a radio show. We'll rehearse like we're doing a live show, but record it studio-style at Princess Martha Studios (aka my living room). It's something that's definitely within our capabilities and resources. And maybe this is a step in the direction of doing a video series for our NEXT project.

SO. The Time Travelers Convention will be released via podcast. We're aiming to release the first episode this winter, and once the ball is rolling, I guess release an episode a week.

Where are we so far?

We just signed on Michael Perlman to direct, and are currently approaching actors. More on that later.

Musically, what are we talking about here?

So the one way we're hoping to monetize this project is by releasing the soundtrack for sale on iTunes. The podcast is free of course, but hopefully if you like it, you'll buy the album so you can listen to the songs and stuff. And we're nice people so we're giving the actors a cut of the album sales.

What this means for me is that I'm orchestrating the whole show myself. If you don't hang out in the musical theatre world, one thing you might not know is that composers usually don't orchestrate their own stuff (they just write piano and vocal), sometimes because they don't know how, or usually because it's SO time consuming ... unfortunately for me, I do sort of know how, AND it's consuming my life right now. Because it's all going to be digitally created, I don't really have to take band size limitations into consideration. I just write what I hear, which is a blessing and a curse (meaning I have to tell myself things like, "Okay, 'Could It Happen' needs that zither solo, but I'll probably have to get rid of the third harp part." Alright, 'Could It Happen' has neither harp nor zither, but you get my point). And even though the show has what I'd call an "indie rock sound" for the most part, most of the songs are now orchestrated to have at least 8 or so orchestral instruments (that "Arcade Fire-like indie rock sound"). I couldn't be more excited to be fleshing out the show this way, but dude. It's eating my life. Thankfully I'm isolated in Pittsfield, MA right now, doing an out-of-town show at Barrington Stage, and there's not much to do in town other than orchestrate a musical that you wrote. So win-win.

Once I get back, I export the orchestrations into Sonar and start building the tracks. And mapping out drum parts. And playing the piano/guitar/bass parts. And by time I've got the track built, it'll probably be time to start recording in early October.

Yes. Awesome. The circles under my eyes are darkening, but the embers of The Time Travelers Convention are definitely being blown upon.

- mike

Songs on Six at CAP21

2009-03-22T09:35:00.001-07:00

This Monday, March 23rd at 7:30 pm, two of my songs from The Time Travelers Convention are being featured in CAP21's benefit concert, Songs on Six. Phoebe Strole is singing Page One, and Nick Blaemire is singing Can I Tell You.

Unfortunately, tickets are $30, and if you don't have that kind of money to drop (although Phoebe, lately of Spring Awakening, and Nick, himself a Broadway writer, are so, so worth it), you can catch them again next Monday, March 30th at 7:30 at CAP21, for FREE, in a reading of the entire show. My show, that is.

Call 212 807 0202 for reservations! There's no time like the now!

Finally.

2009-03-17T18:15:00.000-07:00

So we've got some new demo songs in celebration of our latest rewrites! Find them posted to youtube below! The amazing Stephanie Spano sings One Plus One:

The heart-breaking Nick Blaemire sings Can I Tell You:

And the inimitable Jeff Essex sings I Used To Know:

Back in Brooklyn..

2008-11-12T18:15:00.000-08:00

And looking for work.

Why did i choose to move home in the middle of a recession?

But things are busy in the Heilig House. We're doing a big kitchen remodel (hopefully in time for Thanksgiving), my sister's coming home from months in the Mediterranean, and I have a couple of songs featured in upcoming events at the NYTB.

Unfortunately these gigs do not pay, so I'm still on the hunt.

Heading Home

2008-09-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

For a while, I've been splitting time between California and NYC, and that's about to come to an end. I'm moving back full time as of October 1st, just in time to get ready for a table reading with some great actors at CAP21.

Until then, I'm packing my stuff, going to weddings, and having a great vacation in Hawaii, where i'll be doing research for a new project and trying to make music videos for an older one. :) And going to luaus and the beach and stuff.

Return to CAP21

2008-07-11T22:07:00.000-07:00

So a couple of weeks ago, semi-out-of-the-blue, we had a table reading at CAP21, and they seem very pleased with our work! Not to jinx it, but I think something great is going to come out of this, and we're setting up another concert reading for February!

The bad news is that we've stopped shopping Time Travelers around, so we're having to finish up some of our other scripts so we have work to send out! Long Distance is our next most polished project and, actually, the first 'show' Mike and I wrote together; we wrote it in 2004-2005 as a stand alone, two person album, and just this past year crafted a book around it. We envision it as a concert. It's pretty awesome - the demo is in its last phases and I'll post songs soon!

2 Playbill Mentions in One Month!

2008-06-27T08:45:00.000-07:00

Now I just need to work my way up the ladder from featured to 4th or so from the top. After lead actors, directors, and my composer. :)

My name featured in listings for The EAT Festival and Make Cake Not War

A Song with Sean Keogh

2008-06-26T21:32:00.000-07:00

So on Sunday the 29th of June, at The Laurie Beechman, my lyrics will be featured in Make Cake, Not War; The Songs of Sean Keogh. Specifically, my song "End of the World" will be performed, in what looks to be pride of place; the 11 oclock number.

This song is about the NYU suicides a few years back, or rather, my imagination of an NYU suicide. It's just like Sean to put a suicide song in the 11 oclock spot. It's also just like him to write such jaunty "acoustic electronica" for it. Please enjoy:

The End Of The World (from here) - Sean Keogh

Page One sung by Jessica Crouch

2008-06-26T21:12:00.000-07:00

Another great performance by Jess!

Only A Moment Away

2008-06-14T20:38:00.000-07:00

Jessica Crouch floored the crowd at the reading with her rendition of Julia's 2nd Act number "Only A Moment Away."

Brilliant work, Jessica.

Check back for more videos coming soon!

Time Traveling at the EAT Festival

2008-06-06T15:02:00.000-07:00

The Time Travelers Convention is having a reading at the Emerging Artists Theatre's Notes From A Page Festival, in the intimate Roy Arias Theatre at 300 W 43rd St (at 8th Ave.) We're lucky enough to have Jessica Crouch playing Julia, Emily Vick stopping in the middle of her tour to play Sam, Adam Chandler as Romi, Doug Thompson as Greg, Jeff Essex as Edwards, and the inimitable Lorinda Lisitza as Dr. Hammer.

That's Friday the 13th of June, at 7 pm. Be on time!

Spring in NYC

2008-05-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

I'm home at last and to celebrate - and to relax -I went to the free day at the BBG. There were wisteria, lilacs, and cherries in bloom, each more beautiful than the last. It was rainy too, so there was no one there. :)

I liked escaping for a bit because i've been so busy - I interviewed with a temp agency and took a gardening job (gotta make money somehow!), and i'm trying to sell an apartment - but mostly i've been writing. I wrote a song about a sleep over - yes, a sleep over - for a show that Rob and a mutual friend, Allison, are doing with 2nd and 3rd graders. And I'm working on an album with Rob, and a script with Mike. So I've been busy, yeah...but it was nice to take time to smell the seasonal flowers.

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

2008-02-06T10:27:00.000-08:00

Or San nin fai lok or Gong Xi Fa Chay or whatever you want to say. Happy Chinese New Year tomorrow!

So, today, sweep out the bad luck (or vaccuum dust bunnies). Tomorrow, set off fireworks to scare off evil spirits (or play loud music to scare off bad neighbors). Either way, good luck and prosperity to all!

The Next Step?

2008-02-06T10:04:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I got asked that question -- that dreaded question -- the one you hear when you start to get serious in a relationship, or when you crash a car, or when you announce that you've graduated as a drama major. "What do you do now? What's the next step?"

I got asked that question with regards to the plans for the newly rewritten script for The Time Travelers Convention. And the traditional answer is "Well, we're exploring all possibilities, checking into things, leaving no stone unturned." The answer I gave, unfortunately, was "I dunno. Mike, what are we doing next?"

The real answer is somewhere in between. We're sending out new scripts to various groups who asked to see them, along with some who haven't - some people were interested when they saw the October reading and we finally got them their copies; however, we've also sent off to a few contests (ASCAP and NYMF, notably, along with CAP who wanted to see what we'd done) and a multitude of high school programs known for their drama departments.

So we're hoping for hits with any of those groups, or groups yet unknown. But, as always when you cast your net into the dark waters of uncertainty (aka actively pursue a 'career' in the arts), you never really know what's next.

Could it happen?

I'll post it here when it does.

Taking A Break

2008-02-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

I've been working hard on getting my shows out there, applying to NYMF (cross your fingers), cabarets (But I Want To is making another repeat appearance in The Gallery, along with a showing in a Penn State show!), and high school drama departments (we got emails from Kansas, New Jersey, and Connecticut expressing interest, and so I decided, why not mail cds and scripts to all 50 states? we'll see how far i get!), so I feel like I've earned a break. Weather is perfect for wild chanterelles like those above; Bret and I hauled in over 3 lbs last weekend. I dry sautee them in the pan, then simmer till the liquid has evaporated, concentrating all the flavor in the mushrooms. Add a blop of sour cream and toss it with hot penne and it's delicious.

My next elusive prey are the rainbow trout in local streams. They have proven wilier than the fungii; last week's fishing trip yielded a healthy catch of California (my dad's old joke whenever a lure would snag rocks - i still think it's funny, dad!).

My father in law has given me a lovely fly rod and I'm thinking of taking it for a test run. We'll see. Then back to slave over a hot printer, elbow-deep in applications.

Tori Scott as Allison

2008-01-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

Rob and I are lucky to have engaged Tori Scott to sing the role of Allison on the demo of Under Construction (most notably, the song What Are You Doing Tonight?). We are also excited that Tori has asked to include But I Want To on her own demo; I personally can't wait to have an mp3!

I'll also eventually have a copy of Tarina Szemzo singing But I Want To. She's playing Sydney on the Under Construction demo - as I type, she's learning He Bought Me Shoes. I hope it doesn't sound conceited, but this is the kind of thing I live for - I'm just so honored to have my songs sung by such talented, amazing performers.

So if you catch me listening to my own songs on endless repeat, don't judge me to harshly. It's the vocalists I love to hear, I swear!

New Year, New Youtube videos

2008-01-06T14:34:00.000-08:00

I have three new videos posted - well, new postings, whereas two of the three are old videos

Be that as it may, here are three songs by Rob Baumgartner and myself. All dealing with love, no big surprise for those who know our work.

But I Want To, sung by Tori Scott recently at Joey Murray's The Gallery at the Laurie Beechman Theatre.

The Man Who Isn't There, sung by Rob Baumgartner at the December 2004 NYU Cabaret. Lyrics can be found under the 'more' link under the About This Video header. The first song we wrote together.

I'll Stay, sung by Rob Baumgartner at the December 2004 NYU Cabaret. Lyrics can be found under the 'more' link under the About This Video header.

Please enjoy. Watch many times and forward it all on. Help us become better known!

A Christmas "Present" from Mike Pettry

2007-12-21T11:21:00.000-08:00

Mike was at the dentist today, and i don't know what they did to him there but this is the result.

I won't say that listening to it is as painful as having your teeth pulled. I laughed. Especially at the part where he messes up and swears. (That's a naughty language warning, no kids allowed.) But it's pretty funny that he asked me to post this. I think the novocaine's having odd side effects. . . er, odder than the obvious.

Anyway, here's a recording of my tanked up composer singing a novocaine'd version of the abortion song! Happy holidays!

Going home for the holidays

2007-12-19T09:13:00.000-08:00

I'm doing exactly that this Friday, where I will step from the red-eye flight into an enormous puddle of gritty snow. A lot of people say to me - "You grew up in Hawaii. You still have family there. Why the hell would you go to NYC in the dead of winter?"

To those people I say: "Fifth Avenue the week before christmas."

Not the shoppers rushing home with their treasures, but the shops themselves on display. I generally despise shopping. I adore looking at shops, though, all lit and wrapped as though they themselves are the treasure. I'm hoping that Bret's interest in architecture will distract him from the fact that we can't fit a turkey into the oven in the studio.

But what does this have to do with writing? Almost nothing. I've had horrible writer's block for a week and a half, which may be because I've been so worried about Christmas presents and cooking and cleaning. But I'm trying to use a Yule Log to start a fire under my ass (presumably not the one used to carry the Virgin to Bethlehem) -- Mike will be there and we'll finally send out these scripts, and Rob will be there so we can finally record this damn demo. And in the meantime, a Christmas song to get me going:

A Dilemma

2007-12-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

I just learned that tickets to the show this weekend are $20 with a $15 food and drink minimum. I'm lucky I'm in California right now, as this marks the first time in my life that my work has been featured in a production that my Chinese side says l can't afford tickets to.

Don't get me wrong, I would go if I were there! But at the box office I'd have to have a mighty internal struggle with a slanty-eyed spirit that looks just like my grandmother and can't stop saying "So expensive so expensive!"

A Gift from Mike

2007-11-30T11:02:00.000-08:00

Mike (who is still on tour with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) is in Birmingham, Alabama right now, where he, no joke, found bedbugs in his bed two days ago.

Also, no joke (yet still so funny to me) -- they wouldn't let him move rooms cause the only other available room would have been an upgrade for which the tour company hadn't paid.

But despite his having to listen to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels the Musical 8 times a week while picking Cimex lectularius out of his hair, he hasn't lost his sense of humor, as is evidenced by this latest gem:

(a line from the cut song God Is In The Details.)

The Gift of Songs

2007-11-30T08:44:00.000-08:00

With the holiday gift buying in full swing, I've been busy spending valuable writing time both rewriting lyrics to Julia's big Act 2 song in The TIme Travelers Convention, and thinking up official Christmas Carols for people. Example: Rob Baumgartner, my fabulous collaborator who is music directing The Gallery at NY Theatre Barn on December 9th, where some of our work will be featured, has received "Deck The Halls." Why, you may ask? Because Rob is constantly donning his gay apparel. One of his closets is entirely devoted to shoes.

I was inspired to do this because I read an article recently about common Christmas Carol mondegreens. The one that struck me was "Now bring us some friggin' pudding!" (Originally "bring us some figgy pudding" in We Wish You A Merry Christmas.) It made me think of Bret, my husband, can't think why.

So, over the next few days, when I'm not buying or wrapping gifts, or writing or rewriting lyrics, I'll be happily wasting the most wonderful time of the year tagging friends with seasonal songs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-22T11:32:00.000-08:00

On thanksgiving Mike has emailed me the gift of a lovely, iPod-recorded, piano-pounding snippet of Julia's new song. The recording begins with Mike saying "Okay, so, pretend I'm an organ."

Responses To The Music Video

2007-11-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

As of today, we cracked 900 views of the music video on Youtube alone. (There are 2 other sites the video is uploaded to: Second Life Video and Machinima, at 334 and 85 additional views, respectively).

And there are three types of people who have watched the video: Machinima fans, Musical Theatre fans, and Mike-Heidi-Bret fans (or 'friends,' as most people call them.) The third group, of course, loves the piece. (Or at least that's what they say to our faces.) However, the other two groups have responses that are more rounded out.

Machinima fans, who tend to be used to videos with the plot "these people are dancing!", universally say: "Great shot selection and awesome animations, and additionally I note that it's telling some kind of story or something."

Musical theatre fans, who are used to plays featuring real life people, universally say: "Great song and awesome vocals, but why don't their mouths move?"

Each is one half of a rave review. I'll take it!

Write Who You Know

2007-11-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know me well know that, if you know me, your name ends up in something I'm writing. This is partly because I love, respect, and want to memorialize you, and partly because I'm really bad at making up names.

Usually I just choose a name out of the address book at random (or from handy online lists, thank you facebook), but once in a blue moon I pick one because of some resemblance of the person to the character, or vice versa. This has happened a couple of major times -- most recently, in the upcoming show World Of Heroes, which was actually inspired by real life events incited by a friend of mine named Bill. World Of Heroes is a light-hearted take on Heart of Darkness, in which a young man (yes, Bill) gets lost in the world of an MMORPG, and his family and friends have to enter the world of the game to find him. (Yes, it has been brought to my attention that South Park has an Emmy-Award winning episode about Warcraft and I have this to say: their's came out on October 4th, 2006, and Mike and I have emails about World Of Heroes dating back to July of 2006. Thank you, Gmail. :) )

But back to the matter at hand - naming conventions. I'm currently creating the character of Romi Littrel in Second Life so we can film more songs, and as I've mentioned before, Romi Littrel is named after real life Romie Littrell, the only mad scientist I know. But here's the blog-worthy point -- interestingly, everyone who's played Romi looks quite a bit like Romie. Observe:

(from top: Romie Littrell, Justin Daniel, Maxwell Jenkins, Romi Litrel)

What a set of leading men! (Another strange coincidence: at one point in time Romie Littrell owned a shirt with a Panda on it. One day at rehearsal Justin walked into rehearsal wearing the same shirt. These guys have never met each other.)

This is just a first draft of our animated Romi, so Romie, Justin, Max, or any Rom-ophiles or Rom-ologists out there, feel free to give me hints on how to best capture the Romi Look.

Invitations To Our New Opening Number

2007-11-14T14:42:00.000-08:00

"Invitations To The Future," the new, jazzed up opening number from The Time Travelers Convention (as previously mentioned.)

In this song, the members of the Time Travelers Club put invitations to their convention in classic novels in the hopes the invitations will be found in the future by people who can time travel. But you can probably figure all that out if you listen to it. Starring Allison Jill Posner as Julia, Claire Karpen as Samantha, and Mike Pettry as Greg.

*Please note that our original opening number was quite similar lyrically. It's mostly the music that has changed. We've also added a bridge and a couple more of my favorite novelists. That's my favorite part of the song, the book list. I love those books.

**Additionally, some dialogue was cut in the recording.

***The coordinates listed are those that were listed for the original Time Traveler Convention at MIT. Just in case anyone in the future hears of the show and could have gone back to their convention because of it. Paradox prevented.

Sorry Lisa!

2007-11-13T09:48:00.000-08:00

Fixed the sizing of your awesome comics below. :)

Julia from The Time Travelers Convention

2007-11-12T08:54:00.001-08:00

In my plans to create the next animated installment of The Time Travelers Convention (Page One, the main character's 'i want' song), I have created Julia in Second Life. Here she is.

Time Travel Comics from Lisa Sindorf

2007-11-12T08:41:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of speculation on the possibility of time travel, and more importantly, the method by which it can be accomplished. H. G. Wells' Time Traveler invented a machine with 'parts of nickel, parts of ivory, and parts . . . sawn or filed out of rock crystal.' Doc and Marty had their Delorian, of course. And my friend Lisa, an artist cum nature lover, has discovered the following devices:

Something new -

2007-11-07T07:33:00.000-08:00

I've been flying around this past week, quite busy - over the weekend I was in Las Vegas to help my father with an art show, and this week I'm in Oregon for a bit of a family emergency -- I touched down in SFO for less than a day -- i didn't even unpack my suitcase. But there's some good news back in NYC that I kind of want to fly back for:

My other collaborator, Rob Baumgartner, (for once, not Mike Pettry of Time Travelers Convention fame) with whom I've written a show, Under Construction, and our friend, Tarina Szemzo, have an audition this Friday in front of a producer. Rob and Tarina have amazing voices, and I am tagging along as the third part of the team as the lyricist.

(Tarina is actually slated to sing on our demo, which we have to finish before Christmas when she goes to Hungary to star for a few months in a Hungarian Soap Opera.) (Yes.)

Additionally, Mike Pettry is back in NYC this week, on vacation from his tour with Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. We've been actually rewriting the opening number of Time Travelers a bit, and while he's on the road he only has his little iPod recorder - so i have a few recordings of Mike pounding the piano keys and getting REALLY into singing: "Invitations to the future" becomes "INVITAAAAAASHUNS TO THA FYYYYYYUUUUUUUUUUUTCHUUUUUUUR". . . I guess what i'm saying is that I have something with which to blackmail him later.

I'll be back in SF on Thursday night awaiting news of new recordings from Mike and potential productions, fame, and fortune from Rob and Tarina. I'll wait till Saturday to unpack, just in case.

Music Video - Could It Happen?

2007-10-31T10:07:00.000-07:00

So this is the reason I haven't been posting.

Thanks to Bret for directing, designing, and animating. :) Thanks to Tom and Matt for helping 'act' the characters. Thanks to Jason Williams and Claire Karpen for their vocals. Thanks to Mike Pettry for awesome music.

In The Future....

2007-10-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

In the future, I won't have to struggle with words
Each lyric specific, fresh, and exciting
In the future, I'll have a final draft
In the future, I'll be done with rewriting.....

Big To Do

2007-10-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

To Do list, that is. I'm having a phone conference meeting with Mike (my Mike) and Eliza (CAP21's Eliza), today at 1:00. And I was just asked a couple of moments ago to go to a film screening at 2:00 today for a December write-up for the magazine I work for. I'm supposed to be thinking of questions for the director and producer and writer (who I interview Monday), but I'm actually trying to fix Act 2 problems brought up by moving a song there from Act 1.

And so I'm writing on the internets instead!

Rewriting

2007-10-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Ugh.

It's very very easy to say "i need to rewrite." What's hard is actually doing it.

I can admit to myself that writing in this blog is just me avoiding the real work. So i'll keep it short.

I'm fixing Edwards - instead of being a depressing Christian, now he's going to be lighter, funnier, and of a multi-religious bent -- the kind of guy who hangs prayer wheels and has a Buddha and a picture of the Virgin and a shelf full of Deepak Chopra and Wayne Dyer. (Thank you, Chaplain Heidel from Punahou School.)

Also, i'm taking out a lot of what i put in to "clarify' the parent-child relationships, which just ended up 'melo-dramatizing' them instead.

Alright, gotta go do that.

"So how'd it go?"

2007-10-04T08:09:00.000-07:00

Of course, that's the real question!
(Thanks to Josh Quigley for reminding me of that!)

In my opinion, it was great in a lot of ways. The audience seemed to really enjoy themselves - they laughed, they cried - and they got the main point of the show. The players were smart and funny and talented. The show sold out - they had to put extra chairs in the theatre for a total of 120 people.

But of course, as the writer, I could only see what needed to be rewritten.

One of the main problems is that we made a couple of cuts to Act 2 that took out a couple of lighter, upbeat songs - and we realized that what we were left with was a very long swath of depressing ballads with minor key overtones. I also wrote in a lot of reprises 'cause they're easier, and it just makes me look lazy. Which I am. So I have to come up with a little more new material.

But the biggest problem has always been the character of Julia's father - i've never really gotten into him as a person, just as an idea, and so it's always made his dialogue and his songs very difficult. I think that Mike and I have as many written-then-cut songs from his character as we do in the whole show. But thanks to the off-stage personality of the actor who played him (as well as a reminder from Bret about a Chaplain from our highschool and my own memories of a motivational speaker who visited my middle school) Mike and I been inspired in a new direction that I think will serve us very well.

So in short, the answer to that question is "It went well. I have to see where it goes from here."

Thank you

2007-10-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone that came. I really appreciated your support, your time, and your thoughts and words of encouragement. Thank you especially to those who traveled long distances -- the Karpens, from Connecticut, Romie from Boston, Julie, Sean, and Chris from New Jersey, my sister Thekla from D.C., and her boyfriend Duncan, from a boat off the coast of Italy. Thank you to my family, to the actors, to CAP21, to Mike, and to Bret, my husband, who patiently carried around my flowers, told me where I was, and let me know when I had dropped something.

I need to pay that guy a manager's salary.

After the show, a lady came up to me and told me that the show had inspired her to try to let go of things that she herself regretted, and that it showed her that she should "make it happen" in her own life. I don't think I would have been happier if she'd said that she would fund a full run.

Well, maybe. But only a little.

Thank for coming. :)

A note of encouragement from my father in law; soil engineer & broadway baby:

2007-09-30T06:14:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on the reading of your play! To get this far with a play of your own creation is fantastic and an accomplishment to be very proud of. We are proud of you!

Now .......here's where I fit in. I have been waiting a long time to get a break into showbiz and this is it! I know that since we are family, you will find a role for me in the play. I can even show up and do the reading. Cindy says the play is a musical-that's a natural for me!

Oh, I do not expect THE lead role, but certainly a major role with plenty of solos, so I can offer my musical interpretation of what you are trying to say to the audience. I am very good at that, having written and interpreted soil reports and specifications for years. Both Bret and Cindy can vouch for my singing tone, range, and fluid delivery.

Please let me know the details so I can arrange my flights to the Big Apple. Also, I know it's probably not in your play, but would you consider letting me ad lib a couple Sinatra tunes if I think they would fit in? You know, artistic license..... I also plan to give you some advice on how to "tweak" the play to suit my stage presence, and to improve those around me. And while I do not have any sparkly clothes, I am having Cindy sew sequins onto the cuffs and lapels of several old leisure suits I have left over from the '70's. Believe me, I will arrive in style.

Also, I do not need to be paid at all....not even any of the profits...............just 20% of the gross.

Thanks a lot. I'll see you guys soon.....the Plaza will be fine,
Ken

Romie "The Real" Littrell's birthday was yesterday.

2007-09-28T08:02:00.000-07:00

Romie Littrell is my favorite mad scientist. Thus, I named our time traveler after him. It was his birthday yesterday. He probably spent it in a lab deep in the bowels of MIT (where he currently works but did NOT work, interestingly enough, when I was first writing the show.)

Happy Birthday, Romie!

Sold Out!!!

2007-09-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

And not in the 'we took the money' sense of the word.

But if you want to come, please come anyway to CAP21 at like maybe 6:30 or 7:00 -- CAP does a good waiting list!

I can't believe it. :) Thank you all.

The Lost Song

2007-09-26T16:32:00.001-07:00

So this is the song we just cut. I wrote it very early on in the process of this show, in response to an article in Natural History about the attacks made by religious groups on science, particularly on evolution. In the song, Dr. Hammer, a biologist, talks about how science, too, can be a religion of a sorts, and celebrates the wonder of scientific mystery and discovery.

New Drink!: Black n' Thyme by Heidi!

2007-09-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

The Black n' Thyme

Rum
Blackberry Liqueur
Izzy's Blackberry Soda
Fresh Thyme

Muddle a few sprigs of time in a tall glass, toss in a shot of rum, a splash of the liqueur, and fill it up with ice and blackberry soda!

I dreamt this one up during rehearsals today because we had to cut a song that I loved. So the least I could do was imagine the comfort of going back in time to before the song was from its mother's womb untimely ripp'd, etc.

Ew.

I found this today!

2007-09-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

An artist's rendering of what the Brooklyn Bridge looked like while under constuction! As if we'd gone back in time . . . .

I'm really excited because I googled the show again this morning (yes...again...) and i found that someone had posted us on Digg! Best of all, it wasn't me!!!

I'm really honored. Ctsims, whoever you are, thank you!

(and come to the show!)

Back In Brooklyn!

2007-09-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

I'm jetlagged but already having a great time.

The first read-through is tomorrow. I know this because Mike (and the lovely Claire Karpen) had me over to dinner in Queens last night, and told me the schedule -- good thing he has a handle on it cause i don't!

It's raining here, lovely warm rain, and everything seems so clean.

New Drink!: The Chip by Mike and Heidi

2007-09-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

The Chip

1 shot of potato vodka
Salt

Salt the rim of the shot glass. Pour your shot. Do your shot.

You can't eat just one!

Heidi says: Mike mentioned that we should make a drink called the Chip, and I came up with the recipe. For those that don't know, one of our characters, Greg, has a potato chip habit that he just can't break, which is how a potato chip is "Time Travel Themed."

Plus, you can't have any kind of convention without potato chips.

Plus, I write this blog so stop judging me!

Could It Happen?

2007-09-17T10:18:00.001-07:00

Please enjoy our theme song:

If you liked it, there's more where that came from! Get tickets for the show here!

"New" Drink!: the 1876 by Christopher Costanza at TTI

2007-09-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

Christopher writes:
1876

Simple straight up whiskey, cause that's all they had back then.

Heidi says: HA!

New Drinks!: 3 of them from Recall15 at TTI

2007-09-16T10:48:00.000-07:00

Recall15 writes:

-3 Wise Men on Timeline 39
(Darby, Florida Jim and John Titor)

* 1/3 oz Jack Daniels
* 1/3 oz Johnnie Walker
* 1/3 oz Jim Beam

Mixing instructions:

Put them in a glass... and slam it to the head.

-Pamela`s Altervue

Ingredients:

* 1/2 oz Goldschlager
* 1/2 oz Jägermeister
* 1/2 oz Rumple Minze
* 1/2 oz Bacardi 151 proof rum

Mixing instructions:

Add over ice,shake and pour.

-Florida`s Jim Time Email

Ingredients:

* 1/2 oz Malibu rum
* 1/2 oz Light rum (Bacardi)
* 1/2 oz Bacardi 151 proof rum
* 1 oz Dark Creme de Cacao
* 1 oz Cointreau
* 3 oz Milk
* 1 oz Coconut liqueur
* 1 cup Vanilla ice-cream

Mixing instructions:

Combine all ingredients. Blend until smooth. Garnish with chocolate shavings if desired.

Heidi writes: Something for everyone from Recall15! To me, the Time Email sounds particularly delicious, but I'm definitely an alcho-milkshake type of girl. For those who are not, I'd love to hear about how the 3 Wise Men on Timeline 39 tastes -- but don't stand too close while you're telling me; I think the fumes alone would do me in.

New Drink!: Sanguina de Titor by Darby at TTI

2007-09-15T13:07:00.000-07:00

Darby writes:
Let's make a Sanguina de Titor.

Stoli vodka
Blood Orange Juice
Green glass swizzle stick
Ice

Titor's best friends, allies and favorite trading partners were the Russians. His email address was Sanguina (at) AOL.com. His favorite fruit was oranges. The Russians nuked the planet and killed 3 billion people.

Sanguinas are blood oranges. It also loosely means "bloody" in Spanish. So we'll use the juice of a blood orange. Because the Russians were his allies we'll use Stolichnaya vodka. Serve on-the-rocks. Add green, preferably glass, swizzle stick. No garnish.

Just mix a Stoli screwdriver using the blood orange juice.

The blood orange juice represents the blood of the 3 billion dead.

The Stoli celebrates Titor's friends and allies, the Russians, who killed the 3 billion.

On-the-rocks represents nuking the world back into the stone age.

The green glass swizzle stick represents the #1 commodity that Titor's Brave New USA would trade with their Russian trading partners - green nuclear glass.

No garnish because the world is a rather barren place after Titor's War.

Heidi says: Darby is pretty much King of the Mountain among the seriously charming folks over at the Time Travel Institute. For everything from time-travel theory to claims of actual time travel (some of which can be darker than deep space), head on over.

New Drink!: The Wormhole by Bret Heilig

2007-09-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Bret writes:
The Wormhole

Tequila shot (the worm)
Black sambuca (the hole)

I'm telling you, a shot of tequila with a float of Black Sambuca.

Conveys the visual and gastronomical experience of being sucked into a wormhole, which as we all know, is the only practical method of time travel currently available.

Heidi says: NEVER discount the possibility of simply willing yourself back in time. I feel that if I drank one too many Wormholes, I would be willing myself back in time. Back to a time before I started drinking Wormholes.

A link from Cat and Girl!

2007-09-13T14:49:00.000-07:00

We have been honored by a link from our original progenitor. It's like if you got to take a family photo with Eve (or Homo Ergaster, if you don't like the bible mythologies).

I discovered this because Mike called me and said "Ummmm, someone just emailed me apologizing that he couldn't come to our convention."

At my excited urgings, Mike emailed the gentleman back explaining that we were a musical and not an actual convention, attempted to ascertain if the person is from the present or from the future, and invited him anyway.

But the real meat (or tofu, if you don't like the carnivore methodologies) of the story is that the person had clicked through from Cat and Girl's website.

On that website, Dorothy writes: "And there's a play based on the Time Traveler Convention based on the comic strip about the time traveler convention. Who's next?"

The drink contest is next, I believe!

And maybe after we drink the drinks, or because we drink the drinks, someone will do an interpretive dance based on the musical based on the convention based on the comic.

And then maybe Lisa Sindorf can do a comic based on that? :)

The Director of the Physics Department at MIT . . .

2007-09-13T11:32:00.000-07:00

. . . who gave a speech at the original MIT Time Traveler Convention, had to decline attending our own Time Travelers Convention due to a previous engagement; he will be in transit from Europe, having just been to view the large hadron collider at CERN.

Yes. It may be hard to believe, but we were stood up for the 'greatest basic science endeavor in history,' according to Seed Magazine. :D

On the upside, Mr. Farhi asked that we try him on another date, and, even more flattering, he wants to view a copy of the show. Who knows? Our musical may be the greatest basic non-science endeavor in history.

If he does get a chance to come and see a future show, I'm going to ask him to compare The Time Travelers Convention to CERN, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is "not too good" and 10 is "a circular tunnel 27 km around containing 9,300 superconducting magnets each weighing several tons and chilled to temperatures colder than deep space."

New Drink!: The Time Machine by Zack "Killer" Fornaca

2007-09-12T16:49:00.000-07:00

Zack writes:
The Time Machine:

(served in a brandy snifter because they are silly)

a shot of absinthe
+ some god-awful ultramodern alcopop like Zima or a chu-hi
+ a swirl of something very bright, either on top or on the glass itself before pouring. I guess the specifics depend on the alcopop chosen.

Right? Because nothing says time travel like SWIRLZ, and nothing says times bygone like absinthe, and nothing says "Jane get me off this crazy thing" like Zima (or chu-hi, the Zima of Japan), and because Back to the Future taught us that time travel is dangerous, like absinthe.

Is absinthe illegal? Yes? Shit.

Heidi says: Yes, Zack, but in fin-de-siecle France, absinthe flowed like wine when wine flowed like water (circa 200 BC.) Perhaps we can use The Time Machine to get there . . .

Calling All Bartenders and Bar-Attenders!

2007-09-12T14:36:00.000-07:00

In my very first ever (I swear) zany scheme, I hereby declare a Time Traveler's Themed Cocktail Contest.

The Space Rules:

1. Your drink must have a time-travel themed name. (I have suggested "The Time Machine," but anything futuristic, travel-istic, or beginning with "Space-" or "Future-" would be a good bet. Bonus points if you make jokes about the characters, songs, or script. Bonus tears if you make fun of the writer.)

2. Your drink must be mixable in this day and age without the use of time travel. (No "future vodka" or "space tonic" please!)

3. You must provide the recipe for how to mix this drink, and the reasoning behind it. You may email the recipes to me at heidi.hansen.young@gmail.com, and I will post them. Feel free to include a photo.

4. You must be willing to drink your drink. When I am a rich and famous writer (or really when the show's done and I decide to throw a party to congratulate myself), we will serve the "Best" drink at a party. Perhaps as many as the top 5 drinks. It mostly depends on my credit card balance.

5. The drink does not need to contain alcohol! Despite dealing with issues from suicide to abortion, The Time Travelers Convention is a family show, I f*ckin' swear! Uhhhh....I mean, I frickin' promise!

Let the Space Games begin!

First Post!

2007-09-11T17:00:00.000-07:00

I, like everyone else in the free world, have started many a blog in my time (that is, in the time since blogging became both cool and easy), only to let it languish after one post. This one will be different. I promise.

I'm starting (and continuing) this blog because I want to talk about my upcoming work, and I finally feel like I have justification for it in the form of someone other than me (and a few people that are related to me) wanting to show it off. I think that a writer isn't a writer until someone else wants to read her. Or in this case, listen to her.

I'm a lyricist and a book-writer, which means I do mostly musical theatre. So the "upcoming work" is The Time Travelers Convention, and the "someone other than me" is CAP21. For those of you who don't know, The Time Travelers Convention is a new musical, lyrics by me and music by (2007 Larson Award Winner) Mike Pettry (he used to just be plain old Mike Pettry; but then, I used to be heidi hansen-young and not heidi heilig). The show is about 3 geeky college students who all want to change something in their pasts. They decide to hold a Time Travelers Convention in the hopes that a time traveler will show up with a time machine they can borrow.

It's based on an event held in 2005 by Amal Dorai at MIT, who's event was in turn inspired by a comic called Cat and Girl. Recently (and I'm very proud of this) Amal linked my Time Travelers Convention (the musical) site on his original Time Travelers Convention (the convention) site.

I feel like a proud parent, citing every little event as a major developmental milestone. I promise, this blog isn't just going to be plugs for my shows. But like I said, I finally feel like I have a reason to be blogging.