From Inspiration To Stage

In this first of a new series for "From Inspiration To Stage", Inside Information takes you behind the scenes of new musicals and their creators.  Drew interviews two of the creatives behind City Theatre's Project Interlude new venture; Sarah Campbell (book) and Jo Elizabeth Finnis (Direction).  Their aim? To create a musical in just seven days.   "In defiance of the decimation of the musical theatre industry, City Theatre from Sydney will create a brand new, fully staged short musical from idea to performance in just one week.  The creative team has exactly 7 days to devise, write, compose, cast, rehearse, stage and perform an entirely new work from ideation to curtain call. In this time, the broader team works to create all the costumes, props, set, lighting and sound design you would expect from a traditional production.     The finished work will be performed to a live audience at the Flight Path Theatre and streamed online at citytheatre.com.au on Saturday the 8th of August, 2020 at 7:30pm.  This is a free live stream experience featuring talent from WAAPA, Belvoir Street Theatre and Enmore Theatre.   The production features an all-female creative team, featuring Sarah Campbell (Book), Renae Goodman (Music), Emma Young (Music/Lyrics) and Jo Elizabeth Finnis (Direction)."

In our fourth Composer Spotlight, Drew interviews the wonderful Vicki Larnach whose musical based on the Sir Terry Pratchett book "Good Omens" has been receiving much attention.  Vicki shares her insight on the process of gaining permission to adapt the book, how collaboration works, and more.  She also shares two songs, one from "Good Omens" and another from her brand new project! 

Many new writers of musical theatre struggle with where a song should go in regards to their book or script.  It can be quite a challenge, and a misplaced song can ruin the entire flow of a scene, or indeed, the whole Act.  So, how do you know if you need a song, and where do you put it?  In this episode, Drew explores the purpose of your songs in a show, and where to put them!  Featuring songs from his musicals "Electric Dreams", "The Impossible Princess", "Final Words" and "The Tree Of Life".

We're back with another outstanding selection of songs by musical theatre composers from around the globe!  If you're looking for the very best of new musicals, then you've found it.  Featuring songs by Athos Kyriakides (USA), Günther Fiala (Austria), Peter Kelly (Canada), Millicent Sarra (Australia), Gavin Brock (UK), Kristian Stipe (Sweden) , Jye Bryant (Australia) and Drew Lane (Australia), this eclectic concert is sure to appeal to just about anyone.  So, download, sit back, close your eyes, and get completely lost in this fourth COVID Concert.

This third edition of the COVID Concert showcases more exemplary talent from all around the world.  Featuring songs by Athos Kyriakides, Molly Lankford, Steven Bergman, Jeff Eisenberg and Bruce J Robinson, Miriam Kook, Neal Learner, Jamie Burgess and Drew Lane, COVID #3 is guaranteed to delight the ears and introduce you to a plethora of new composers and new musicals.

No fanfare, just a heartfelt thank you from Drew to all the listeners out there.  It's because of YOU that  "From Inspiration To Stage" has hit its first milestone!

The battle lines are drawn as Drew asks one of the big questions surrounding lyric writing.  From all over the world, lyricists have had their say on whether rhymes should be perfect, or if imperfect rhymes are now the norm.  What's the answer?  Join Drew along with a very distinguished group of artists including Noel Katz, Cailtlyn Burt, Cal Silbertstein, Krishna Alexandra, Millicent Sarre and Makayla Ryan as they tackle this fascinating topic.  This episode also features an array of songs from new musicals including tracks by Cal Silberstein and Jinhee Kim, Krishna Alexandra and Lorien Patton, Caitlin Burt and Amir Shoenfeld, and Drew Lane himself.  Get ready for a passionate debate!

In this third Composer Spotlight, Drew interviews Millicent Sarre; South-Australian singer and songwriter, cabaret artist, music theatre performer and vocal coach.  We learn about about how she got into writing musicals and cabarets, and the lessons she has learned along the way.  Millicent also talks about her hugely successful run of "Friendly Feminism For The Mild Mannered", as well as sharing several songs from the show.  You can find out more about her at www.millicentsarra.com   

After the success of the first COVID presentation, it returns with another selection of songs from musical composers from around the world!  There really is something for everyone in this second concert, including songs by Molly Lankford (US), Jye Bryant (Aus), Sally Whitwell and Emma Gray (Aus), Anthony Orme (Great Britain) and Dries Janssens (Belgium) and Günther Fiala (Austria), Caitlin Burt and Shauna Carrick (UK), Cal Silbertsten and Patrick Thomas (US/Aus), Robby Allten (US), Adil Jain (Aus), Cally Castell (UK/NZ/Aus), and Drew Lane himself.  So, settle into a chair, grab a good brew, and enjoy this new selection of songs from the latest in new musical theatre!

Welcome to the first Concert of Very Industrious Dramatists - or COVID for short.  (See what we did there?).  Yes, in this time of quarantine, the arts has been forced to close its doors and leave the ghost light on for when we return.  So, Drew decided to reach out across the globe and bring together composers and performers from around the world for the first FITS COVID presentation.  The concert features songs by Sally Whitwell and Emma Grey (Aus), Steffi Rubin and Miriam Kook (USA), Günther Fiala with Elisabeth Victoria Reisenhofer and Julian Holzer (Germany), Robby Allten (USA), Cally Castell (UK/NZ/Aus), and Drew Lane (Aus).  So sit back, relax, and enjoy this first concert.

In this revealing podcast, Drew talks about the inspiration and journey he took as a young budding musician and how he started writing musicals.  The episode features previously unheard songs from Drew's earliest years, including his first attempts at songwriting and for composing for the stage.  It's "warts and all" - but after all, we all started somewhere, and that somewhere is part of who you are as a creative person today.

In this second Composer Spotlight, Drew interviews Vidya Makan; Australian composer, writer, actor, and singer!  Vidya talks about her journey as a musical theatre composer, and what inspires her to write.  You'll also hear exclusive live recordings from her song-cycle "My Home Too", and the behind-the-scenes stories of her other works and stage performances.

For the first podcast of 2020, Drew gives you a behind-the-scenes look at his songwriting process, and how a song can change over a period of time.  Featuring "Play With Me" from his acclaimed new show "Electric Dreams: The Musical", Drew traces the song's development, focussing on the purpose and context of its original shape, and then the reasons it changed and adapted over time.  With exclusive never-heard-before demos, and a live recording taken from the most recent staging of the show, this podcast is revealing and insightful.

It's Christmas, and Drew has broken out the festive cheer by looking at writing ... grinch songs?  Yep, that's right: in this Christmas special of "From Inspiration To Stage", Drew talks about the process of writing an anti-Christmas song, complete with exclusive demos from the writer himself.  So, get your eggnog and put your feet by the fire (or if you're in Australia, grab a cold one and start the BBQ) and enjoy this lighthearted delve into the Christmas spirit - Grinch-style!  

It's the song that sits right at the end of the show, but before the finale: a trope of the "golden age" of musicals where shows began at 8.30pm.  However, what is this mysterious convention and is it used today?  Join Drew on a little journey into the heart of the 11 o'clock number, and hear several songs from his own shows, including "The Impossible Princess", "Marking Life", "Somewhere To Fight For", "Cafe Latte" and an exclusive new song from "Electric Dreams: The Musical".

As a writer, there are times when you just seem stuck - no matter how hard you work, nothing seems to be coming out, or in the way you want it to.  The flow isn't there, the inspiration is missing, or it's just a case of everything seems "bleugh".  In this podcast, Drew gives 7 tips on what to do when you're faced with the dreaded Writer's Block, and how you can find your way out of it.  The podcast also features three songs from Drew's own catalogue, two of which never made it to a musical and came out of his own struggles with writing.

It all began as a totally different podcast, but what came out was a question that seems to permeate our creative life - what does being successful actually mean?  In this podcast, there's no songs and no insights into the writing process.  Rather, it's a honest exploration of the concept of success, and how failure is vital to discovering our own version of success.

It's the first big number that the audience sees and hears, so what should the Opening Number of a show actually do?  In this podcast, Drew explores the purpose of the opening number and breaks it down into 5 key points.  Listen in and you'll hear exclusive tracks from The Tree Of Life, A Different Normal, The Impossible Princess and his brand new musical Electric Dreams.  

Welcome to a new branch of From Inspiration To Stage, where we get to meet some of the great up and coming/established composers of the Australian Musical Theatre scene!  In this first "Composer Spotlight" podcast, Drew interviews Jye Bryant, a composer based in Sydney, who has found success with his musicals The Things I Could Never Tell Steven and The Velveteen Rabbit.  Hear exclusive songs from Jye's shows and get behind the mind of this amazing Aussie theatre composer.

In a very honest and open episode "From Inspiration To Stage", Drew talks about the six key lessons he's learned about writing musicals from writing musicals and features some exclusive demos that have never been heard before.  He reveals some of reasons his very early shows didn't work, while offering a little advice for all musical theatre composers based on his own failures and successes.  

It's the age-old question: which comes first?  In this episode, Drew calls on four of Australia's musical theatre composers to answer it, including Cal Siberstein, Caitlyn Burt, Peter J Casey and Jye Bryant.  Together they explore the role of music and lyrics and the process in how a song comes to be created.  The podcast also features songs from "Fairybread", "Ferdinand", "The Things I Could Never Tell Steven", "The Bubble", and an exclusive unreleased track from Drew. 

In this episode, Drew explores the role of the classic "I Want" song in a musical and is joined by several special guests!  The podcast features songs from several new Australian musicals including Staffroom, Melba, Stalker: The Musical, A Postcard From Coney Island, and Drew's own Electric Dreams: The Musical   We also hear from some of their creators, writers and composers, as they give their perspective on writing the "I Want" song. So join Drew along with Sophie Loughran and Ned Dixon, Nicholas Christo, Alex Giles, and Cal Silberstein, as they explore this classic musical structure.

In this second episode, Drew explains a simple way to help flesh out your idea.  After all, before you get writing, you need to know where you're going with your story!  This episode also features songs from his youth musicals "A Different Normal" and "Disconnected", as well as tracks from "The Impossible Princess" and the award-winning "Marking Life".

Welcome to the 1st episode of "From Inspiration To Stage", a podcast which focuses on the process of writing musical theatre. Ep #1 looks at the question: Where do you get your ideas from?  Join award-winning Aussie composer, Drew Lane, as he talks through his process and offers tips and advice.  Also featured are songs from the youth musicals "Somewhere To Fight For" and "The Tree Of Life", a special live track, and a remix of a song from "Cafe Latte", created just for this podcast!