So. Hamilton. I’m sure most people who have experienced it in any of its forms – the show, the book, or even just the soundtrack, will agree that is is awesome and revolutionary and the best thing since sliced bread. (*cough* 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical) And here are my words to add to that chorus of praise! (Note: after reading Lin-Manuel Miranda’s words, I want to use the skills I know I have to be a better […]
Who Tells Your Story
This is a safe space, right? Because I’m about to get pretty honest and pretty darn nerdy. I am a musical theatre nerd. Super nerd. In general, I try to avoid letting folks know how much of one, because whooey do they snicker. I’ve re-watched the PBS history of Broadway with Julie Andrews more times then I can count, and still manage to learn something new. As also a lover of history, the idea of a new musical hip-hopera about a founding father? Yeah, last […]
Behold the Hamiltome
I’m a huge fan of all things Hamilton and pre-ordered this book the second I found out about it. I’ve listened to the soundtrack approximately 18,500 times, watched every #Ham4Ham I can find on YouTube (and every other tangentially related video on there), and am still harboring a little resentment toward Genevieve Burgess for not writing about the Hamilton bootleg until it had been taken down. There’s not much for me to say about this book, other than I loved it. Originally I ordered it because I was eager to see the […]
Music Directing: Start at the Very Beginning, a Very Good Place to Start
The Musical Director’s Handbook by Stuart Morley is a very specific style of book to read for Cannonball Read 8. I work as a music director for educational theater programs throughout the year and have started to feel like my teaching style has flatlined. I’m dedicating the beginning of the year to reading various books on music directing, vocal training, directing, music, and theater to try and improve my skills. This book is the most directly connected to the kind of work I do and […]