Monday, December 28, 2009

2009: I've Learned...


...what networking means. Finally! This word makes sense.

...not to wait for everything to be in it's place to start something. Begin it, whatever it is, even if you feel you're not ready, and see where it takes you.

...you don't really change much at all from when you were little.

...you WILL get older. No matter what.

...friends are family.

...how important writing down every thought is, even if it's not fully developed.

...this city is full of determined and motivated people. It's really important to seek them out.

...there are many opportunities. Not all are good.

...to take one day at a time.

...what marketing really is. You must keep people interested in you. All the time.

...you HAVE to take risks.

...to do something everyday that scares you.

...art, music, dance, composing, singing, songwriting, acting, and pretty much everything is all about tension and release. My high school musical director used to always say that, and now it is all finally making sense.

...not to talk about it forever, but to just DO it.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

The wind is so wild to the heavenly child


Themes of Hansel and Gretel. Been thinking a lot about them. Have not been writing in complete sentences today. When you are writing a song, everything seems to be in phrases.

Today, the whole show took sort of a turn in my head. The story is still in it's infancy, but it's definitely growing up.

Witches Have Red Eyes. And they can't see very far. That's the song I almost finished today. As of right now, it will be sung when Hansel and Gretel are planning their escape from the witch's house. The wind is so wild to the heavenly child. Little by little, we'll grow tired of this place. Only a moment we wanted to stay anyway. I want this song to convey a loss of childhood innocence while gaining strength through temptations and challenges. Hansel and Gretel left their home, as all of us are taught to do, to grow up and find their own way.

It's funny how some songs can be written in minutes and others written through the span of weeks. People ask me a lot what I write first, the lyrics or the music. It's always different. But for this musical, the lyrics have been coming out first. In a way, it's so easy to pull lyrics right out from the Grimms' story. The sentences are so dark and descriptive but very short and simple at the same time. There is so much imagery and symbolism that is exciting to play with in the original tale. Witches Have Red Eyes is based entirely on three sentences from the story.

The SparrowTree website (our theatre company) will be up very soon. In the near future, be on the look out for some music samples, pictures, and trailers for Hansel and Gretel, our first show!
Drawing of Hansel and Gretel by Angie Trygg