Curtain Call Meet and Greet with James Ballard and Seth Christenfeld

It seems to be a trend among LC’s Curtain Up Cabaret composers/lyricists to have discovered their passion for musical theatre composition later in life. Writing partners James Ballard and Seth Christenfeld surely didn’t dream of the day their work would appear on Lynchburg College’s stage, but they are excited to share in the moment.

Both James and Seth were exposed to theatre from a young age, but it wasn’t their sole passion. High school was when they became more involved in the theatre world, which has led them to their work today.

They met at NYU Tisch in a pre-admittance weekend to test out their skills for the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing program. They joined forces once again for their second year thesis and have continued writing together since then. James shared, “We each bring out different sides of each other; the things we write together are different than what either of us would write separately or with someone else.”

Seth and James are working on an ensemble piece for Curtain Call students. Seth told me, “It's an ensemble number. We think it's going to be the opening, but we aren't sure. As of today (March 26th) it's nowhere close to complete--we've finished a verse and a chorus.”

I’m super excited to hear what they have created! Check out their work among with many other musical theatre composers/lyricists on April 29th at 7:30pm on the Dillard Main Stage.

Information Regarding Lynchburg College’s Curtain Up Songwriting Workshop:This inaugural program was created by the Lynchburg College Theatre Department and James Ballard, the program’s Artistic Director, featuring the new musical theatre ensemble, Curtain Call. The program will connect students to musical theatre songwriters in the business. The composers/lyricists are writing songs specifically for the group that will be performed in their April Curtain Up Writers Cabaret.