The Finale to a Wonderful Semester of Theatre

This past Sunday I attended the Curtain Up Songwriters Workshop in the Dillard Theatre at Lynchburg College. It was a fantastic evening full of new work and wonderful performances.

Students in the Curtain Call Ensemble were afforded the opportunity to work with NYC composers and lyricists on new music, some of which made their world debuts at LC.

There were so many enjoyable songs, but there were a few that stuck out to me. “Two Bros in a Hot Tub” was especially fun and it was not the first time I heard it. James Ballard, artistic director of the Curtain Up Songwriting Workshop, shared some of his work this Winter in Lynchburg, VA. This particular piece was written alongside his writing partner, Seth Christenfeld. Matt Penalva and James took the stage to share how two “bros” can hang in a hot tub and not be gay. It was hilarious and fun.

I also really enjoyed “Spider’s Gotta Die!,” the closing song. When the students were asked to share their fears in a survey for the workshop, the fear of spiders appeared many times among the responses. This inspired the comedic song written by Christie Baugher.

A polar opposite to these comedic pieces was Tidtaya Sinutoke and Ty Defoe’s historical piece about Hart Island, which I did not know existed. As described by the Hart Island Project’s Website, “New York's City Cemetery on Hart Island occupies 101 acres in the Long Island Sound on the eastern edge of the Bronx. Since 1869, prison labor is used to bury unclaimed and unidentified New Yorkers in mass graves that are inaccessible to the public.” This project is giving a name and story to people that used to be a part of the New York Community. The song sung by Brooke Bosiger and the Ensemble recounted the story of a person buried on Hart Island. (https://www.hartisland.net/about)

Excellent pieces were also written by F Michael Haynie and Rona Siddiqui. I’m happy I was able to share in the birth of new musical theatre pieces. I can’t wait to see what the University of Lynchburg puts together next year!

Thank you so much for reading my blog! I hope you’ve enjoyed learning more about LC’s Curtain Call Ensemble!