Our Musical LIVES!

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The SMBPR Scoop
Greetings Friends of the musical (FOTMs),	January 2012
Did you wonder where we went? Did you wonder what happened to our show? Wonder no more.... it's ALIVE! A Long Break After we did the rewrite of The Souls of Her Feet in April, 2009, Michael and I drifted apart for a long, long time. He went on tour with a big show. I wrote two books about my former cartooning career. After a long and awkward estrangement, we reunited last December, and have been loving our collaboration! The first song we're re-writing is "A Girl Like Me," formerly the "Can't-Go-To-Prom Blues," which was the first song Michael ever wrote, to get the job, in 2005. It's a beautiful evolution, and now shows Ashley's inner struggle in a much more moving way, as she decides to take a chance and go to the prom. (You'll get to hear it soon if you are signed up on our blog.) >>>> The Big Shoe Project Kristen is trying to talk to local high school theaters about doing scenes and songs in collaboration with other schools. A year or so down the road, there could be a really fun community project taking shape. Meanwhile, Michael, who now plays a red piano on the Boulder Mall, is scoping out voice talent in Colorado to make recordings. The Book Every musical has a book, but ours has more than one. Kristen, who works in publishing, is working on a novelization of the story that will be available some time this year, Godesss willing. Calling All SMBPR Alums Have you worked on the musical, either as an actor or a volunteer? Do you have a Facebook page? Please post a link to it on our Facebook Page - and let us "like" your page. As your career gains momentum, so does this project - and it helps us all to stay connected. I recently touched base with Sherry Vine (a.k.a. Keith Levy, who played Harry in New York), who is now Lady Gaga's worst nightmare. Meanwhile, did anyone catch Jen Ponton (narrator in New York) on 30 Rock? ("Fraaazerrrr!") Or Brian Yates Sharber (original Demo recordings) as the Gay Man in Milk? It's fun to see what everyone's doing with their careers. 'Like' our page and check back for links! Thanks for being in our cult! Here's to an amazing 2012 Kristen Caven & Michael O'Dell	Singin' on the Blog We'll be doing fewer newsletters from now on (what's 'fewer' than one ever three years, you ask? Good point...) and putting our announcements on the SMBPR blog. If you get an email from Blogspot, it's because I've signed you up to the email feed. Please opt in if you want to stay in touch! Artistic Support I got the most amazing thing in the mail last fall. Friend of the Musical (FOTM) Rhonda Bryce sent this gorgeous assemblage, covered with over a dozen examples of Just the Right Shoe, who started making their collectibles the year after I wrote the first draft of the song. (Hmmm.... merchandise tie-in??) SOMEDAY... there will be a viral video of our shoe song... and everyone will be just this obsessed! A Little 'Bitch' Reply to this email if you'd like a sneak peek of a silly little video (of me playing with singing dolls) from a musical theater workshop.  "purify the aaaiiiiirrrr!" (coming soon to YouTube!)
You never know where a new pair of shoes will take you....

© Kristen Caven 2012 •

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Kristen Caven 3056 Champion St. Oakland, California 94602 US Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.

Big Breakthrough!

Huge news for fans of the show! Mom and Dad have made up and are going to finish writing The Souls of Her Feet!

Collaboration is hard. Being an artist is hard. Thinking about doing something in a BIG way when you feel like a NOBODY is really, really hard. But we've both been doing a lot of growing up in the seven (yes, SEVEN) years we've been collaborating, and have worked out a lot of our personal and professional kinks.

Long story short: Michael and I haven't seen each other since our "Couch Reading" in March of oh-nine. We did a rewrite of the script afterwards, and then he returned to the East Coast and we both got busy with other stuff. Last week we had a huh-youge and cathartic email fight, and cleared the air for a Skype session today, in which apologies gave way to the joy of re-claiming a long-term (and fundamentally functional) relationship.

Michael got down on one knee and held up a bottle of Adderall (in lieu of a bouquet of flowers), and asked me to take him back as a writing partner. I grinned and stammered and blushed and agreed.

Friend Of The Musical (FOTM) Ana N. was the first to know, since she beeped in at that moment. She said, "Oh, goody. Does that mean you get to have make-up writing?"

Stay tuned, let's find out.

Sneak Peek Video from the New Musical!

(Just kidding!)

But it's got a great feel, no?
A Big, Pink Rose is, of course, about Beauty.  And there is a mouthy queen in The Souls of Her Feet... so it's not that far off!

Just the Right Shoe

It's always a delight when people bring me offerings. I have a basket-full of shoe-themed notepads, napkins, and cookie cutters. I love that when people see shoe tchotchkies they think of Harry's lecture to Ashley.

But nothing prepared me for the sight that beheld me when I finally stripped through the nineteen protective layers of packing tape that surrounded a custom-cut box from my amazingly creative girlfriend (and mutual muse) Rhonda Bryce.

Fourteen exquisite, tiny designer shoes, mounted on a mirror, suspended by a big, pink rose that looks just-picked. Rhonda had been dropping hints for months about a present she was making for me... the suspense finally ended when I got the most elaborately packaged surprise in the mail.

Thank you, Rhonda! Your gift sustains the spirit of this story as it waits, like a princess by the window, for some interesting change to come.

 

Rhonda, please enjoy the music! (There's a little link to the lyrics too.)

My How Things Change.

It's been a long dry spell for the musical.  Life seems to have had other plans for Michael and I. Michael is now touring the U.S. with a company as music director, after having written many more songs for many more artists. I went and wrote a book, and now I'm working on the sequel.

As soon as I'm done, I promise, the girls will be back in action.

I now hope to bring Shoes, a Mirror, and a Big Pink Rose to life slowly as a community project entitled, perhaps, The Patchwork Princess Project. The first phase will be a competition/collaboration between local high school drama departments, with each one of them performing a song from The Souls of Her Feet. This will be an interesting way to workshop the musical, create a buzz, expose the novel to youth, and have fun!

This spring, I will be building an advisory board and finding a local theater to sponsor the project, as well as completing the novel. The project will take place in 2012.

The second and third phases of the project will involve college drama departments to workshop Mirror Imag(in)e, and local theaters to workshop The Number the Beast, respectively, in following years.

The best (and worst) compliment..

Walking by my son as he was doing homework on my laptop computer, I recognized lyrics I'd written coming out of the tinny little speakers: "From the minute I get up until I go to bed at night/I have to do what they say or it turns into a fight." I stopped in my tracks. He was listening to a recording of the New York staged reading!

Surprised, I asked, "Is that the only thing I have on iTunes?"

"The only good thing," he mumbled, going on with his work. I was shocked! I was pleased! What a compliment from a 12-year-old boy!

Today, while we were cleaning house, he shut off the vacuum cleaner for a moment and told me, "I've got the B-song in my head: 'They make me clean the closet floors and vacuum every stair...'" I couldn't have been more proud... but I felt a little sinking feeling in my stomach. I mean, in the song, Ashley's singing about her really mean stepsisters. And I'm a nice mom. I'm working side by side with him. But he just seemed happy to have a song in his head, effectively whistling while he worked. He riffed on "The Big Bitch" as I turned the rugs, turning the B-word into itch and twitch as he sang. (Censoring my lyrics. Adorably.)

But later this evening, when we got into an argument about homework, he really threw it in my face. On the edge of anger, he said through clenched teeth, "I want to sing your own song at you! Your expectations are too low; your standards are too high! Or... something like that."

Ouch! The first little sting of hormonal venom! (In my defense, if you can call it that, I was actually bribing him to learn all the state capitols.)

On the one hand, I feel hugely inflated and grandly validated that my lyrics managed to get stuck in the head of a pre-teen! (Positive market research!)

Oh the other hand... oh why did it have to be my own kid?!

SMBPR Scoop #3

The SMBPR Scoop
Greetings FOTMs,	July 2009
My midsummer pause gives me a moment to catch up on musical news... Queen for a Day  My brother, aunt, and uncle literally bowed down to me on March 1st, after they finally got to see the musical madness that's been playing in my heads all these years. The "Couch Reading" was held in the fabulous living room of Leah and Gyorgy Vass. A huge thank you to everyone (details here) who put effort into this festive afternoon. Michael and I learned so much from our talented cast and audience. Are you a fan on facebook? Did you see it? Post a review! The morning after, we dove right into the painful process of rewriting that readings tend to provoke, like headaches after weddings. We wrote every scene on post-its and taped them on a giant piece of paper, rearranging them as confusions cleared up. Unfortunately, our newest song, Queen for a Day had to go (details here), but the new rewrite (details here) eventually came together a few months later. Now there's even a fresh rewrite of part two (Mirror Imag(in)e) waiting in the wings for music. We're Official Shoes, a Mirror, and a Big, Pink Rose now has an official fiscal sponsor. What this means is that any donations to this project may now be made payable to Fractured Atlas to be tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. If you know anyone looking for an arts project to nurture, send them our way. If you'd like to make a donation to this summer's Compose-A-Thon, it will help us complete the music and scoring needed to prepare this story for the stage. Just click on the big shoe below. And so we plug away... hoping to finish by the time the economy recovers... Be well... Kristen Caven & Michael O'Dell	"Shoe Biz" SMBPR is now a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Arts donations are now tax-deductible. Since giving back is such an important part of life, THE SOULS OF HER FEET will henceforth help shoe the shoeless. Read more. Compare Notes Listen to how our "chase scene song" is evolving. Last year, "Dare to Waltz" sounded like this. Now, "The Truth or Dare Waltz" is becoming a Vienna Waltz... listen. It's barely scored yet, but ... What do you think? Tell us! Everywhere but on stage... SMBPR site SOULS site SMBPR blog SMBPR store Facebook page Are you a fan yet?
You never know where a new pair of shoes will take you....

© Kristen Caven 2009 •