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 •

SMBPR Scoop #2

The SMBPR Scoop
Greetings FOTMs,	January 2009
Happy New Year! Here's an update about your favorite new non-princesses. Two steps back, three steps foreward If there's one thing the creative process teaches us, it's that we need to take our time. When we started writing together four years ago this May, we figured we'd be done by that December, and on Broadway the following spring. Hah! So last fall when I wrote you that we would be "forging ahead through the next two acts," well, we didn't' forge very far. There was a rewrite... but it wasn't the right rewrite... so then there was another. And now it's a whole now show! For Christmas Kristen got a copy of Steven Schwartz's bio -- and is comforted to know that even WICKED, which seemed to burst on the world fully-formed, went through the grinding rewrites and revisions we realize we are facing over the next whatever, until opening night. (Some days, just the idea that we're doing this feels to me like "defying gravity!") Read what's new in the story. Together Again Michael's relocation to New York taught us how to collaborate long-distance, but it's nothing like hanging out around a piano together! He got a gig on a new show here in the Bay Area, which means we have some time to develop all these new songs I wrote! The writing is going really well. We hope to have some new demo tunes by the end of the month. Save the date: If all goes well, we hope to cobble together a reading on March 1st to put it the new story together for the first time. If you're in the Bay Area, write me today if you are interested in seeing it, and/or can help out, volunteer your your living room (piano required), or have an 'in' with a dark theater. Cross Your Fingers Between rewrites, Kristen's been writing grants and applying for festivals. We'll post any good news as it comes in. Meanwhile, Michael is applying for the graduate program in musical theater at Tisch and hopes to start there this fall. Please keep your eyes out for opportunities to develop new musicals, and please send us your good thoughts! As our economy tanks and everything shifts around, we must remind ourselves to stay focused on our passions. Someday things will straighten out, and then... watch out, world. CHEERS! Kristen Caven & Michael O'Dell	Show "Biz" Support the arts! Have you got a tshirt yet?    ENTER COUPON CODE "GRANDOPENING5" FOR A $5 DISCOUNT! Official Links SMBPR site SOULS site SMBPR blog SMBPR store Facebook page In Other News Kristen

© Kristen Caven 2009 •

SMBPR Scoop #1

The SMBPR Scoop
Greetings {FIRST_NAME},	September 2008
"Well, it wasn't quite cotillion, but tonight our big debut was just a glorious beginning of all we get to do!" —Harry NY Debut a Success! We are so pleased to report that last month's New York debut was a great success! An exhausting week of casting paid off with a high-spirited and talented volunteer team, including drag superstar Sherry Vine to originate the roll of Harry. (You may have seen "her" on a recent Project Runway show) We hired a handful of professional musicians and an up-and-coming director to steer the show to its highest potential. Still, we flew by the seats of our pants (I love that metaphor!), with only one rehearsal, and for everything that could have gone wrong, it all somehow went right! Can you imagine a Broadway-style chorus in a teeny, tiny room 2 blocks from Times Square? Well, "Honey, you need to VISUALIZE!" (Click for scenes from the show.) Seeing the audience respond to the drama and the jokes was priceless! Here is some of the feedback we got: "Funny without being offensive or vulgar" "The music is amazing!" "jazzy underscoring" "The characters are funny and relatable, and there really is something for everyone, regardless of sex, age or gender."  "Campy without being too over the top." "The most entertaining Fairy Godmother in the history of fairy tales!" We were also able to narrow down our target audience: Girls between 14 and 20 and their families. Anyone who liked Wicked, Legally Blond, Hairspray, or Xanadu.  Fans of twisted classics Gay audiences (in both senses of the word), and Shoe-obsessed women. Perhaps the greatest thing about this experience was discovering ways to make SOULS even stronger. This fall, we will beworking on a rewrite and forging ahead with the rest of the show, including act two, Mirror Imag(in)e and act three, The Number the Beast. She is also applying for grants and looking for arts partnerships to help get the show to the next phase. In the meantime, if you'd like to help support this production (we're still paying off our credit cards), our Souls-of-Her-Feet t-shirts are a great way to show your support! (The pre-teen girls in your life can even wear the g-rated version to school.) A very special thank you goes out to everyone who helped make our debut possible--you know who you are and we love you!!! We'll write when there's more to report. CHEERS! Kristen Caven & Michael O'Dell	Show "Biz" We are still selling t-shirts to pay for our director, band, and venue! We still need to sell 22 shirts! Can you help out? If you are in the Bay Area and would like a white heart print shirt, please call 510-534-1415. To purchase another design or color from anywhere,         CLICK HERE! ENTER COUPON CODE "GRANDOPENING5" FOR A $5 DISCOUNT! Official Links SMBPR site SOULS site SMBPR blog - read it! SMBPR store Facebook group In Other News On 9/11/08, Michael premiered his BRAND new 10-minute musical, American Bombshell, for the U.S.-ification of America Conference Festival at Center Stage in NYC!
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© Kristen Caven 2008 •