In this episode, musical theatre playwright Isaac Laskin stopped by Playwright's Spotlight to talk about the the development and evolution of his hit L.A. musical Hey, Morgan. He dispels the rumor of being challenged to write a musical about a dear friend, how the origination started as individual standalone songs about his roommate and how it later evolved into a musical. We unpack its growth from a short-run, small-theater production into a bigger, longer running show which included a copy of the soundtrack for the audience to leave with. We discuss the logistics of the cast album, writing multilayered/tracked songs, comedy in the current climate, pushing the envelope and crossing the line, and putting it out into the public for outside production. It's an inspiring conversation, where even the most simple concepts and turn into much more ambitious projects. Enjoy!
Isaac Laskin is a musical playwright, actor, director, musician, and screenwriter. His hit musical Hey Morgan ran the LA circuit at The Attic Theater in January 2011 and made a revival at the Black Dalia Theatre from 2011 through 2012. He is a former English Teacher at the prestigious Harvard-Westlake Upper School in Los Angeles.
To watch the video format of this episode, visit - https://youtu.be/IqpqINTDCfY
Links to sites and resources mentioned in this episode -
The Geffen - https://www.geffenplayhouse.org
Hey, Morgan on iTunes - https://music.apple.com/us/album/hey-morgan-original-cast-recording/1532877933
Hey, Morgan on Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/artist/1wHV2oNiYxDpAgt68w9IYV?si=YIsPEbaVQ5WvlkbHzpsyKQ
The Lincoln Bedroom on iTunes - https://music.apple.com/us/album/broken-record/1493495387
Websites and socials for James Elden, PMP, and Playwright's Spotlight -
Punk Monkey Productions -
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com
PLAY Noir -
www.playnoir.com
PLAY Noir Anthology –
www.punkmonkeyproductions.com/contact.html
James Elden -
Twitter - @jameseldensauer
IG - @alakardrake
FB - fb.com/jameseldensauer
Punk Monkey Productions and PLAY Noir -
Twitter - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoirla
IG - @punkmonkeyprods
- @playnoir_la
FB - fb.com/playnoir
- fb.com/punkmonkeyproductions
Playwright's Spotlight -
Twitter - @wrightlightpod
IG - @playwrights_spotlight
Playwriting services through Los Angeles Collegiate Playwrights Festival
www.losangelescollegiateplaywrightsfestival.com/services.html
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