Erik Orton and Dr. K. Newell Dayley, Fine Arts and Communications
I originally received an ORCA grant for the purpose of developing a musical adaptation of The Scarlet Letter. During the ensuing months my subject matter changed to the life of Daniel O’Connell (1775-1847), an Irish patriot who led a movement to help the farming class regain their rights from England.
While collaborating on The Scarlet Letter, I responded to a request by Joshua Williams for “an orchestrater to help develop an original musical.” Joshua and I met, shared portfolios and demo tapes, and quickly decided to work on the project as full collaborators. Soon after, The Scarlet Letter collaboration dissolved.
Joshua was completing the first draft of an historical Irish play. After meeting with several friends and relatives to read through the existing material, we began discussing the story’s structure and dramatic arc. Joshua then proceeded to complete the script and I began orchestrating the current music.
Joshua and I felt very encouraged by our work together and decided that a workshop environment would be required to help the piece progress effectively. We approached Tim Slover (BYU Head of Playwrighting) who recommended we formulate such a workshop under the auspice of TMA Special Projects 515R. He sponsored the course but also informed us he could not attend any of the workshop sessions. After agreeing to meet with him on a biweekly basis, we began recruiting talent to participate in the workshop. Five performers and an accompanist were selected. Additional petitioning to the Music Dance Theatre committee secured academic credit for the singers and the accompanist. The script was completed in December 1997 and we separated for Christmas vacation.
However, upon reading the script I felt dissatisfied with the draft we had outlined. After a long phone conversation, Joshua and I decided to further research the specified period of Irish history in hopes of finding material to strengthen the script. The story of Daniel O’Connell was decided upon, and I set about studying his life. Though both capable of writing book, lyrics, and music, we agreed that Joshua would supervise the music and I would oversee the script and lyrics.
Replacing the core plot with the story of Daniel O’Connell dramatically altered our workshop itinerary. However, after much negotiating, many bruised egos and a great deal of artistic maturing, The Drummings premiered, in concert form, at the Nelke Experimental Theatre. Full houses and standing ovations fueled our enthusiasm and we tentatively planned a production in Washington D.C.
My wife, daughter and I arrived in Washington D.C. one week after closing The Drummings at BYU. With half a dozen songs recorded, an overwhelming audience response, and high hopes for a career in musical theatre writing, I cracked open the phone book and began calling theatres. Our original intent was to hire a director, book a theatre, and produce the show as a full-scale main-stage production. However, after assessing our financial resources– my credit card–we decided that I would direct the show, Joshua would act as musical director, and we would simply expand the previously used concert format. After approximately two months we secured the Rosslyn Spectrum theatre for six nights (August 3-5, 10-12). Our performances would take place on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights while another theatre company would perform on the weekends and have priority use of all facilities. Therefore, I accepted a position as Stage Manager for a production running at the Spectrum just previous to ours, and thus became acquainted with all the theatre personnel and technical restraints that we would have to overcome.
After assembling a rag-tag production team, composed mostly of college students and anyone else willing to work for free, a simple set was designed, arrangements were made to costume 20-25 performers, and the large wheel of advertising was set spinning. By offering my skills as a scenic carpenter, I attached myself to the Signature Theatre–the most renowned organization for developing musical theatre in D.C.–and I began studying their public relation tactics. In response to what I learned, I quickly educated myself in graphic design and began working to make all our publicity “look” like it had just come from Broadway. Meantime, I was scrambling to assure the attendance of potential directors, producers, and investors.
The show was cast July 21. Rehearsals began July 25. Our lead performers all arrived by July 31 and, after a total of seven rehearsals, we opened on August 3. Though performing to much smaller (but this time paying) audiences, we received an equally enthusiastic response. After attending opening night, Brad Hathaway of the Arlington Connection described The Drummings as “a work of sweeping scope. . . and ambitious approaches.” The twenty-one member cast, ranging from high school students to seasoned professionals, “maintained an intensity throughout. . . which demonstrated great faith in the piece.”
As a result of the production, we are currently in negotiations with New York based Fifth Avenue Productions, and Toronto based Livent Inc. (the company that recently won four Tony Awards for their original production of Ragtime). The Drummings will be featured again on November 23 at the National Theatre Helen Hayes Gallery in Washington D.C. The purpose of this production will be for Fifth Avenue and Livent to invite potential directors, designers, and financial investors. Items currently on the negotiating table include a $600,000 co-production with Duke University, a subsequent production and the Goodspeed Opera House, and then, hopefully, a transfer to a Tony Award-eligible theatre on Broadway. Additional information may be obtained from the show’s web site: www.erols.com/kenorton/thedrummings.html.