Taking It to the Stage
By Edward Morris
Working with several local entertainment organizations, Belmont University has just established the Belmont Musical Theater Institute. Although it is still taking shape and seeking funding, the institute ultimately aims to become a link between Nashville songwriters and the Broadway stage. Toward that end, organizers are planning for a two-day series of musical theater workshops to be held here next May.
Over a year ago, some industry insiders hit upon the notion that Nashville has the kind of musical talent that Broadway needs. Freddie Gershon, cochairman of the SESAC performing rights society, and entertainment attorney Michael Sukin brought a panel of theatrical heavyweights to Music Row to talk to songwriters. Gershon is also chairman of Music Theater International, one of the largest theatrical licensing organizations in the world. He and his fellow speakers told Nashville composers that Broadway was cliquish, inbred, overly reliant on revivals of past hits, and desperately in need of new blood. Sukin pointed out that hit musicals can generate enormous royalties for their writers.
Among the songwriters who attended the presentation were Mike Reid, Charlie Black, Rory Bourke, Don Schlitz, Richard Leigh, Roger Murrah, Peter McCann, Susan Longacre and Richard Leigh. Schlitz and Pat Alger have since teamed with Tony-winning director Mike Ockrent to write a musical. Reid has already written and scored a one-act play that will premiere in New York in February.
Hoping to formalize and strengthen the Broadway connection, various figures in Nashville’s entertainment community sought help earlier this year from Dr. Bill Lindsley, who is both president of the Nashville Entertainment Association (NEA) and dean of Belmont’s graduate school of business. “[They asked] about the possibility of having some structure that would support musical theater,” Lindsley explains. From this proposal grew planning sessions that eventually involved Belmont’s school of music, the music business program, and the communications arts department. Other participants were SESAC, ASCAP, BMI, NEA, Nashville Songwriters Association International, National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, Tennessee Screen Writers, Tennessee Repertory Theater and TPAC.
“All have expressed a strong interest in doing this and supporting this activity,” Lindsley reports. “They think it’s a good thing.” Two weeks ago, the key Nashville players met with Sukin, who is helping to organize the institute’s New York connections. Lindsley says that Lisa DuBois, theater writer for the Nashville Banner and an early champion of the institute, has taken the lead in “lining up producers, directors and book writers” for the May workshops.
“Writing for musical theater is not like writing a song,” Lindsley asserts. “It’s a lot more involved and requires some education and support, activities for networking, and opportunities for plays to be performed and critiqued. We see us as providing that incubator.”
Mike Reid’s play, Different Fields, draws on his own experiences as a professional football player. Sarah Schlesinger, a professor at New York University, wrote the libretto. The play will run Feb. 7-18 at the New Victory Theater in New York, April 25-28 in Memphis, and May 24-25 in Nashville.
Currents
♦ Craig Chambers has been named vice president and general manager of Great American Country, the around-the-clock country music video channel set to debut Dec. 31. Chambers was formerly general manager of the Western division for Group W Satellite Communications, which is part owner (with Gaylord Entertainment) of CMT: Country Music Television. Chambers’ duties will include overseeing the network’s “identity, on-air look and format.”
Since both networks rely on promotional videos for programming, will Great American Country look like CMT? It’s not clear yet. Certainly the new service will have more videos on its playlist than CMT. That’s because it will have fewer advertising spots—at least at the outset. Otherwise, everything is fluid, according to network spokesman Andy Holdgate.
To the delight of all involved, CMT superimposes a great deal of information about each video it broadcasts, including the names of the artist, song, album, songwriter(s), record company, album producer, video producer and director. This is vital data, particularly in light of the fact that many radio stations fail to identify even the songs and artists they play. While hazy on specifics, Holdgate says videos aired on Great American Country will be accompanied by all the information that the record companies provide.
“Part of the mission of the channel,” Holdgate continues, “is to expand to a slightly older demographic. Hence the name ‘Great American Country.’ There’ll be a lot of interest in working with these [record] companies on creating additional music video content for popular classic country tunes.... We’ve said that a viewer will never be more than 10 minutes away from a Top 10 hit and that selections in the Top 40 will air up to 50 times per week. Initially, there will be music videos for up to 54 minutes every hour. As our library expands, we’ll be able to add these other classic hits.”
Yet to be decided is whether the network will program videos from independent labels or those featuring Canadian country artists. “We’re looking into all that,” Holdgate says. “I don’t think anything has been ruled out yet. It’s really going to be driven by the interests viewers have.” Great American Country is a subsidiary of Jones International Networks, Englewood, Colo.
♦ Dr. Richard Barnet, chairman of Middle Tennessee State University’s department of recording industry, has been appointed to the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Advisory Council.
♦ Dr. Richard Barnet, chairman of Middle Tennessee State University’s department of recording industry, has been appointed to the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Advisory Council.
Comments (0)