Carnival To Bridges... An Educational Voyage

In the 42 years I have been a theatre professional, I have worn many, many hats. I started out in 1976 at the very ripe age of 16 as a Musical Director for a theatre called Arena Players Repertory Theatre. It happened that my High School Director was working there and heard they needed a Musical Director. How he was able to convince them that a 16 year old pianist who had never musical directed before could pull this off, I'll never know. That man, Ken Ulric, (although he had no idea at the time) is the one who gave me the gift of starting my career.

The show was Carnival. Not a hugely known musical but a beautiful piece of theatre. As luck would have it, I had played it in Middle School. It was my first experience with musical theatre, again, thanks to, as luck would have it, two Middle School teachers that believed in me, Joan and Regis Bowman.

Arena Players Repertory Theatre quickly became my home and I began to learn my craft there. After years of musical directing some of the finest and most loving group of performers, I was asked to start directing. Me? Really? Fred DeFeis, the Owner/Producer of that theatre, said it was time and that he would help and work with me until I felt comfortable. Once again, I can't tell you how he decided that someone with no directing experience could do this. I can tell you however, that having someone in your corner believe in you, can work wonders for you self confidence. Those six or seven years I spent in that theatre served as my education. I was allowed to explore my creativity and discover my view as a director and actor, (sometimes at the same time as serving as MD!).

Fast forward to 2018 when I was entrusted with a project that turned into one of the top musical experiences of my life, musical direction of Bridges Of Madison County. While working on the show, I started to reflect on my journey and how I have learned so much. I started to realize how much my musical direction is a product of the cumulative experiences I've had over the past 42 years. It has made me continue to think about what is important to me as an MD and a coach.

I've come to realize that I love to tell stories through music. I've learned how music can not only tell the story, but inform the story. I love how music can give the performer clues as to what is going on in the mind of the character. I love to bridge the gap between the dialogue and the point in which the character HAS to sing. I've learned that although show runs can last for many weeks, every show has a different feel. Every performance is colored by what each performer brings with them on that given night, what I am feeling every night, and what the audience as a entity brings with them to the theatre as well. But most of all I love the creative, collaborative process. Rehearsals are where I am most comfortable. That creative time is the most enjoyable time of a show for me.

As for coaching, very few things give me as much pleasure as helping someone prepare music for auditions and guiding them through discovery of how to find the truth in what they are singing (saying). I really enjoy finding the perfect song for each client and introducing them to songs they might have not known before. My experience and journey as a teacher has helped to inform my process as a vocal coach. It is my love of teaching that influences my love for vocal coaching.

Carnival might have been 42 years ago and there were a lot of wonderful theatres, producers, musicians, actors in between, but that 16 year old boy is still inside of me. Even though I now have those years of experience behind me I still get that tingle of excitement before we go into rehearsal for every new show as if it was my first! It's been a long voyage but an amazing time, meeting amazing, talented performers who taught me more than I could have ever taught them. The voyage is far from over however. There are new shows on my list to do every day, and new songs to discover to bring to my clients and above all else, there is so much more to learn.

If you are already a client, here's to many more shared musical experiences. If you are a future client, I can't wait to meet you and to be that someone in your corner who believes in you. I am looking forward to including you all on this incredible educational voyage and I can't wait to see what is around the next corner!

J.H.