Reason to Be Update #2: Will You Hold My ___

New Song Idea

I have this new idea for a song. I’m kind of busy at the moment, so I’m not sure if I’ll actually make it. But here’s the idea so far. “Will you hold my ___.” I’m not sure what goes in the blank yet. I was thinking something like seashell, but I want it to be something made, not found. I was also thinking “baby” but that’s too on the nose and has other connotations.

Here are some other starts of lyrics I was thinking about:

• It’s not shiny, it’s not covered in jewels
• It’s not golden
• It’s made with simple ingredients
• It’s raw and it’s pure
• It’s mine
• I made it for you

Frustrations about Auditions

Will you hold my musical? It’s not going to be in the big mainstage theater, it doesn’t have the budget of the theater department. It does not have a Broadway production. It does not have Tony Awards.

It’s raw and it’s pure.

It’s mine.

I made it for you.

I have spent this week proofreading my script, and besides that, advertising auditions for my musical which take place next week. At the time of writing, zero people have signed up to audition for my musical, and the auditions for the mainstage production of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee are nearly full. Here are some things that my musical has over Spelling Bee:

• An in-development musical means that there is a unique opportunity to shape the future direction of the musical.
• This musical is currently relevant. Trump just signed an executive order to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord.
• The melodies are memorable (in contrast to Spelling Bee where they don’t really go anywhere).
• The accompaniments are well thought-out, often featuring countermelodies or additional textures (in contrast to Spelling Bee where the accompaniments are basically plug and chug chords).
• The lyrics are meaningful and/or clever (in contrast to Spelling Bee which has very literal lyrics and little/basic rhyming).

What Spelling Bee has over Reason to Be:

• A Tony Award.
• It’s more entertaining (in contrast to my musical, which engages directly with the issue at hand).
• It’s the mainstage production so it’s more prestigious.
• People don’t assume it automatically will be bad just because it’s a student production.

It’s frustrating for me to beg people, through email, over the phone, in person, to even consider my musical, only to not even be considered just because I don’t have the existing reputation. Of course, I know many people who do not get cast in Spelling Bee will audition for my musical, but come on. Who wants to be second choice?

God forbid a musical actually has something to say.

I spent over an hour today crying about this :(.