SCKBSTD

SCKBSTD Press

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 20:51:00 +0000

We have experienced quite a bit of press coverage for SCKBSTD. Here are some links to stories in the past 12 months... all in one place.

New York Times: "Beyond Whiskers on Kittens." A feature on "a sampling of (5) musicals in development, some with their eyes on Broadway, that aren’t afraid to make audiences squirm."

New York Magazine: "Stage Dive." A post about new musicals on Theater Editor, Scott Brown's radar screen.

Variety: "Local Critics Give Hornsby Musical Thumbs Up." A roll-up of local reviews of SCKBSTD.

Playbill: Ken Jones' summary of next steps for SCKBSTD after Virginia production.

Virginia Pilot: "Bruce Hornsby and friend open new musical." The back story of how SCKBSTD came to be.

Veer Magazine: "Bruce Hornsby's... musical debuts..." Another good article about the show's back story.

Moving on

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 06:33:00 +0000

The company in the final scene of SCKBSTD. Photo courtesy of Kathy Hornsby.

In the final scene of the show (pictured above), our characters take stock of what's happened and prepare to move on. That's exactly what we have been doing since the run at the Virginia Stage Company came to an end a couple of weeks ago.

We are thrilled with the Virginia production and remain excited for what's ahead. The theater set records with the highest selling season production ($236,363) in VSC history, breaking even the record for the world premiere of Secret Garden before it went on to Broadway. We received wonderful feedback from critics and audiences alike. And we learned what we still have to work on to move ahead. (oh, yeah, and we also had a fabulous time with the cast, crew and the amazingly supportive staff at VSC). You couldn't ask for a better way to kick off the life of our show.

Now, we are busy meeting with potential producing partners, exploring theater possibilities for the next production and working with the creative team to continue to strengthen our story-telling. There's lots to do if we are going to bring the show to new audiences. Moving on!

Fine-tuning a musical

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:53:00 +0000

Kevin Mambo (Sheriff), Matt Cabbil (policeman), Bill Parry (William), Marcus Lovett (Jim)

The process of creating an original musical is daunting. You're (very) lucky if your first production is about 70% of what you eventually hope it will be. The hard part is the last 30%. More than a few promising musicals have demonstrated the potential to be great only to begin the long, slow backward slide into oblivion once changes started being made. The trick is knowing what to fix, and how to fix it. It's nice to get good reviews. It can be dangerous to believe them. You've got to hold yourself to your own standards and always be trying to make the show better.

This week we begin the delicate process of making the show better. A song cut here, a new scene there. A shift in focus, a change in staging. So begins the delicate dance of making changes in front of a live audience. Luckily we designed the process to work this way. Put the show up, see what works, then fix what doesn't. Simple right? Wish us luck (*smile*)

SCKBSTD photo album

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 18:30:00 +0000

Bob Cuccioli (Norm); photo courtesy of David Polston

Bob Cuccioli (Norm) in car with Charles Franklin (Tim); photo courtesy of Kathy Hornsby

Jill Paice (Afton) with l. to r. Jayne Paterson (Sally), Garrett Long (Wendy), Rosa Curry (Jenny); photo courtesy of Kathy Hornsby

Marcus Lovett (Jim); photo courtesy of Kathy Hornsby

Bob Cuccioli (Norm); Photo courtesy of David Polston

Jill Paice (Afton) and Marcus Lovett (Jim); photo courtesy of David Polston


Charles Franklin (Tim) and Brynn Williams (Jill); Photo courtesy of David Polston

Praise for SCKBSTD

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 22:32:00 +0000

Photo courtesy of David Polston

Several reviews have been published in the local press and we've included some excerpts here:

Jeremy Ahlbers, Alt Daily

"Chronicling a day in the life of a small Virginia community, SCKBSTD is really about the American culture of paranoia; a fable that warns of the dangers of being too quick to rush to judgment, and allowing your emotions to cloud your reason...Fans of Mr. Hornsby will be pleased to know that the local music star has written an altogether fascinating score... not being a fan of Mr. Hornsby's I have to admit I am surprised to like the score as much as I did... Mr. Rando has created a production that is energetic and exciting; the choreography of Scott Wise is lively, vibrant and the cast is altogether superb."

David Nicholson, Daily Press

"Set in a small Southern town, the show tackles numerous issues - marital conflict, intergenerational family problems, coming of age and small-town hysteria - that play out in a 24 hour period against a strong story line about a mysterious stranger who comes to town...Hornsby and his producers deserve credit for fashioning a meaty musical with an at times riveting storyline that sets itself apart from many of the musicals today seen on Broadway... Hornsby's songs are full of satire and have a wry way of seeing the underbelly of the world."

Mal Vincent, Virginian Pilot

"SCKBSTD is the most ambitious and challenging work of the current theater season. It has the credentials and quirky identity to carry it from Tazewell Street to the Great White Way"

Sam McDonald, Daily Press.com

"If witty lyrics, strong tunes, poignant moments and oddball charactersmake for a good musical, then SCKBSTD has what it takes to entertain."

Veer Magazine

"The new Bruce Hornsby musical, SCKBSTD, is tuneful, vivacious, thoroughly entertaining and quite possibly important.

The Virginia Stage Company world premiere also features some of the best choreography and dancing that Hampton Roads is likely to see in any musical, at any theater. For that matter, very few dedicated dance companies will be able to match this show.

SCKBSTD turns out to be pretty much the best piece of don’t-fret-just-let-it-wash-over-you entertainment in recent memory, but it’s grounded in extraordinary intelligence.

What turns this fun, rich, but somewhat diffusely plotted show into a work of some importance is not Hornsby’s celebrity, but his emergence as a new talent in the musical theater world."

Opening Weekend Top 10 list

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:20:00 +0000

Jill Paice and Marcus Lovett during "Continents Drift." Photo courtesy of David Polston.

There were so many highlights from opening weekend that we're doing a top 10 list in today's post.

1) Getting to see the show performed for a packed house of paying customers for the first time after four years of development.

2) Stopping the show after the first number on Opening Night to reboot the show control computer and watching Bruce take questions from the crowd.

3) The cast rocking the restart.

4) The instant standing ovation on opening night ( nearly brought us to tears).

5) The standing ovations at every performance so far.

6) The incredibly positive feedback from friends, family, fans and complete strangers.

7) Dancing at the back of the house by the sound board at every performance ( sometimes with Bruce).

8) Rehearsals. We all loved working on this show so much we never wanted to stop.

9) Person after person telling us this is one of the best experiences they've had in the theater.

10) Feeling it was all worthwhile.

Our Simple Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 19:04:00 +0000

"Simple Prayer" performed by (left to right): Ken Cavett, Jill Paice, Brynn Williams, Eugene Barry-Hill, Kevin Mambo, Charles Franklin, Karl Warden, Jayne Paterson, Rosa Curry and Garrett Long. Photo courtesy of Kathy Hornsby.

There is a song in the show called "Simple Prayer," where the residents of our little town share their inner thoughts. Well we're going to share our "Simple Prayer" after last night's second preview performance -- we'd like to take that audience with us wherever we go. It was a great crowd that laughed, cried and gasped in all the right places. They went along for the ride and seemed to be on the edge of their seat as the story developed. In the end, they were on their feet like Tuesday night's audience. Unfortunately, we didn't get everyone's e-mail address (to track them down) so we'll just have to hope that the rest of our audiences are just as good!

Pre-show press

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 19:32:00 +0000

The local press here in Virginia have run several stories in the last few days as build-up to SCKBSTD's opening night on Friday. They tell the story of how SCKBSTD came to be and also give us a window into Bruce's approach to the show musically. You can check out them out at the following links here: The Virginian-Pilot (focus on the back story), The Daily Press (focus on the music), Veer Magazine (a long interview with Bruce), Alt Daily (buzz building in VA) and Style Magazine (a nice interview with Richmond native, Clay). Check 'em out!

Getting Set

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 21:22:00 +0000

SCKBSTD set with miniature design model (inset). Click on image to view larger version.

When she was five years old, SCKBSTD's set designer Narelle Sissons discovered her passion at a performance of Aladdin in London's West End, although at the time she had no idea she'd make a career of it. She was mesmerized by the ornate bejeweled cave that Aladdin wandered into... and that was that. Narelle started creating little sets in her home, later designed sets in high school, and now is one of the top people in the business.

In creating the physical world of SCKBSTD, Narelle envisioned a design that would establish the feel of a rural small town. She created an extremely flexible space that allows room for Scott Wise's choreography, Robert Wierzel's lighting design and Darrel Maloney's projections. It's an evocative design that pulls us right into the Low Country. Like a time-lapse photograph, we come in every morning to see Narelle's world come into increasing focus as VSC's overnight crew has added a wall, some trees, a door, a piece of molding. We're just two days away from our first audience (invited dress on Sunday) and we are getting set. In fact, we're just about ready to go.

Into the Theater

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 18:21:00 +0000

It's been five years in the making, but SCKBSTD has now set foot on a stage; the 98 year old Wells Theater stage to be precise. VSC's production team has been working feverishly to build Narelle Sissons evocative set. Walls are going up, trees are going in, rolling doors and windows are being built, and mechanical tracks are being fine-tuned among several dozen other activities.

Photo courtesy of David Polston

Robert Wierzel's lighting design, Darrel Maloney's projections and Jessica Paz's sound designs are all being tested and layered. The cast is going from cue to cue on the actual stage under John and Scott's direction. Jodi and Kim are now working with the full band (at least some of the time) on their on-stage bandstand. It's all happening!

We're one week out from our first preview and there's nothing like a very real deadline to focus everyone's efforts. The cast and creative team are energized to all be working in the same place at the same time. Here we go...

SCKBSTD... the concert

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 17:24:00 +0000

On Saturday evening, Bruce held a benefit concert for the Virginia Stage Company and the SCKBSTD production. It was an inspiring evening. We thought the best way to share the evening with you would be to post some segments of the blog from the music writer of the Daily Press, Sam McDonald. Here goes:

     Much about Bruce Hornsby's new musical "SCKBSTD" remains a mystery -- one that won't be solved until the play opens on Jan 18.
     But his concert Saturday, Jan. 8, at Wells Theatre in Norfolk opened a fascinating window into the show by introducing an audience to most -- if not all -- the songs that will be part of the production.
     Talking about his suite of tunes, Hornsby shined light on the play's storyline. He said the play is essentially about paranoia in modern American life...

Bruce performs at the Wells Theater, 1/08/11. Photo courtesy of David Polston.

     While other particulars of the "SCKBSTD" plot remain shrouded, Saturday's concert made clear that Hornsby's theatrical songs offer a zesty range of tones, textures and emotions. New Orleans boogie, achingly tender ballads, Frank Zappa-like rock, off-kilter jazz, even polka show up in the songs he created with childhood friend Chip deMatteo.
     A number of the songs show off the semi-twisted Hornsby-deMatteo sense of humor. For instance, one of the tunes played for the first time in public Saturday was "Where's the Bat." In the lyrics to that song, a suburban housewife confesses she is so frustrated with her husband that she's ready to bludgeon him with a Louisville Slugger.
     Similar dark-tinged humor crops up in "SCKBSTD" songs "In The Low Country" and "The Black Rats of London" -- both of which were released on Hornsby's 2009 album "Levitate."
     But clearly, "SCKBSTD," will have touching moments as well as funny ones. "Invisible," which Hornsby said will be sung by child actors in the play, is a straight-ahead depiction of youthful aches and pains.
     Tunes "Continents Drift" and "Here We Are Again" -- which also appeared on the "Levitate" album -- are as heartfelt as anything Hornsby's ever written. Performing them at the Wells, he pumped them full of pure emotion.
     Another new song, the lovely and serious "Soon Enough," featured Hornsby's trademark melodicism and gentle touch.
     If witty lyrics, strong tunes, poignant moments and oddball characters make for a good musical, then "SCKBSTD" has what it takes to entertain.

Virginia is for lovers

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Mon, 10 Jan 2011 00:41:00 +0000

is the state's tag line and so far we're feelin' the love... we've been in Virginia now for several days and are thriving in our new digs. As you can see from the photo, our spacious rehearsal room at the Virginia Arts Festival's beautiful new facility is a far cry from our cramped quarters in Chelsea. The company is really hitting its stride here. The folks at the Virginia Stage Company, under the leadership of Keith Stava (Managing Director) and Chris Hanna (Artistic Director), have been fabulous partners who have gone to great lengths to support the cast and creative team, generate buzz in the local press and construct our exciting set (among 100 other things). We are thrilled to be back in the home state of SCKBSTD's composer, lyricist and book-writer. We're also back in the place where the story happens, which has really begun to influence the performances. Now if only it would start to feel like the South (wind chill was in the teens last night)... but we're still lovin' it.

Let's go to the videotape

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:50:00 +0000

So you've got some questions about SCKBSTD. Where did Sick Bastard come from? What's the show about? What kind of tone are we going for? How did Bruce approach this challenge musically? Why Virginia? We thought it would be a good idea to answer these questions in a short video that could be made available as an Electronic Press Kit (EPK) to local media outlets in Virginia. Thanks to the nice work of videographer David Kane, we've got it. It's also posted on Playbill.com and Broadwayworld.com. Check it out here.

Escape from New York

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 23:22:00 +0000

If this scene looks crowded, it's not an optical illusion. You are looking at our cast, creative team (Director, John Rando far right), crew and stage set pieces crammed into a small rehearsal space in New York's Chelsea Studios. It was great being in NYC and close to home (for virtually all of our cast and creative team), but we can't wait to get to the comparatively wide open spaces of our VA rehearsal space and stage. And we'll be there tomorrow! Yesterday, we had a few collisions and near-collisions as the cast rolled two-wheelers, strollers, gurneys, car seats, and rolling doors and windows in and out of scenes. John Rando and Scott Wise did their best air traffic controller impersonations to keep it from getting too ugly. But by Wednesday, we'll be more spread out and happy. That's the plan anyway. Virginia, here we come!

Snow Day(s)

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 17:48:00 +0000

In case you missed it, there was a blizzard in NYC this week. It was national news when the airports were shut down and the cross-country skiers emerged from their apartments. One of them was our very own Marcus Lovett (Jim), who was captured by an AP photographer gliding through New York's epicenter -- Times Square. I woke up to his mug splashed across the back page of the San Francisco Chronicle! (I ducked out of NY just in time to spend the holidays with my family in California). It was also the photo of the day on Anderson Cooper's AC 360 site.

The blizzard proved to be a nightmare for Jayne Paterson (Sally), who was stranded in Arizona for several days. She had just finished her current Broadway show A Little Night Music so at least she didn't miss any performances of that one. Now everyone's back in NY navigating the slush and gliding across the boards of the Chelsea Studios!

A little photo album...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:13:00 +0000

Playbill.com and Broadway world both ran photo albums from the SCKBSTD rehearsals in NY. Have a look here.

Having a ball in the low country...

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Tue, 21 Dec 2010 03:35:00 +0000

Scott Wise (center) working with (left to right) Garrett Long, Brynn Williams, Karl Warden, Jayne Paterson and Eugene Barry-Hill

How much fun is this? Spending the afternoon with choreographer Scott Wise (and Elizabeth Parkinson) working on the ensemble numbers for The Low Country and Simple Prayer. Our musical director Kim Grigsby once said "Bruce Hornsby can't write a song without a groove. It's simply not possible" and we are taking full advantage. The best part is watching Scott create a performance with expert dancers and actors alike by building a dance vocabulary based on their characters. "Having a ball in The Low Country" indeed!

Wish you were here

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:41:00 +0000

Rehearsals for the world premiere of SCKBSTD started this week (finally!!!) and we just cleared the 30 hour mark. This is significant because until now (our prior readings), we've been limited to 29 hours to work the material. Equity rules... don't ask.

Remarkably, the actors and creative team are as nice as they are talented, which has made the work a joy thus far. Bruce, Kim (musical sup) and Jodi (musical director) spent the first three days with the cast working on the songs. Everyone is getting the vibe of Bruce's style, which is so essential to the success of the show. Scott (choreographer) has begun to stage some of the bigger numbers and his whimsical approach to bringing this small town to life is going to be wonderful to see. John (director) and Clay (book) have been hammering away on the story (with great input from the performers) to bring a LOT more depth to each character and their various relationships. John has calmly held it all together and kept us focused on truly understanding what the world of this town is about. We'll have some photos for you soon so you can get a feel for what we're doing. It's a "nice room" and we wish you could experience it. Stay tuned!

Meet the cast of SCKBSTD

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 19:02:00 +0000

Playbill.com just broke the story about our cast for SCKBSTD. You can read it here. Between them, the cast has been in nearly four dozen Broadway productions. Four of them have been with us for past readings (Jill, Bill, Riley and Brynn); and I'm sure we'll learn that everyone else has some connection to Virginia, because that's just how it's been on this project. Kudos to Jim Carnahan and Kate Boka who worked with John Rando and the rest of the creative team to put this fabulous group together. We start rehearsals next week. Can't wait.

Populating a small town

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Thu, 04 Nov 2010 00:44:00 +0000

Bruce (L) and John (R)

Casting a show is one of our favorite parts of the production process, but it's also one of the more nerve-wracking. There are so many questions that have to be answered. Do all of us share the same vision for each role? Will the talent be there? Can the best actors sing? Can the top singers act? Will their voices work for Bruce's style of music? Will our favorites for the kids' roles look like the kids of our favorites for the parents' roles (and visa versa)? Will the cast play nicely together? Will our final choices accept our offers to go out of town in the middle of winter? And what about Naomi (if you don't get this reference, it's OK... it means you're just not old enough).

Thanks to the efforts of Jim Carnahan (and his assistant Kate Boka), we've now had two casting sessions and seen some wonderful talent. Jim is the top NY casting agent as far as we're concerned. We figure anyone who can put together the cast of Glee can assemble the world of our show. But don't take our word for it... Jim had to leave our session to receive two awards from the Casting Society of America (for outstanding achievement in casting for a NY Broadway Theater Musical and a NY Broadway theater drama).

We have extended most of our offers and hope to announce a cast shortly. We were so pleased that some of our old familiar faces from prior readings were able to audition for our new director John Rando (who hadn't seen them in our workshops). These were the youngest members of our cast, and one of them, Riley Costello (Paperboy), powered through a lovely audition despite battling a high fever.

This cast will be made up of a bunch of characters that feel like they live in the world of this little southern town. It is a tribute to the material that Bruce, Chip and Clay have created that such accomplished performers are considering joining this premiere performance. We can't wait to introduce the cast to you... stay tuned.

The Vision Thing

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 06:01:00 +0000

With our director John Rando on board, the next big step has been working with John and the Virginia Stage Company to assemble a great group of designers. This involves identifying talented artists who share our vision and love the piece. We were thrilled to learn that so many talented people responded so well to the project. As a result, we’ve been very fortunate to assemble a fantastically talented group to help us bring SCKBSTD to life on stage.

Kim Grigsby, who has been on the project since the beginning will be our musical supervisor (when she's not otherwise busy musical directing SPIDERMAN). Her work on the 2008 Tony Winner SPRING AWAKENING is highly regarded in the industry, and she’s been a key part of our core team throughout SCKBSTD’s development. Jodie Moore, who worked beautifully with our team in our third reading, will be our musical director. Scott Wise, an accomplished Tony award winning dancer and performer, will choreograph the show.

Set designer, Narelle Sissons, from Britain and Australia has been nominated for Drama Desk and American Theatre Wing awards and has received a BackStage West award for her inventive set work. Her NY work includes ALL MY SONS and HOW I LEARNED TO DRIVE. She is particularly skilled with projection work, which is a key part of our production. Which brings us to our video designer, Darrel Maloney, fresh off his fantastic projection and video creations on AMERICAN IDIOT. Lighting will be done by Robert Wierzel, who recently completed fabulous work on FELA in NY (and now London), for which he won the Tony this past season. Costumes will be developed by Jennifer Caprio whose New York work includes PUTNAM COUNTY SPELLING BEE. Sound design will be by Jessica Paz, who recently completed work on FELA.

It's a wonderful group that is now busy collaborating with John to turn this shared vision into tangible design concepts over the next month. Lots of work yet to do!

Tony for Tony (not so easy!)

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 20:56:00 +0000

Wanted: accomplished, Tony award-winning musical director to replace accomplished Tony award-winning musical director; need to be extremely talented, work well with others and be available in December and January. Good luck!

That was the mental classified ad we had to write in June when Kathleen Marshall had twins and let us know she wouldn't be able to leave town in January to do our world premiere of SCKBSTD in Virginia. Fortunately, she recommended John Rando and John just had a cancellation of another project during this window. As a Tony-winning director of an original musical (Urinetown), who was also nominated for a second Tony (Wedding Singer), we considered ourselves extraordinarily lucky that John was thrilled to do this project.

John has already made an impact. We recently held a work session with the entire creative team for a week in New York to continue to hone the script/story. It keeps getting better and better. He has helped to put together a top-notch design team to realize his vision for staging the show (we'll introduce them in an upcoming post). We begin auditions later this month -- stay tuned.

It took a few months, but in the end our prayers (and imaginary classified ad) were answered. Welcome John!

The post about the poster

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 23:45:00 +0000

Thanks to the crew at the Virginia Stage Company, we now have poster art for the world premiere production in January. Things are getting more real every day!

Crowdfunding SCKBSTD

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 17:57:00 +0000

So you want to support the arts, but you don't have a tux (or the cash) to attend a fancy gala. You would love -- just once -- to go to an opening night, but you don't have a big enough balance in the bank account to invest in a show. What do you do? Back in the day, there wasn't much you could do, but now just about anyone can become a sponsor of the arts thanks to Indiegogo. And thanks to Indiegogo, we've partnered with the Virginia Stage Company (VSC) to create a way for the followers of SCKBSTD to help bring this new American musical to life. You can go to the SCKBSTD page on Indiegogo right now to see how you can become a very real part of this exciting project. Contributions to VSC to support this specific production are tax deductible and there are some nice perks as well, including a number of signed items by Bruce.

Indiegogo is a site that was originally created by students at the UC Berkeley Haas Business school to help independent film makers raise money for their projects. Now the site is used by anyone looking for a "collaborative way to fund new ideas." It's called "crowdfunding." I had the pleasure of meeting one of the site's founders, Danae Ringlemann (pictured here), while she was still a student at Haas, and provided a bit of mentorship for her team. Now we're getting a chance to use the site ourselves! Danae was recently named "one of the most influential women in technology for 2010" by Fast Company magazine, so they must be on to something! So check out SCKBSTD on Indiegogo and become a sponsor of the arts!

Getting the Story Straight

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Rafael and David Riemer) — Fri, 28 May 2010 17:24:00 +0000

     Why are Pixar movies always so good? We have several good friends who are editors over there and they tell us the answer is simple: "great editing!" Just kidding... the actual answer is the stories. They spend YEARS getting the story right (literally). It can take 5 or more years to make a Pixar film and the first 4 or so are all about the story. Pixar is masterful at it and they're an inspiration to us.
    Our focus right now is working with the creative team to make our story as good as it can be. Over the last four years of developing SCKBSTD, we've gone from a handful of ideas to 20 completed songs; from a simple concept to a 90 page script... to a 140 page script... and back to 105 pages. We've had three readings and some great feedback from the audience and cast. The challenge is to be 100% sure what our story is about and to build the narrative accordingly. We have to make sure that the story is clear, builds momentum and that it pays off in the end. The folks at Pixar emphasize the importance of simplifying the story and insuring that everything they do is in service of it. It's harder than it sounds!
   Our writing team of Bruce Hornsby, Clay McLeod Chapman and Chip deMatteo have been fantastic about collaborating with each other as we fine-tune SCKBSTD to get to the essence of the story. We've made some tremendous discoveries along the way, finding moments/beats between characters that speak to us all. Having reached the point of going through the script line by line, we keep challenging each other to have every song, every scene make the story richer. We're making good progress (and we can't wait to see "3" in a few weeks to be inspired further!).