Composers/Lyricists for Despicable Me,
Tangled, Anastasia and Top Studio Executives
Offer Career Advice for Aspiring Music Creators
ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist
Workshop Slated for May 18 -
21
LOS
ANGELES, April 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The
ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Fest returns for a second year
to the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts from
May 14 - 21. This year's Fest, which
is geared to aspiring musical theatre writers, will focus on music
for film and TV animation, and features award-winning composers and
top executives from film and TV animation studios.
With support from the Gary Geld Musical Theatre
Foundation, the event showcases opportunities for musical
theatre songwriters and composers, whose ability to craft music
that establishes mood, develops characters and advances narratives
is essential for animation. Sessions will cover the lifecycle of a
song from pre-production to screen, the art of collaboration, how a
work can journey from stage to screen and vice-versa, what studios
look for when hiring and working with composers and lyricists, and
more.
Fest attendees will hear from accomplished ASCAP composer
members including Glenn
Slater (Tangled, Sister Act: The Musical),
Heitor Pereira (Puss in
Boots, Despicable Me franchise), Lynn Ahrens and Stephen
Flaherty (lyricist and composer, Anastasia),
plus Michelle Lewis
(The Loud House, Doc McStuffins), Future Vega
(Doug Unplugs, Fast & Furious Spy Racers),
Jeannie Lurie (Mira, Royal
Detective, Kinderwood, Cleopatra in Space), Layla Minoui (Vampirina, Ridley Jones), Vidjay Beerepoot
(Superkitties, Minnie's Bow-Toons), and Raye Zaragoza (Spirit
Rangers).
Panel discussions with music executives from some of today's
biggest film and TV animation studios offer an inside look at how
film and TV studios make decisions and work with music creators.
Executives will talk about how they work with composers and
lyricists on their animated projects; the specific steps it takes
to bring a project to life, from music cues to final master; and
present a mini-workshop with the opportunity for previously
selected songwriting teams to write a song based on an assigned
brief.
On Friday, May 17, Fest attendees
will be treated to an evening of performances and interviews
celebrating the life and impact of the legendary Howard Ashman, the lyricist who defined
animated movie-musicals for an entire generation with his songs for
such beloved films as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the
Beast and Aladdin.
Esteemed ASCAP member Gary Geld was a successful pop songwriter,
record producer and musical theatre composer. Geld's major
songwriting credits include "Sealed with a Kiss," "Hurting Each
Other" and "Save Your Heart for Me." Purlie marked his
Broadway debut in 1970, followed by Shenandoah. Both shows
received multiple Tony nominations.
The inaugural 2024 ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre
Librettist Workshop will also take place at The Wallis, from
May 18 - 21. Applicants previously
selected for the workshop will present and receive feedback on the
musical book and songs from their original musical from a panel of
composers, producers and librettists. This workshop is generously
funded by the Kenward Elmslie estate.
The panels and workshop sessions are free and open to the
public. Reservations are required for all events and are available
at TheWallis.org/ASCAPFoundation. Wallis Annenberg Center for
the Performing Arts is located at 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd,
Beverly Hills.
Below is the program schedule. For more information, visit
https://www.ascapfoundation.org/musicaltheatrefest24.
Tuesday, May
14
11:00 AM
Coming Soon!
2:00 PM
How the Team Works to Make the Dream Work
Panelists:
Studio executives Alexandra Nickson
(SVP of Music, Dreamworks) and Vivian
Buff (Director of Music, Dreamworks)
Wednesday, May
15
11:00 AM
Untangling a Thriving Career: In Conversation with Glenn Slater
Panelist: Glenn Slater (composer)
Moderator: Michael Kerker
2:00 PM
Musical Journey to the Past: A Conversation with the Creatives
Behind Anastasia
Panelists: Lynn Ahrens (lyricist) and Stephen Flaherty (composer)
Moderator: Kevin Bannerman
Thursday, May
16
11:00 AM
One in a Minion: The Singular Vision of Heitor Pereira
Panelist: Heitor Pereira (composer)
Moderator: TBA
2:00 PM
ASCAP's Music Creators Roundtable
Panelists: Composers
Jeannie Lurie, Layla Minoui, Vidjay
Beerepoot, Future Vega and Raye Zaragoza
Moderator: Michelle Lewis
Friday, May
17
7:30 PM
Part of Our World: Celebrating the Life & Lyrics of
Howard Ashman
Howard Ashman was the brilliant lyricist behind
many of Disney's most beloved songs of all time. This musical
tribute will celebrate Ashman's unparalleled talent and
contributions to musical theatre, from the charming standards of
The Little Mermaid to the unforgettable ballads of Beauty
and the Beast and the doo-wop sci-fi satire of Little Shop
of Horrors.
Saturday, May
18
3:00-5:30 PM
The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist
Workshop
MUSICAL PROJECT #1 - Salem
Librettist:
Kira Stone
Sunday, May
19
3:00-5:30 PM
The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist
Workshop
MUSICAL PROJECT #2 - Esperanza Rising
Librettists:
Jimena Caballero & Emma Cordray
Monday, May
20
10:00 AM
Songwriting for Animation Challenge (Part 1)
3:30 PM
Songwriting for Animation Challenge (Part 2)
Panelists:
Studio executives Joe D'Ambrosia (EVP & General Manager, Sony
Pictures Television - Kids) and Jay
Stutler (Vice President of Music for Walt Disney Television
Animation)
7:00-9:30 PM
The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist
Workshop
MUSICAL PROJECT #3 - Black
Box
Librettist: Paul
Hodge
Tuesday, May
21
7:00-8:30 PM
The ASCAP Foundation Musical Theatre Librettist
Workshop
A Storied Evening with the Icons
This
evening will feature a 90-minute roundtable discussion with
distinguished librettists.
Panelists: to be announced
About The ASCAP Foundation
Founded in 1975, The ASCAP
Foundation is a public charity dedicated to supporting American
music creators and encouraging their development through music
education, talent development and humanitarian programs. Included
in these are songwriting workshops, grants, scholarships, awards,
recognition and community outreach programs. The ASCAP Foundation
is supported by contributions from ASCAP members and from music
lovers throughout the United
States. Learn more and stay in touch at
www.ascapfoundation.org, on Twitter @ascapfoundation, and on
Facebook.
About the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing
Arts
The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts,
located in the heart of Beverly Hills,
CA, is a dynamic cultural hub and community resource where
local, national, and international artists share their artistry
with ever-expanding audiences. Distinguished by its eclectic
programming that mirrors the diverse landscape of Los Angeles and its location in the
entertainment capital of the world, The Wallis has produced and
presented more than 400 theater, dance, music, film, cabaret,
comedy, performance arts, and family entertainment programs,
boasting nominations for 79 Ovation Awards and nine L.A. Drama
Critic's Circle Awards as well as six architectural awards. Since
its doors opened in October 2013, The
Wallis has been committed to robust and distinctive presentations
and education programs curated with both creativity and social
impact in mind. Hailed as "au courant" (LaLa Magazine), The Wallis
was lauded by Culture Vulture, which proclaimed, "If you love
expecting the unexpected in the performing arts, you have to love
The Wallis." Broadway legend Patti
LuPone, who was The Wallis' 2015/2016 Season Artistic
Advisor, described the venue as "one of the best in the country,
allowing for an unparalleled intimacy between [the artist] and the
audience." A recent patron survey produced audience comments about
The Wallis ranging from "amazing, engaging, inspiring!" to "fun.
entertaining. educational." The breathtaking 70,000-square-foot
facility, celebrating the classic and the modern, was named after
philanthropist Wallis Annenberg,
who's original $25-million-dollar
donation was instrumental in transforming the former Beverly Hills post office building into an
arts complex. Designed by acclaimed architect Zoltan E. Pali (SPF: architects), the restored
building features the original 1934 Beverly Hills Post Office (on
the National Register of Historic Places), whose eight towering
fresco murals are one of two sets of WPA frescos remaining in the
entire California Federal Building system. The Wallis' lobby, now
known as Jim and Eleanor Randall Grand
Hall, serves as the theater's dramatic yet welcoming
entryway to the contemporary 500-seat, state-of-the-art Bram
Goldsmith Theater; the 150-seat Lovelace Studio Theater; an
inviting open-air plaza for family, community and other
performances; and GRoW @ The Wallis: A Space for Arts Education,
where learning opportunities for all ages and backgrounds abound.
Together, these elements embrace the city's history and its future,
creating a performing arts destination for L.A.-area visitors and
residents alike. Michael Nemeroff is
Chairman of The Wallis' Board of Directors and Robert van Leer is Executive Director and
CEO.
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SOURCE The ASCAP Foundation