Sara Bareilles Talks WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL & 'Finding My Voice'

The songwriter opens up about WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL!

American Repertory Theater's brand new production of screen-to-stage adaptation WAITRESS is preparing for its premiere production in Cambridge, Massachusetts next month and the composer and lyricist behind the score of the show, Sara Bareilles, discusses her participation in the production as part of a new interview with The Harvard Gazette by Colleen Walsh, available here.

Of note, WAITRESS runs August 2 through September 27. Tickets are available here.

Bareilles reveals of the standout song "She Used To Be Mine" that it was, "the inroad into finding my voice on behalf of these characters."

"We can all end up in positions in our lives where we don't recognize ourselves anymore," Bareilles says.

Furthermore, as for the writing process itself, Bareilles adds, "There's plenty of songs that I've written where I am just wallowing in something and it's cathartic for me as an artist and as a person to get to kind of revel in my state of being. But with the musical... the story and character remain king."

Bareilles says of her affection for the theatre, "The fact that my career kind of developed in another realm was sort of a surprise to me... So it feels really nice. It feels like a homecoming in some ways to come back toward the theater."

Check out the original article on the matter here.

The official description of WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL is as follows: "Jenna, played by Tony Award winner Jessie Mueller, a waitress and expert pie maker, is stuck in a small town and a loveless marriage. When a baking contest in a nearby county offers her a chance at escape, Jenna must choose between her commitments and her dreams. Her customers, co-workers, and the town's handsome new doctor all offer her conflicting recipes for happiness-but Jenna ultimately has to decide for herself. This poignant and uplifting new musical celebrates friendship, motherhood, and the courage it takes to pluck a long abandoned dream off the shelf. Featuring music and lyrics by Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles ("Brave," "Love Song") and directed by Diane Paulus (Pippin, Finding Neverland)."

More information on WAITRESS: THE MUSICAL is available at the official site here.

View a video of Sara Bareilles performing "She Used To Be Mine" from the score live below.

Photo Credit: A.R.T.