BWW Blog: Meet Samantha Tirrell - BACKBEARD: The Beginning

The arrival of warm weather in the Northeast means for most college students that the semester is winding down and that summer break is drawing nearer; however, for theatre majors at Russell Sage College, the warm weather is an exciting indicator for us that our summer production is just around the corner! The summer show is the most unique slot in the Theatre Institute at Sage's season, as actors and technicians who work on the summer show stay on campus up to a month and a half after the semester ends to put up what is always a fun and exhilarating children's theatre piece without the additional responsibility of academic work-a rare and valuable opportunity for a college theatre student.

The warm weather in upstate New York this week brought our first official read-through for our 2016 summer production-the world premiere of Backbeard: A New Musical. Michael Musial, Associate Professor of Music at Russell Sage College, is serving as composer and co-lyricist for Backbeard, an almost two-year-long collaborative effort with Matthew McElligott (author of the original Backbeard children's book series, now bookwriter and lyricist), Larry Tuxbury (book and lyrics), and Brian Sheldon (book). The show concerns itself with Backbeard, "the hairiest pirate who ever lived," and the adventures that ensue when he trades out his pirate attire for a more ostentatious suit, inciting trouble with the all-knowing Pirate Council. Backbeard is a charming and instructive tale which highlights the importance of staying true to yourself and your ideas. After all, it never goes out of style.

Our read-through of the script this past Monday was certainly not the first time that this group of students has gathered together to read and sing about Backbeard's adventures. Because of Michael Musial's involvement in the evolution of Backbeard into a stage musical, our theatre department has had a unique engagement with the material, providing our voices to the creative team as a way for them to workshop their material - as Michael, Matt, Larry, and Brian continually refine the book, lyrics, and music in response to these workshops, we gain insight into the composition and construction of an original musical. There is endless learning for anyone who has watched the musical grow in this process, which has been inevitably accompanied by a tangible energy and excitement in our department as we prepare to finally bring this story to life this upcoming June.

I joined the Backbeard team this past December as the production's stage manager, and from the two workshops I have attended in these past four months, I have gained a deep and profound insight into the nature of creating, and ultimately what is involved when venturing into a theatrical form as monstrous and complicated as musical theatre is. I have already learned that working on original material will present new and interesting challenges for any hands that touch the project, and the unique challenges of bringing Backbeard to life will be invaluable to us in our future theatrical endeavors. Over the next two months, I want to document and share the rehearsal period and performance run of the world premiere of Backbeard, chronicling all facets of our production with the intention of continuing this cycle of endless learning that we have all entered into. I hope you'll join me.