Music Theatre of Madison Debuts AN AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY Concept Album Next Month

Music Theatre of Madison's concept album, An American Mythology is debuting in May of 2021. It is available for pre-order for $15.99 at musictheatreofmadison.bandcamp.com. Individual songs will be released weekly from May 14-June 11, with eleven songs on the album in total. The songs will also be available for individual purchase.

An American Mythology asks the creators and the audience "Who Are Our Heroes?" "What is the canon of American Mythology?" "Who is in our American Pantheon?" "What lessons do we learn from them?" "Where does our magic come from?" "Where are the myths we find within our own myths?" Teams of artists explore these themes though their own myths in musical styles from rap to folk to pop and more. They chose their own subject matters and styles.

The teams and their myths are: Camille Hunt, Clara Adams, and Christian Adams, writing about a young hero faced with an epic struggle (Nightmare); Maaz Ahmed with Mark Wurzelbacher, writing about a man who uses a magical substance to change himself and fit in (Disgraced); Jackey Boelkow, writing about a woman who visits a star-reader and receives unexpected results (Star-Reader); Anthony Cao, writing about a man who speaks to a magical being in the heavens (The Man in the Sky); L.E.X, writing about a powerful natural element come to life (Here Comes The Fire); Autumn Maria Reed and Kailea Saplan, writing about a person who visits a new land to achieve their dreams at considerable cost (The Journey, movements 1-5); and Shayne Steliga and Hayley San Fillippo, writing about a grandmother whose family is tasked with protecting a mythical creature (Dreamcatcher).

The album is directed by Adam Qutaishat and Nathan Fosbinder (Ratatouille, the Tik-Tok Musical), Produced by Meghan Randolph, and Production Managed by Kristen Emery. Assistant music direction is by Mark Wurzelbacher, with studio musicians Helen Akavian, Michael Parrish, Shayne Steliga, Anthony Cao, Mark Wurzelbacher, and Adam Qutaishat.

It is recorded and engineered at Audio for the Arts in Madison, WI.
An American Mythology is Music Theatre of Madison's first concept album. As part of their 15th anniversary season in 2021, the company is focusing on various forms of reaching audiences, amplifying new and diverse voices, and thinking about how musicals can and will evolve, in the face of the pandemic and long after.

Their season consists of all new, Wisconsin-written works. More information is available at www.mtmadison.com.