BWW Special: PASA Brings New Musicals to San Antonio

Now in its sixth year, Performing Arts San Antonio (PASA) has established itself as one of most innovative musical theatres in the region. While the other musical theatres in the area tend to rely on tried and trusted Broadway standards, or on musical reviews as in the case of the Harlequin Theatre, PASA has been bringing musical shows to San Antonio that it would not otherwise see - including world premieres and shows new to Texas and San Antonio.

In 2015 PASA put on a number of shows new to San Antonio, including "Children of Eden", "Songs for a New World", the Texas premiere of "Nosferatu" (which won an ATAC Globe award for Derek Berlin in the title role) and the world premiere of "Road to Madness", done as a co-production with Texas Light Opera and featuring some of San Antonio's leading performers in a musical about F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway.

In 2016, there will be an American premiere of "Make Me a Musical" (a show that affectionately spoofs a lot of classic movie musicals and is another co-production with Texas Light Opera) and the world premiere of "Cinderella's Makeover", which uses the most popular music from a number of classical composers in a show that has been described by Rebecca Greenstein, head of Opera Moderne in New York, as "hilariously funny".

"This version of Cinderella is like a cross between Shrek and the classic Disney film Fantasia,"" says Vaughn Tinder (pictured here), who will be directing it and who runs PASA with her husband Paul. "It has the comic aspects of Shrek along with some of the most beautiful music ever written. It is designed to introduce classical music to a wider audience."

It is also very different from the usual story of Cinderella. In this version Cinderella is discovered by a talent scout, gets a makeover, falls into peril when she is sold to human traffickers by her evil stepmother, is rescued, falls in love with a humble courtier and appears on "Ruritania's Got Talent." She does not marry the prince because she gets uncomfortable when he tries to get her to put on a glass slipper, feeling he is more interested in the size of her feet than her soul!

Both Vaughn and Paul Tinder have a lot of experience in movies as actors and producers. Vaughn has also directed movies.

"Producing original Broadway-style shows allows the director and producer the opportunity to create a unique and original vision and voice for compelling stories," says Paul Tinder. "It has always been a major part of the vision for PASA to help broaden the cultural vision of the community by producing unknown, or little known, musical works. Over the last two and a half years, when we became a full producing theater, we have brought to San Antonio two original works and three Texas premiers of other shows. In 2016 we will bring another world premier and a Texas premier of new works.

"The collaboration with the writer is unlike anything you experience with more well known shows. When you produce established shows you need to conform legally by license agreement as to music and book for the show. You also have the expectation from the audience that you must deliver an established and accepted vision for the show.

"On new material you have the ability to work with the writer/composer to flesh out character, tighten dialogue and lyrics and create a powerful vision. It is time consuming and challenging to craft original musical works but when the audience leaves the theater they have had a unique experience that moved and engaged them and that is extremely satisfying. Most creative people have a burning desire to have their voice heard and you experience that to a much greater degree with new works, especially new musicals."

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