Cast members, from left: Derek Argall as Hermes, Caleb Mathura as Hephaestus and Sean Anthony Jackson as Ares.
In Greek mythology, Hephaestus was the god of fire and metalworking, forging weapons and armor for the other gods. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have issues. Kicked out of the house by his mother, Hera, and head over heels in love with Aphrodite, it turns out Hephaestus had a lot going on. It’s at this point that the audience will meet the mythical blacksmith, in Music Theatre of Madison’s workshop production of Hephaestus, composed by Madison native Nathan Fosbinder.
On June 16 and 17 audiences are invited to peek behind the curtain of the artistic development process and see a semi-staged performance of this new musical in the making. Directed by Catie O’Donnell, with music direction and accompaniment by the composer himself, attendees can immerse themselves in the formative stages of a work that is slated to have a full production in August 2019.
“This workshop is an opportunity for all of us to experience the show with an audience, and see what works and what doesn’t,” says MTM’s executive director Meghan Randolph. “We’ve been thrilled with the suggestions that audience members have given us at our Festival of New Musicals readings. Those conversations definitely impact the editing and rewriting process.”
While the company has held readings of new musicals before, this workshop for Hephaestus is a much bigger project. Prior to the performance, held in the Madison Opera Center space, the public is invited to peruse vision boards filled with preliminary set and costume designs for the full production. Participants can comment on the drawings, and even vote for a favorite. A listening station will also be set up, so audience members can hear early demos of songs in the show. After the performance, attendees are invited to stay for a talkback with the composer and creative team, which will incorporate feedback as the musical moves from reading to full production.
This will be the first full production for Fosbinder, but it is not the first time he’s collaborated with Randolph. As a young teen, he appeared in MTM’s third production, The Sound of Music. After graduating from La Follette High School he pursued his love of musical theater at the Boston Conservatory. Currently he is in the graduate musical theater writing program at the Tisch School at New York University.
“When Nathan left Madison, I followed his work,” says Randolph. “He’s got a really good ear. Eventually we talked about premiering one of his works in Madison. He played me one song from Hephaestus and I said ‘let’s do it.’”
Randolph is excited about this approach to engaging with new work. “The truth is, people have been sending me new musicals for years, and I had always planned to do more activities like this, using local composers and playwrights, letting the audience be part of the development process,” says Randolph. “Not a lot of new musicals come out of Madison. We want to add to that. We think there should be more.”
