Kaitlin and Ethan created an original musical featuring the music of Stephen Sondheim.  Lovers, Liars, and Clowns chronicles two life-changing days for Bobby, the main character.  His relationship with three women--his fiancee, a stewardess, and his best friend who is secretly in love with him--is told through original dialogue and the music of Sondheim. 

In Kaitlin's Own Words:

The Cave is my favorite place to see shows at Ball State because it is an experimental theatre where the shows focus on art and process.  After seeing years of great work in the Cave, I was inspired to direct during my senior year.  Following an extensive written proposal, application, and interview process, I was selected as a director for the 2006 season.

Creating, writing, and directing an original musical is a journey unlike any other in which I have partaken.  Unlike most other musicals, we started out with no script, no music, and no story.  The first rehearsal consisted of Ethan, the musical director, and me giving the actor and actresses a list of songs, a CD, and an assignment, listen to the music, tell us which songs really inspired them and to create a character based on the songs they selected.  Great theatre happens when the performers are attached to the text,so why not have them invent their own?  Finally, after much thought, I placed in our central character, the show's narrator who would serve the integral function of linking the three female characters.

We wrote the dialogue, set the choreography, and told our story together.  Directing this show has been by far the accomplishment I am most proud of in my undergraduate career.  Lovers, Liars, and Clowns reminded me why I want to be an artist--to tell stories that need to be told.

 

In Ethan's Own Words:

We began rehearsals and soon asked our actors Bobby Richards, Carlie Mayo, Kate Martin, and Kayla Marsh, to create their own characters.

From their creations, we developed the rest of the show.  Kaitlin made choices about where the story was going, and I chose Sondheim songs for the actors that complimented their character's story and the plot of the show in general.  Being the musical director for Lovers, Liars, and Clowns allowed me the creative and musical freedom to explore a number of musical aspects--writing vocal arrangements, modifying duets and solos, composing original transitional music, etc.  Working on this show provided unique challenges for me as a creative artist in figuring out how to contribute to the advancement of the plot and help strengthen each actor's performance through my musical choices.