Broadway Bound

“Everything we don’t understand can be explained in art.” Amiri Baraka

What a delight to spend an evening with reg e. gaines — there’s always energy and wordplay in the air! The occasion? An exploration, from page to stage, of The 88, his heart-and-soulful musical play about love, family, hope and belonging. What an exciting glimpse of a work in progress! With lyrics by Tony-and-Grammy Award-nominated reg and music composed by his brother, Calvin Gaines, The 88 offers a warm, uplifting ride. A few highlights from reg’s creative journey:

Theme of The 88: “A grandmother’s love of musical theater leads her to show her grandchildren where they belong.”

On storytelling:  “Story is more important than anything. Tell the story first. You can be derailed by the structure and the format and forget about the story.”

On collaborating:  “Someone has to sit down at night with all those ideas that circulate among collaborators – there’s one person who’s going to sit down and put it all together. That collective theater energy — there is nothing in show business that matches that. It’s beyond filmmaking, beyond a sound slogan in TV – people working together. That human energy is so hands on.“

On creative problems:  “Go to the problem, don’t let the problem come to you.”

On efficiency and imagery:  “Try to make every word create more imagery in the viewer’s mind…. “I work in word pictures, in imagery. If I don’t see it, I don’t have a good idea. If the words I’m saying don’t put pictures in people’s heads, I’m not doing my job. Without imagery and efficiency, I don’t have anything.”

On ideas: “An idea can come from anything”…. “Don’t be so book — be more jazz, more improvisational. Go with your gut…. Osmosis is everything. Stay open. Get out of your own way, no matter what it is. Ego’s got to go. “

On writing:  “Writing is rewriting. You have to have concentration and focus.”

What an wonderful way to spend an evening – catching a ride on a bus that’s Broadway Bound! Bravo reg and Calvin – write on!

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About karinwritesdangerously

I am a writer and this is a motivational blog designed to help both writers and aspiring writers to push to the next level. Key themes are peak performance, passion, overcoming writing roadblocks, juicing up your creativity, and the joys of writing.
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2 Responses to Broadway Bound

  1. So sorry I missed this program–I meant to bring my whole family, but had eye surgery that week. However, I remind myself that a few months ago I attended a fund-raiser for the show and was able to see a workshop version of Act One (maybe more) and loved it. We’ll see it on Broadway some day.

  2. Hi Martha,

    So glad to hear that you’ve seen some of The 88 — I can’t wait for more!
    We can never have too many stories about strong, beautiful women who
    uplift everyone around them!

    Write on,
    Karin

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