Structuring the Message

Structuring the Message

by | May 12, 2020 | Blog

What I’m Thinking About

 

Since I have not been able to do many of the things I normally do, I’ve had plenty of time to think. Not that I don’t normally think, but I don’t do it as much as I have been.

One of the things I have been thinking about is sonnets. The kind Shakespeare wrote.

 

Sonnets?

 

Shakespeare’s sonnets had very strict rules.

  • They are fourteen lines long in a four line, four line, four line, and two line structure.
  • The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg. (Coincidentally this rhyme scheme is also part of the rhymes over beats logo.)
  • They are written in iambic pentameter.

If you don’t follow the rules, you have not written a sonnet.

 

The Need for Structure

 

Compared to writing a sonnet, writing a blog like this is easy.

But even this blog has rules, and has a structure.

  • I try to connect it to hip hop theater in some way.
  • I try to keep it short (under 300 words), but not too short (more than 150 words)

Having rules challenges us. We have to figure out how to say what we want to say within the structure we have chosen.

The constraints we put on ourselves lead to creativity. The obstacle is the path. Overcoming the obstacles is the path to our goal.

 

Our Goal

Our goal is to create work that speaks to those who love hip hop using the structure of theater, especially musical theater.

If you are reading this blog, you are probably on the path with us.

Welcome. Stay Safe.

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Where Do Ideas Come From?

Where Do Ideas Come From?

by | May 5, 2020 | Blog

Where Do Ideas Come From?

 

 “And a person should celebrate everything passing by” is a line from my favorite Stephen Sondheim song. I was reminded of it when I watched a concert on YouTube – Take me to the world:A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration.

Stephen Sondheim is considered by many to be the premiere creator of work in the American musical theater. We at Rhymes Over Beats agree with this assessment.

Not just because he speaks to us when he says,  “Of all the forms of contemporary pop music, rap is the closest to traditional musical theater…”.

Or even for the reasons that are typically cited, such as

I think that the real reason Stephen Sondheim is great is because he demonstrated more than anyone else that there are stories all around us.

And that you can make a musical out of anything.

 

An Overview of Sondheim Themes in Musicals

 

Stephen Sondheim has made hit musicals with unorthodox themes, such as:

  • Gangs in NYC (WEST SIDE STORY)
  • Cannibalism (SWEENEY TODD)
  • A French painting (SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE)
  • Political assassins (ASSASSINS)

And on and on.

The ability to create work from stories that are seldom, if ever, told is the heart of our mission.

 

Happy 90th Mr. Sondheim.

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We Got This

We Got This

by | Apr 28, 2020 | Blog

Not Business As Normal

 

Because we are involved in theater either as a writer, an actor, a director, or a producer, these are tough times.

Most of the things we normally do just can’t be done. Eventually we will be able to present our art in front of a live audience, just not anytime soon.

But there are things we can still do.

 

But What Can We Do?

 

I’m going to reserve the last blog of every month until we can do what we should be doing – putting on a show –  to suggest and highlight ideas on how to productively make the best use of this shutdown time.

For our Rhymes Over Beat’s Associate Artistic Director Cate Cammarata, she created a new play reading series on her CreateTheater.com website.

“I knew that Zoom was a great place to develop new work already,” said Cate, “because I’ve been working with writers for years over that platform. The Monday Night Reading Series was an idea I had the very first week after the theaters were shut down. I just knew we all had to keep our projects in development and come together as a community or else we would all go crazy.”

The most recent reading, A TOMATO CAN’T GROW IN THE BRONX by Gary Morgenstein, had 100 people attending online. “I had emails of people telling me they couldn’t get in because I had maxed out my Zoom limit,” Cate said. “There’s obviously a lot of interest right now.”

New plays have readings in front of invited guests to make sure that the storyline “works” and holds the audience’s interest. Sometimes guests will laugh in unexpected places, or maybe WON’T laugh in places where the writer thought they would. Due the to high cost of production, producers want to make sure that the script is ready to be put onstage. A reading, which is free, is typically the first step in development. In the age of Covid-19, Cate proves that this step can happen online.

 

Stay Home and Stay Safe 

 

Meanwhile, I hope everyone is staying safe. I also want to extend our condolences to the friends and family of Fred the Godson, who recently passed from the virus. He was a wonderful artist and person, and was one of the very first people in the community to be on board with the idea of hip hop theater. We will miss you.

Take care of yourself out there, and stay creative.

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Writing a Hip Hop Musical Part 2

Writing a Hip Hop Musical Part 2

by | Apr 21, 2020 | Blog

How to Write a Hip Hop Musical

 

Last week’s blog was about WHY a hip hop artist should be writing a hip hop musical. This week is about HOW a hip hop musical should be structured. I’ve been thinking about this because I’m writing a hip hop musical about the Irish famine of the late 1840’s, and I wanted to organize my ideas.

This is what I came up with so far:

  • Because it’s a hip hop musical it needs to be about something serious and important.
  • The best musicals flow naturally from dialog to song back to dialog.
  • The dialog creates the structure of the story.
  • The songs support the story by revealing character or advancing the plot.
  • There also needs to be musical diversity. Not just rap but the songs should be in other musical styles.
  • Rap works best in ensemble songs or in rap battles.

 

Three Kinds of Songs in Musicals

 

Musicals have three kinds of songs:

  • First, there are the “world” and the “want” songs. These songs show the world of the play and gives the main character the opportunity to describe they need.

In my musical I plan to sketch the world of rural Ireland in 1845 by having townspeople rap. The “want” song would be an Irish ballad.

  • Second, there are the “obstacles to be overcome” songs.

In my musical, if the obstacle is a conflict between two characters, it will take the form of a rap battle. If an individual, I’ll use more traditional Irish music.

  • Third, there are songs that end the show (the finale).

My musical ends with the main character, who has survived the famine by immigrating to America. This would be depicted using an upbeat, positive number that is a mix of rap and and a melody.

 

Are You Interested in Irish Hip Hop?

 

As the year goes by I’ll update everyone on the progress I’m making in writing an Irish Hip Hop Musical.

I hope everyone continues to be safe.

 

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Writing a Hip Hop Musical Part 1

Writing a Hip Hop Musical Part 1

by | Apr 14, 2020 | Blog

Why Write a Musical?

 

Let’s talk about some of the things that go into writing a musical.

A musical, like Gaul, is divided into three parts:

  • There is the music/beats.
  • There are the lyrics.
  • There is the dialog.

This week I want to talk about the songs.

 

Writing a Song

 

Songs have music/beats and lyrics. They tell a story.  A logical question is, why can’t the song writer just write the songs as songs? Why should a songwriter want to incorporate his songs into a musical?

I believe the answer is somewhat about creative control, but mostly about economic opportunity.

If you write a song, you need to get it recorded and distributed. The standard industry practice for this is that a record company, in exchange for these services, buys part of the the rights and revenues of the song. From this point on, you don’t fully own your song; you co-own it with the record company.

The situation is different in a musical.

 

Writing Songs in a Musical

 

The writers – playwright, composer, and lyricist – never sell any part of their creative work. They only “rent” it to a theater producer. And that rental is limited as to time and place.

A producer pays the writers for the right to mount productions of the musical. Unlike the music industry, this payment confers no ownership.

The answer to the why question, then, is that writing songs for a musical is always a better financial deal for the writer.

 

How Do I Write A Musical?

 

My guess is that most hip hop artists don’t know many playwrights or theater producers. This is where Rhymes Over Beats comes in.

One of our goals as a hip hop theater collective is to connect hip hop artists with a playwright and have them collaborate to create a musical.

Next week’s blog will be how – HOW the songs work with the dialog in a musical.

 

Stay safe everyone.

 

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I’d Like to Recommend…

I’d Like to Recommend…

by | Mar 31, 2020 | Blog

The Exonerated

 

The question I’m asked most often about Rhymes Over Beats is how I got involved in hip hop theater, since I’m not your typical hip hop demographic.

The short answer is The Exonerated, a documentary play about six individuals who were arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to death for a crime for which they were later exonerated. This happened primarily because these people belonged to the wrong social, economic, racial group.

In 2003 I was one of the producers of this play. The experience made me want to tell similar stories as a playwright, and to help tell them as a producer.

 

When I considered how to tell these stories using music, the choice of hip hop was obvious. A music that was born from an oppressed culture should be used to tell the stories of oppression. So I created a hip hop theater collective to do this.

 

More Stories 

 

But writing and producing these stories is not enough. We are not the only group involved in doing this. Others are as well.

We also want to show support for colleagues engaged in a similar mission. I especially want everyone to know about a new ABC series called “For Life.” Initial episodes air on Tuesdays at 10pm. It is about an innocent man who is sentenced to life for a crime he didn’t commit. He fights back by becoming a lawyer in prison to get his conviction overturned.

I’ve watched all the episodes broadcast, and recommend it unreservedly. It uses exceptional writing, acting and directing to tell the kinds of stories that need to be told. The cast includes Erik Jensen, the actor/playwright who co-created The Exonerated, and is produced by 50 Cent’s G-Unit film and television group.  Please check it out.

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