From January to April, the MA Company, MA Music Directors and I worked together to create a performance excerpt of the musical Wonderful Town by Leonard Bernstein. Throughout this process, I wore many different hats, taking on a variety of interesting responsibilities that I think have opened up new opportunities to me that I did not originally consider. On top of my role as a writer, I also took on the role of producer and casting director. This was a similar experience to the previous performance project, in which I took on similar responsibilities, and found that I really enjoy these roles and could consider them as part of my career. The overall process began with auditions, cutting the script, casting, rehearsals, and then my writing process. I consider this experience as a valuable part of my development as a well-rounded artist in the industry.

Pre-Auditions

Before the audition process for Wonderful Town began, I was in charge of organizing document folders. This included clear and comprehensible organization of sheet music, scripts, videos, audio clips, and audition materials for the cast to be able to access at any time.

I found during the Final Act process that having a clear and comprehensible documentation of materials is essential for a streamlined rehearsal process. Though the documentation for Wonderful Town was not nearly as complicated as Final Act, the same amount of care and effort was put in to ensure simple and accessible resources for the cast.

After the first week where we decided on doing Wonderful Town, the Music Directors and I immediately got to work on choosing audition materials for the characters. We chose materials for four central characters: Baker, Eileen, Ruth, and Wreck. We chose songs sung by each character that were challenging both vocally and for acting, as well as scenes with high stakes and emotional intensity. This allowed us to see how each performer tackles the challenging material without explicit direction, as well as how they respond to redirections in the room. The following week, we had each company member audition privately for us, reading and singing for a character of their choice.

I found this part of the process particularly exciting. I really enjoy holding auditions, as I feel like it is a chance for me to create a comfortable audition environment for performers that is not always given in professional environments. It felt really nice to create that space for the company, and to celebrate their talents in real time. I think this experience really opened my mind up to casting as a potential career path, as I feel like I have a good sense for strong vocal and acting skills, as well as character archetypes and the needs of a production. Having been on both sides of the audition table, casting has also opened my eyes to auditioning myself, as I now have a stronger frame of reference of what is going through the panel’s head when I am performing. This experience has strengthened my relationship with auditioning as both auditioner and auditionee.

Casting and Rehearsals

Casting this specific production was quite difficult. Due to the nature of the assignment, we wanted to showcase all sixteen company members as equitable as possible, so we had to cast different people in different characters each scene as well as assign solo parts. In theory, it is quite straight forward, but when there are more people than solos it gets quite difficult. We resorted to gender bending, splitting up solo parts, and splitting up scenes to get what we thought was an equal opportunity production for the company.

Once casting was sent out, we also sent out the script we put together. We decided on doing the second act of the show, with some tying in of first act numbers and scenes for context. This was quite a complex process, as many people had different ideas about what content should be in the show. We ended up replacing some act two songs with act one songs that had some resemblance of a matching context in favour of a more fun and engaging piece. The cast reacted quite well to the chosen content, and were enthusiastic about participating. I think this process was an important one for me to participate in, as I feel part of my career as a writer is cutting and reorganizing existing material to either change context or to minimize length. I realized that while this is something that is definitely not at the top of my list of things I enjoy doing, I discovered that I can do it well and with efficiency, while preserving the integrity of the source material.

Once we started rehearsal, a lot of my responsibilities had passed. My presence in rehearsal was more to absorb information about what kind of piece I should write for this assignment. While the idea of writing a song in the style of Leonard Bernstein was daunting, I was determined to give it my best shot. I knew at this point I was going to write a solo song, as I had written group numbers for the previous two performance projects, but the part I was not sure of was exactly what it was going to be about. Scott gave me the excellent idea to look into some of Leonard Bernstein’s unfinished works, and write a song in that context.

Writing in the Style of Leonard Bernstein

I did not have an extensive background of experience with Leonard Bernstein’s repertoire, but I had a decent idea of what kind of things to focus on. Luckily, a few music directors had an in-depth knowledge of what makes Bernstein’s music unique, and were more than willing to share some tips.

From my own experience having performed in Bernstein’s MASS, I had a general idea of the kind of complexities that Bernstein adds into his music. I recalled the kinds of time signatures that he puts into his music, often using complex times or rapidly switching between different time signatures.

In the example above, Leonard Bernstein inserts a singular bar of 1/2 into the song Trope 3: “Half of the People”. The sudden addition of a single beat adds an interesting breath to the very quick, upbeat number, and eases the transition into the slightly quieter section that follows. I think it is really fascinating how natural this bar feels, as I think if that bar was not included there it would actually feel too rushed, even though the majority of the song is in an even cut time. I kept ideas like this in my head for writing my own piece in his style, as I think choices like these are part of the reason his music sounds so unique.

Another aspect of Bernstein’s work that I wanted to look at was some of the ballads in Wonderful Town, specifically ‘A Little Bit in Love’. I noticed the way the melody flows almost like a wave in the chorus, and how it contrasts from the moments where there are large jumps. I also was really interested by the way his melody seems to mimic the lyrics. As Eileen describes the excitement and adrenaline that comes with romantic attraction and interaction, the melody goes from a relaxing diatonic tune to a modulated, chromatic form.

I think Bernstein’s method of portraying the emotional arc of the song through the melody allows the story to be told more effectively. If you were to remove the lyrics, you would still be able to grasp the throughline of the song, and develop an empathetical response to it. For my own work, I wanted to create a melody line that could create a similar response. I wanted the song I was going to write to be able to be presented without lyrics and still portray an emotional arc and story.

The Skin of Our Teeth

For my original piece, I decided to write a song for one of Leonard Bernstein’s unfinished projects. I heard about the play The Skin of Our Teeth by Thornton Wilder, and how Leonard Bernstein began working on a musical adaptation, but soon abandoned the project. The play, though bursting with content and emotional intensity, was incredibly complex. I knew I wanted to write a ballad, but I was struggling to find a moment in the play that I could justify having a solo number, as it seemed to have so many characters coming in-and-out all the time. I decided on writing a song for the very end of the show, focusing on Sabina’s development throughout the play, and workshopping her final monologue and the monologues of other characters.

I thought that Sabina’s outburst here was an excellent point to start a song for her. From the section above, I titled the song “I Didn’t Make This War”. I found that working with the words of the monologue and molding them into song lyrics was a really exciting process, as the opportunities seem endless. There are many different ways that I could have taken the lyrical journey from that paragraph alone, but the journey I took was as follows:

I didn’t make this war.

I didn’t as for it,

and in my opinion

after what we’ve gone through…

This first stanza stuck with me as Sabina showing her shyness but also her determination to speak her mind. What soon follows this section of her monologue, is her asking to go to the movies. This is a major turning point in the scene, as the wars have all just ended, and it seems like an insane request, but she asks anyway.

See, what I’m asking for,

I must admit,

may be confusing and slightly alarming

but I never claimed to be ordinary.

I want to go to the movies.

They reopened after the war!

We could all go together,

like before.

During the line “may be confusing and slightly alarming” I utilized one of Bernstein’s techniques that I outlined above. I made the tempo slightly increase during the line, and I made the melody become slightly more jarring to where it then modulates on “claimed to be ordinary”.

Following this, the line “I want to go to the…” is done in a Capella, as i wanted the tension of the modulation to be held in the air before it resolved. For the line “They reopened after the war!” I utilized another one of Bernstein’s techniques I outlined above by adding a single bar of 2/8 into the 6/8 melody line. I think this was very effective, and added a breath of release into the music. I thought that it would be much more jarring than it is, as the bar of 2/8 would stand out amongst the 1 and 4 emphasis of 6/8, but it actually sat quite comfortably for both the pianist and the singer.

Further on in the song, I added a section that was a bit more upbeat than the rest, where Sabina talks about her admiration for Mr. Antrobus. I continued to use more lines from the scene following the initial monologue to craft lyrics, such as:

Mister Antrobus,

you’re a very bright man.

You invented the alphabet, the wheel,

the lever, the pan!

And though we’re slowly spinning circles

to our certain demise,

I’ll be with you all the way

with stars in my eyes!

I thought it was important to include Sabina expressing her true feelings for Mr. Antrobus, as it ties together the end of the show, as well as highlights the important contributions that Mr. Antrobus has made to humanity. I then concluded the song with another reference to the initial monologue, as well as adding in my own interpretation of the very end of the play. At the end, Sabina repeats the monologue that she opened the play with, telling the audience that the ending of the play has not been written, as an allegory for humanity not yet being done. I wanted to include this element on a smaller scale with Sabina repeating the beginning of the song after telling the audience that they are the ones who must finish the play.

We didn’t make this war,

I’m sad to say,

but this world is dog-eat-dog

and we are not far away,

from the end of this play.

Where the dog eats the dog.

And we’re all on our way.

It’s up to you to write the play,

all of you who watched the play,

you are all part of the play.

I didn’t make this war.

I didn’t ask for it.

In my opinion, after what we’ve gone through…

I think that this ending encapsulated the essence of The Skin of Our Teeth and tied together Mr. Antrobus and Sabina’s arc nicely. In my opinion, the music and melody is reminiscent of something that Leonard Bernstein might have written for the show, had he finished it. A rough recording of the full song performed by Hayley Festeryga is below.

Reflection

This process was incredibly challenging but very informative. I made many new discoveries about myself as a working professional and as an artist which I am enthusiastic about bringing into my own personal practices. One of my major takeaways was that attempting to emulate a successful artist allows me to learn more writing and compositional techniques, branching out my writing style into different genres and habits. I found that while I was attempting to emulate Leonard Bernstein, I had to put my own compositional instincts aside and do something totally different than what I would normally do in that situation. While being very difficult, it was interesting to see how I adapted to the unfamiliarity, and how I was able to create something that I felt genuinely proud of even though it felt a bit foreign to me.

The main example of this that comes to mind is at the very beginning of the song. The chord progression right off the top is very far from what I would have done in that situation if I was writing in my own style.

In the figure above, in bar eight, the chord I decided to use there was not where my mind went instinctually. I remember one of the music directors telling me about a chord type the Leonard Bernstein likes to use where the bass note is a semitone away from the treble hand as a means to pass on to a resolving chord. In bar eight I used an A major chord over top of an Eb major chord with a Bb in the bass. This added a sense of uncertainty into the music that I think separated it from the kinds of textures that I usually write. Going forward, I will definitely incorporate more of these kinds of chords into other compositions as they are very effective at adding different layers of tension into a piece.

In this course, I have discovered different strengths in myself that I wasn’t aware of before. This includes producing, casting, managing, supervising, documenting, and editing. From the initial project in September, to Final Act, to Wonderful Town, I think that I have grown into more of a well rounded professional as well as a creative, and that more doors have opened up for me to pursue. I intend to continue practicing these exercises of mimicking successful artists in order to grow and expand my compositional palate and to become a more versatile composer. I also intend to consider casting and producing as potential career paths post graduation.

Wonderful Town performance project has been a challenging yet excellent experience for me, and I look forward to incorporating the skills I have gained into my artistic career.

Works Cited

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. “Trope: ‘Half of the People.’” Leonard Bernstein’s MASS, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C., 8 Sept. 1971, https://youtu.be/PamsSaaDn_w?si=N1-vEaHFKKgJeWg-&t=2087. Accessed 13 Apr. 2026.

Wonderful Town Original Cast. “A Little Bit in Love.” A Little Bit in Love – From “Wonderful Town Original Cast Recording” 1953/Reissue/Remastered 2001, Brian Drutman, 1953.