IMAGINARY GIRL: The Occupation of Patty Hearst (an alternative identity musical)

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ITEMS: 1. Genre Hybrid 2. Endorsement by producer DARYL ROTH 3. Guiding Concepts 4. Themes 5. Why This (History) Play Is Urgently Relevant Now 6. Inclusive Cast & Team 7. Music Style(S) 8. Music/Score Disclaimer 9. Crafted for the NEXT GENERATION of theatergoers 10. THE INSPIRATION for the creation of this New Work 11. Project Website with Media + TEAM BIOS + More 12. Tagline ________________________________________ 1. GENRE HYBRID: − Heartbreaking Family Drama − Psychological Thriller − Spectacular Farce − True Crime Mystery − Musical History Play (as a not-so-distant mirror to see today more clearly) ________________________________________ 2. ENDORSEMENT by producer DARYL ROTH “Dear Leonard, I appreciate Lee introducing us, and hearing about your very exciting project, Imaginary Girl. I believe there would be interest in learning more about Patty Hearst’s story, and it would make an engaging piece of theatre. [...] I would be happy to have you keep me in the loop as you move forward in development this fall. I thank you very much for your kind words, and I look forward to staying in touch. With warmth, Daryl” ________________________________________ 3. GUIDING CONCEPTS THROUGH A NOT-SO-DISTANT MIRROR The Play Explores: -- How Much of Our Personal & Political Identity Is Guided by Forces Beyond Our Own Freewill? -- How All Conflicts – Internal, Interpersonal, And Political – Are Battles of Competing Versions of Reality. ________________________________________ 4. THEMES a) TRAUMA’S IMPACT ON IDENTITY: Its unique underlying subject matter – the fluidity of IDENTITY required to survive extreme trauma, including trauma-bonding and identification with violent perpetrators – speaks to the psychological and spiritual dilemmas of survivors of child abuse, domestic violence, military combat, extremist religious and political cults, and human trafficking. The play examines how The Media – along with the criminal-justice/incarceration/mental health systems – misinterpret, exploit, and compound the suffering of trauma victims, while its central character models survivorship, hope, and healing. b) THE DISINTEGRATION OF CONSENSUS REALITY – a newly emerging 21st c. theme: This theme is illuminated BEYOND the identity-confusion of the play’s protagonist, and BEYOND the multiple subjectivities of the other characters – it speaks directly to our changing culture. The play reveals how all conflicts – internal, interpersonal, and political – are battles of competing versions of reality. By incorporating Stagehands (played by actors) who interact with the performers to systematically blur the boundaries between the everyday-reality of the theater house and the fictional-reality of the play’s storyworld. This artfully creates a thrilling experience of continuously shifting perceptions, inviting the audience to repeatedly ask the question: “What is really happening here? What is real?” a) THE NEWS MEDIA & SOCIAL GROUPS IMPACT ON IDENTITY: The show explores how our identities are shaped far beyond our expectations by social pressures, including the News Media. It also reveals how our personal and political allegiances can compel us to support agendas against our own best interests. ________________________________________ 5. WHY THIS (HISTORY) PLAY IS URGENTLY RELEVANT NOW WE NEED NEW WORKS for our NEW ERA: In the same way the 1960s didn’t start until after Kennedy’s assassination, and the 1970s didn’t really begin until after Watergate, the 21st century is only-just-now starting – as we push halfway into its 3rd decade, we’re only-now leaving the 20th century’s previously-dependable consensus reality behind. In this still-uncertain 21st century, it falls on ALL of us in the arts to produce new works that answer: “WHO ARE WE NOW?” ________________________________________ 6. INCLUSIVE CAST & TEAM Although the race and gender of the historical characters are fixed, ANY performer may portray ANY role. For example, in this “alternative identity musical” the role of Randolph Hearst, Patty’s father, could be played by a Norm Lewis- or a Wayne Brady-type (Black). Or, the doubling role of Walter Cronkite and F. Lee Bailey could be played by a Rosie O’Donnell- or a Cherry Jones-type (female). Or the role of Catherine Hearst could be played by an Alexandra Billings- or an Eddie Izzard-type (transgender person). Each character’s role (for the most part) can/should/must be cast without the obligation to conform to a character’s historical race, gender and/or LGBTQ+ identity. ________________________________________ 7. MUSIC STYLE(S) The play’s PLURALISTIC MUSIC STYLE has been conceived to explicate the central concept of MULTIPLE SUBJECTIVITIES. Set in 1974, the YOUNGER characters' songs are rooted in 1970s folk & rock – a genre still echoing through indie/alt folk & rock today – while the OLDER parents' songs acknowledge the 70s “generation gap” by sometimes referencing traditional 20th-century musical theater motifs. THE CONTAINER SCORE: Outside-and-beyond the characters’ 1970s storyworld reality, a larger wrap-around Container Score uses sophisticated 21st century electronic composition ─ an emotive synthesis of sonic textures, minimalism/serialism, experimental post-rock, and sound collage. NOTE: MARTIN KENNEDY, (the prolific composer for his Australia-based electronic band: ALL INDIA RADIO) just came aboard this week as a key collaborator on the component we’re calling THE CONTAINER SCORE. You can HEAR 3 VERY-SHORT (<2 mins. Ea.) SAMPLES of Martin music here, where it’s been used to score research/reference video clips FOR THE PROPOSED DEVISED CHOREOGRAPHY https://www.imaginarygirlmusical.com/choreography-inspiration-video ________________________________________ 8. MUSIC/SCORE DISCLAIMER While the creative team typically refrains from pre-emptive clarifications, the unique nature of this opportunity prompts us to do so anyway: Of this project’s three components – libretto, lyrics, and music – we humbly acknowledge that the show’s current score requires the most development. We’re confident that with expert guidance – including fresh perspectives on re-arrangement, orchestration, engagement of professionally-trained vocalists, and enhanced recording/engineering techniques to create revised song demos – the music of this project can achieve the much higher standards our team aims for. ________________________________________ 9. Crafted for the NEXT GENERATION of theatergoers This ambitious New Work aims to deliver an emotionally-compelling theatrical experience with a new aesthetic developed from outside the traditional MT pipeline. While the story’s multileveled libretto and lyrics are engagingly complex, they’re formulated to be simultaneously EFFORTLESSLY ASSESSABLE for a diverse range of audiences, including accessible to NON-TRADITIONAL THEATERGOERS – the NEXT GENERATION of engaged audience members NEEDED TO SUSTAIN THEATER in this new century. The play’s multileveled story structure – designed to integrate an interdependent visual narrative across the whole piece – is based in the author’s many years as a PROFESSIONAL SCRIPT DOCTOR & STORY STRUCTURE SPECIALIST (uncredited) for studio & indie films – including for Oscar-winning & Oscar-nominated directors. The author’s visual narrative know-how has been developed across years as a VISUAL STORYTELLER (Set & Production Designer for icons like Sting, David Bowie, George Michael, Lou Reed, and The Ramones. And designing “the look” for luxury fashion ads – from Levi’s to Gucci and Louis Vuitton – for with world-class fashion/portrait photographers on global print campaigns, TV commercials, and editorial features for most every top fashion/lifestyle publication. The play’s goal of synthesizing a visual and literary narrative is shaped by the author’s transferable skills from working as a STORY ARCHITECT / GAME DESIGNER + AWARD-WINNING CONCEPT DESIGNER. BIO DETAILS on the project’s website. https://www.imaginarygirlmusical.com/team-team ________________________________________ 10. THE INSPIRATION for the creation of this New Work The playwright’s commitment to advocate for victims of the psychological & identity dilemmas presented in IMAGINARY GIRL is rooted in his unusual childhood in rural Vermont. (He attended one-room-school-houses with both of his brothers in-the-same-room. Not one of his grandparents attended high school.) He was born into a multi-ethnic immigrant family with a legacy of transgenerational trauma and poverty. His family’s malevolent patriarch cruelly manipulated family-members to act out physical and psychological abuses on the others – forms of coerced perpetration, brainwashing, puppeting, and gaslighting, which are all central to this play’s story. IMAGINARY GIRL was conceived while working as the principal editor of The Alchemy of Wolves and Sheep by Dr. H. L. Schwartz. This award-winning non-fiction book* makes a significant contribution to the psychological trauma literature illuminating “brainwashing,” “coerced perpetration” and “identification with the aggressor” along with the dynamics of how trauma victims are manipulated into betraying their own moral limits. (* Winner of the prestigious 2017 International Sandor Ferenczi Prize, from ISST&D: The International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation) ________________________________________ 11. PROJECT WEBSITE with MEDIA + TEAM BIOS + More ABOUT THE PROJECT: https://www.imaginarygirlmusical.com/about PROJECT HOME PAGE: https://www.imaginarygirlmusical.com/home TEAM BIOS PAGE: https://www.imaginarygirlmusical.com/team-team VIDEO PAGE: https://www.imaginarygirlmusical.com/video SCENE BY SCENE LOGLINES/PLOT POINTS: https://www.imaginarygirlmusical.com/scene-by-scene ________________________________________ 12. TAGLINE for… “IMAGINARY GIRL: The Occupation of Patty Hearst (an alternative identity musical)” “WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS”