About this project

In the Prologue to this new musical version of GLEN OR GLENDA, Tom, an embittered down on his luck composer, bombastically describes his latest project to a vision of Satan who has come to steal his soul...
"...What have I done? In this respect, you are truly in the presence of genius itself! For in this age that worships the dilettante, worships at the alter of ineptitude, I have gone to their very God, Edward D. Wood himself, and then to his absolute masterpiece of pathetic incompetence, regarded affectionately as the worst, the most incomprehensibly dire example of film making ever committed to unhappy celluloid...Glen or Glenda...I have taken this shameful turd, this stinking doodle of non-art and transformed it, imbued it with the most mesmerizing new musical score, cloaking this artistic pauper with gold and silver robes, adorning it with a crown. Using this atrocious but beloved disaster of cinematic trash as bait, lured and placated by these easy flickering visuals, at last, at last they will be exposed to great art...my great art!"
Satan delivers to Tom his heart's desire...an astonishing performance of his masterpiece, the musical GLEN OR GLENDA.

You can begin to imagine it here: http://glenorglenda.tumblr.com/

Though I might like to claim that this musical version of GLEN OR GLENDA was conceived in some teriffic flash of inspiration, it wouldn't be true. I had originally thought up the project some years ago. At that time I had planned to adapt the film into something of a traditional sort of musical comedy, wrote a number of songs for this version, but all of this work, contained within a single composition book, disappeared. This misfortune and what seemed like the unsolvable problems in attempting to create this piece in a traditional form compelled me to accept what seemed like destiny's verdict and abandon the project, though not without some regret.
Then, this past year I learned about a troupe in Portland that performs newly commissioned scores for films that are played live accompanying a screening. This suggested to me a similar approach to my GLEN OR GLENDA project, yet as it evolved in my mind it became clear to me that the piece could be much more interesting, even extraordinary, as something of an amalgam of film, theatre, music, dance, all of the arts. This, to me, was a very exciting concept and as I began writing it my creativity went into overdrive. I was becoming aware that this was a once in a lifetime project and I gave it everything within me.
When I had completed the music, it occurred to me that aside from the practical purpose of filling out an evening, the film running at about 68 minutes, there needed to be some device for framing the piece. The idea for a non-musical prologue came about, almost a little one act play that sets the stage for everything that follows. I realized as I searched the film for a theme for this Prologue, that if there was anything redeeming about this film, Glen or Glenda, it would have to be the utter sincerity and courage that went into the making of it. I resolved that my challenge was to try to meet Ed Wood on this very personal human level. That is what I've tried to accomplish here, and this became the premise of my play, the drive, the courage to create, to follow ones vision, ones dream...despite everything.
So, what evolved here is truly something of a new form, one that I have somewhat stumbled upon. What is it? A sort of opera for actors? A play with an original soundtrack? All I know for certain is that it is a piece that offers some very exciting possibilities for it's staging or presentation, yet rather than merely a stunt, there is something quite meaningful being expressed in the whole of this piece. I don't know that it's something you can put your finger on or point out definitively, but I know it's there. That said, this is ultimately meant to be a really fun, exciting and entertaining evening of theatre. Above all, this is what guided my hand throughout its composition.
The powers that be that produce musical theatre are quite unlikely to get this. Generally quite conservative, sometimes bewilderingly conventional and fearful of taking chances, this project's unusual form and subject matter are guaranteed to terrify them, while those interests that produce plays are often quite deaf or even predjudiced as to what all this music or its multimedia presentation are supposed to be about! The only solution, and a very exciting solution, is to produce it myself, to get together a great cast, put it on its feet and bring this to vibrant life in front of an audience. It is this production that I will submit to other Festivals and ultimately take it to either the New York Fringe or the New York Musical Festival.
This money will be used to mount the production, pay for actors, musicians, staff, promotion, a recording, theatre rental, promotion, submission fees and touring the production, in other words, just getting the project on its feet until it can sustain itself. But ultimately, what a gift to this project would really be doing is to give a little of the producing power and trust into the hands of an artist rather than entirely in those whose focus is often primarily commercial.