Since 2005, Northwestern University’s American Music Theatre Project has been boosting fledgling musical theater composers. For the young artists whose work will debut this year, AMTP offers a double milestone: the aspiring composers and lyricists (all seniors at NU) will finally see their work—much of it years in the making—on its feet.
For months, Khazanchi says, the creators of A Bridge to the Moon could only meet outside, so they’d work on the show while going for walks. Over winter break, they moved to Zoom. In January, they were finally in the same room, albeit masked and at a distance that required occasional shouting.
“It was great, but it wasn’t a live musical like we wanted, with actors and everyone in the room. This year it’s still not actors in the room,” Bell continues. “It’s all being done remotely and safely. We’ve hired videographers for each musical, and mentored each one with a professional in the field, which helps because there are so many writers on the national front who are out of work at the moment.”
“Plays on Zoom are pretty doable, but musicals? That’s going to be a tricky nut to crack,” Diaz says. “We don’t know exactly how it’s going to look at this point—we’re going to prerecord some things and rehearse over Zoom. The gift of it is we’re able to keep working on it, and I have these incredibly talented artists to work with. I mean, I’ll still be in my attic in New Jersey. But we’ll be working with this great group of students in Chicago,” he says.
