Inappropriate for an Office: More details!
So the concert is starting to shape up! We’ve signed an incredible lineup of singers including Kate Wetherhead (Spelling Bee, Legally Blonde, Submissions Only), Autumn Hurlbert (Legally Blonde), Matt Lutz (Trails, Dawson’s Creek), Brad Nacht (Billy Elliott), Derek Roland (Parallel Exit) original I Got Fired cast members (Shana Barone, Robyn Corujo, Devon Goffman, Collin Leydon, Jake Loewenthal & EJ Zimmerman) and musicians including Andrew Smithson & Mike Indeglio to make my music sound better than it is.
The incomparable Liz Ulmer is producing the event.
The songlist is top secret, but it include lots of music from I Got Fired, Scooby Doosical, Joshua & Elway. Also, is it possible I’ll sing a song that got cut from I Got Fired because it was too offensive?
We will be selling (really cheap), lots of I Got Fired memorabilia including T-shirts, Posters & Cups.
The place is filling up quickly, so be sure to call the Beechman Theatre 212-695-6909 and reserve your seats! (you can also RSVP on facebook, but its unofficial).
The incriminating evidence: IGF does Wikileaks!
So, there’s tons going on behind the scenes in I Got Fired-land, but of course I can’t talk about it here. So perhaps because I’m feeling guilty for not being as open as I really want to be, and in the spirit of Wikileaks, I am posting the actual postcard that got me fired.
A couple of the reviews of the NYMF production mentioned that the idea that I was fired over a typo was unrealistic. And while, there were lots of reasons for my being shown the door (some of them good), the reason they gave was indeed a typo in a postcard. So, here is the actual postcard including the dastardly typo! Can you find it? (portions of the postcard have been blurred to protect the guilty).
I Got Fired Update!
So it has been almost 2 months now since we closed. It seems so long ago and seems like yesterday.
It has been a wildly exciting time post-NYMF. A couple of updates:
1. I Got Fired won the 2010 Theater For The American Musical Prize presented at the 2010 NYMF Awards for Excellence Gala. (Photo by Michael Thomas Homes)
2. I Got Fired is going to Korea! IGF was also the winner of the DIMF Production Award which includes a full production at South Korea’s Daegu International Musical Festival (DIMF). We’re really excited about the production (which will be about 4-5 times the scale of the NYMF show). From what I hear, its an amazing experience that will allow us to continue to work on the show while exposing the evilness of Jenny to all of Asia.
3. On December 6th, original cast members Kelly Carbacz, Devon Goffman and myself will be performing two numbers from the show at The Dude’s Cancer-Crushing Concert of Emerging Composers at the Laurie Beechman Theater featuring works by Miller & Tysen, Keith Varney (hey, that’s me!) Kerrigan & Lowdermilk & Waldrop & Williamson. We’ll also be performing some stuff from Elway: The Musical & some other cool stuff.
- So, of course all of the interesting IGF news is the stuff I can’t talk about. Its funny, that I’ve made it a goal to be as transparent with our information as possible, but that the realities of success mean that you can’t always do that. Annoying, I know. Suffice to say, that we’ve got a lot of really promising (but not not definite) stuff that we’re working towards. I’m certainly crossing my fingers. Sorry to be so vague.
- The NYMF gala was such a blast. Totally overwhelming to be hanging out with some of my heroes while trying to pretend that I wasn’t totally star struck. I’m not great at playing it cool. The best part was being able to hang out with most of the NYMF cast again.
- Just finished draft 98 of the show! We presented draft 71 at NYMF, so there have been lots of changes (hopefully improvements).
Thats it for now… stay tuned!
Keith
Six days after NYMF! What next?
Hey everybody!
So the World Premiere of I Got Fired is in the books! I’ve been basking in a grateful haze of leftover merch and too much free wine. Its time to pick up the pieces and figure out what is next!
I have an insane amount of people to thank for this amazing experience. Who knows how meaningful this was to all the people who played various roles on the show, but I can promise it was truly meaningful to me. Without exaggerating, I Got Fired has been the best thing that has ever happened to me. I can’t put into words my gratitude to my collaborators, the producing team, the cast, the crew, the fine people at NYMF, TBG, my family, the people who donated money, the people who gave me advice and the countless (or 691) people who bought tickets.
I’ve been getting the question “so, what’s next” over and over and I wish I knew what to tell everybody. Now, I spend a month staring at my phone hoping that somebody with an extra million dollars or so will call and offer to put up the show! Or an agent will call me as a writer. Or an agent will call me as an actor. Hell, I’d take an agent as a graphic designer or fantasy football guru! I’m hoping to go pro in fantasy football.
I have absolutely no idea what is going to happen. I am completely confident that I Got Fired will have a life beyond NYMF. Certainly more confident than I am that I will have a life! Stay tuned. I will be posting updates here on the blog as we get through them. Sadly, I can’t really update on each meeting that I’m having, that would be tacky, but as soon as anything is locked in, you’ll be the first to know!
OK, I’m rambling now. I was planning on writing something more profound and focused, but I need another cup of coffee and I gotta run.
Keith
The Cast of I Got Fired @NYMF. Umm… so lots to talk about… and will update soon!
Dontee Kien choreographs EJ Zimmerman (Chen), Collin Leyden (Rick), Robyn Carujo (Maria) & Shana Barone (Myrtle) in the opening number while Doug Oberhamer looks on.
IGF at NYMF Rehearsals - Day 8
Its seems crazy to me that we’ve only had 8 rehearsals. Perhaps its because we’ve gotten so much done. We’ve gotten so much done because the creative team (Steve Bebout, Dontee Kien & Doug Oberhamer) coupled with the cast & stage management team is just so freaking awesome, hard-working and organized.
OK, I know that this sounds like typical press double-speak you hear from everybody in the entertainment industry. (“My director/fellow actor/catering company is just SOOOO amazing…” etc). Often its truly just an act. You sort of have to say all of these things or else you look like a jerk. I had a family member say I was really good at this type of press talk. My reply was that I’m good at it because I’m telling the truth this time. I truly and honestly couldn’t be more lucky to have the amazing people I have working on my show. You may get tired of hearing that over and over from me, but I’m not going to get tired of saying it.
So onto the interesting stuff (Quick hits):
- So far my two favorite parts of rehearsal is how good the cast sounds on the harmony parts (they sound way better than the recordings which is me dubbed over me dubbed over me etc)… AND… the talents of Doug and Dontee creating Salsa versions of “I Got Fired” and “Kathy’s Office Down The Hall” for Maria and Phil to dance to as we make a couple of transitions. I watched the rehearsal for a while today (because I’m an idiot and read the rehearsal schedule wrong and came an hour early) and was just amazed at the creativity and talent that was making something I could never have thought of or done. I will of course be taking total credit.
- We’re going to be a part of the NYMF press conference! Hooray! Its an honor for us as well as a terrific boost to our publicity. Kelly will be singing Kathy’s Office Down the Hall!
- More announcements coming soon on some exciting funding news…
- Ticket sales are going really well. We’re sold out for opening and have only a handful of tickets for closing night. Tell your friends! We want to sell out as fast as possible!
- We’re welcoming two new Associate Producers to the fold! Kendra Kay and Greg Cicchino have hopped on board and will be totally awesome as we start the race to the finish line.
Gotta run. Got to have crepes with “Steven” then beer with our super-Producer Liz Ulmer. Crepes and beer. My life is awesome.
I Got Fired @NYMF Rehearsals - Day 1
I’m almost too excited to type! We started our preliminary rehearsals today. Worked through some scene work and spent some time going over music with Doug. Tomorrow we work on group musical numbers and meet more of the cast
Margaret made amazing I Got Fired cupcakes!
Doug Obermaner (MD) & Devon Goffman (Steven) rehearse while Theresa Flanagan (PSM) and Margaret Morton (ASM) look on.
Devon belts on ON MY WAY while Doug plays.
Rehearsals at NYMF begin next week!!
OK, lots going down! I shall bullet point.
- Tickets have gone on sale! We’re doing pretty well, opening and closing nights are almost sold out. Very exciting! For those of you hoping to squeeze in at on the day of with Equity tickets, etc, will be disappointed. Buy your tickets here!
- Rehearsals begin next week! I’m so excited & anxious to get started. The terrific cast will be announced shortly. I’ll say this, the cast will be able to sing their faces off.
- Lots of production stuff going on as well. We’re ordering out set for Ikea (only half a joke) this week. Doug Oberhamer has been working feverishly on all of the arrangements of the score and Steve Bebout and Dontee Kiehn have been working hard on figuring out how the show is going to move. I warned Dontee that she should be prepared for my shocking incompetency in dance and that any attempt to get me to do anything other than walk will likely end in a fiery crash.
- The Mike Calls in Sick video is a smash success! If for some reason you haven’t seen it, check it out here.
- Have you heard the word that Jenny sucks?
More soon!
K
