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).

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

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

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.

Check out the new orchestrations by Doug Oberhamer for the opening number! The band is going to ROCK! TICKETS GO ON SALE WEDNESDAY!!

Hey everybody! We just finished shooting the music video for Mike Calls in Sick starring Phantom of the Opera & Avenue Q’s Evan Harrington. Now its off to the editing bay for our terrific video genius Emily Oakley. Here are some pictures of what my apartment looks like post-shoot. Oy… 

K

So! We had a terrific casual table reading with a good chunk of the production team and some volunteer actors. Got a chance to hear the show out loud for the first time in a while. Had a blast, a lot of the changes we’ve been making have really improved the show. There was one section when we forgot it was a musical… so there may be a new song coming. 

Casting is coming along… stay tuned.

Czerton has finished the set design and he and Steve B are mapping out all of the transitions.

Best part about the reading: We ran 91 minutes. Our aim is to have a total running time of 90 minutes. So, we still have 5-10 minutes to trim before we get into the theater ((to leave room for transitions, laughs(?) & applause (?)), but its a hell of a lot better than last reading which took 110 minutes.

We’re filming something awesome tomorrow. Look for it soon.

After the reading and after a script meeting with Steve B last night, I’ve finished the new draft of the script. Added the new song and make a ton of little nips and tucks and transplants. And the script is now 5 pages shorter! This is good.

Can I just say how awesome the entire IGF team is? Its a huge operation now and everybody is just so darned good. I’m so excited.

Ok… So I’m taking a quick break to write this while a CD of the most current version of the score gets burned. I’m headed off to a table reading of the show with most of the creative team. Should be a blast! We are now on draft 68 of the script and its starting to come together!h

Yesterday, I spend some quality time with Sibelius (the music notation software) and wrote electric bass parts for the score and put in lots of the changes that have been done lately. So, I now have a complete piano/vocal score for IGF. Naturally, I can’t imagine it won’t get riddled with changes in the next few weeks (we start rehearsals in 2 weeks!!), but I feel like the basic structure is pretty solid now. 

Vermont was great. I’m sure most of you saw the pictures on the IGF Facebook page. For those who didn’t, why the heck aren’t you a “liker” on Facebook yet??

Lots of exciting new marketing schemes are being worked on and will debut this week and next. Naturally we’re also making a big fund raising push!

So… am I a bit overwhelmed and stressed these days? Um…. YES. That being said, I continue to be insanely grateful to be in this position and to have the support of so many wonderful people who are donating their, time, talent, money or all three to my little musical.

OK. Just heard itunes announce the CD is done, gotta run!

Keith 

I’m too lazy to write entries as we go on our exciting road trip to Vermont for the I Got Fired benefit concert TONIGHT! However, I have been taking photos, which I will post here as the day goes on!

All of the exciting stuff headed to Vermont while waiting for Zipcar realize that our care will have more Zip if it has 4 wheels instead of just 3.

The production team this morning. Planning diabolical schemes to milk Vermonters our of their money. (Sorry, was the CHEESY? I don’t mean to get a syrupy, but I just ran into on a middle-aged hippie and we got gay civil unionized). Wargo just punched me.

Hi everybody! 

We are rapidly approaching the I Got Fired in Vermont benefit concert! We’re working on booking folks to come sing at the event… we’ve already booked my High School rival and nemesis James Blanchard (booo) who stole lots of my parts over the years. Be prepared for a knock down drag out fight to determine who is the real Joseph and which one of our coats is truly amazing and Technicolor.

Now, we need to get some butts in the seats to see the action… um… and fund my show. So, Liz has been working tirelessly to get the local press to cover the event. She’s awesome. I’m going to post this photo of me on the cover of the Country Courier (in 1999 as a Fat Teenage Joseph) as the kind of press we’re looking for.

RSVP to the Vermont event via facebook here!