Summer 1973: Theatre Music

Dec 01, 2024

L-R: Jeffrey Sweet, Al Carmines, Nancy Ford

This state-of-the-art discussion of theatre music took place in a closed session (no audience) at the Dramatists Guild headquarters for the purpose of taping and editing for publication in the Quarterly. The participants were the Quarterly’s editor and three composers whose produced musicals span the whole developmental area of regional, off-off Broadway and off-Broadway theatre, overlapping onto Broadway.

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Jeffrey Sweet

was a resident writer at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater, where they produced more than a dozen of his plays, winning Chicago’s Jeff Award, two ATCA prizes, and the Audelco Award. Jeff will next direct his play The Value of Names in London, and a new play, A Change of Position, is scheduled to open at New Jersey Rep in the spring. His book The Dramatist’s Toolkit is in use as a text in a number of playwriting programs.

Nancy Ford

is the composer of Now is the Time for All Good Men, The Last Sweet Days of Isaac, Shelter, I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking it On the Road, Hang On to the Good Times, two American Girl musicals, Eleanor, and Still Getting My Act Together, all in collaboration with Gretchen Cryer.

Rev. Al Carmines

(1936-2005), a pioneer of off-off-Broadway theatre, authored almost 80 musicals, operas, and oratorios. In addition to his work as a composer and lyricist, Carmines served as Assistant Minister at Judson Memorial Church in New York City, where he cofounded Judson Poets’ Theater with playwright Robert Nichols.

Related Dramatist(s)

Jeffrey Sweet,

Nancy Ford,

Alvin Carmines