So (as they say in the cartoons), there I was -- minding my own business -- when my agent, the resourceful, delightful and energetic Susan Gurman, called to tell me that my and Stephen Witkin's award-winning musical, THE FABULIST (an epic fantasy-fable of Aesop, based on the novel by John Vornholt) had been selected by the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington State for its 5th Annual Festival of New Musicals -- a high octane series of staged readings on its First Stage space (they operate three theatres, see a few cameo shots below). Within reasonable driving distance of Seattle.

I knew of the Village Theatre: Its stalwart Associate Artistic director, Brian R. Yorkey is an interesting, multi-talented and eclectic cat, himself an accomplished musical dramatist (Making Tracks, Feeling Electric, Play It By Heart) and a veteran of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (where I'm on faculty). And in a very short time, he and his colleagues "up there" have parlayed the Village into a significant voice in the development of musical theatre. (They're one of a very few institutional theatres who make that a specific mandate.) And a number of my illustrious friends and colleagues in the writing musicals game had had their work developed and/or produced at the Village, and had wonderful things to say about the experience.

"Kewl," I said.

And furthermore, Susan reported, the Village folks were so enthusiastic about The Fabulist that they'd scheduled it for the Festival's Saturday night slot. All right, okay, a little pressure, but hey, if you make musicals you're in the pressure business. And flattering is flattering.

"That's awfully nice," I said.

And, she continued, it goes up August 6th.

Now understand something. This conversation was taking place on July 8th. Which meant the reading was a month and a day away. Even if I'd be able to attend rehearsals (as it turned out, I could), I wouldn't be flying out until the week of the 1st. Which meant, logistically, that the director, musical director and cast would perforce be selected without input of the authors -- not exactly a first for me, but never with a whole show still in progress --

-- that'll be [to use a Cosby-ism] an edjumacation, I thought --

-- which meant that if I expected any of them to be able to do their jobs in a timely, creative and thorough fashion, I had maybe a week, max, to true up the piano/vocal score so it would match the current script, and FedEx it to them. (The last time The Fabulist had been performed, revisions had been done on the fly, none of which had been formally entered into the computer notation files. And there were a LOT of them -- several of them major.)

Ulp, I thought.

"Ohhh-kay," I said.

(But in spite of myself, I began to get excited about it.)

Finally, Susan said, there's a panel discussion for audiences on the afternoon just before the performance, about the classroom musical theatre workshop process of nurturing writers and their work. The scheduled guest celeb. is the redoubtable Stephen Schwartz -- who, aside from his celebrated work as a composer-lyricist (Pippin, Wicked, et al.) also currently moderates the ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop. And the Village Theatre requested that I be part of the discussion as the BMI Workshop guy. So both "camps" get due representation.

Well, now I was more than just flattered, and glad of an opportunity. Now I felt honored. (A lovely sensation. May I never get used to it. Kick my butt for me if I do.) And the adventure began.

I have to say, in the interim, Brian and the other folks connected with the Village Theatre could not have been nicer, more accommodating or more thoughtful. I actually loved getting the vocal score prepared, Stephen Witkin caught the jazz of seeing how "our baby" will walk on its own (he'll be coming up too, late in the week -- yaay), and on top of that, I've never been to Washington before ... and now I get to meet some friends who live there, most of whom I've heretofore only known as online cyber-pals.

I have no idea yet what the reading will bring, yet I expect to have a ball, and if you're up that way (First Stage, 120 Front Street North) on Saturday, August 6th, I hope you can attend. The panel discussion is at 5:00 -- the reading of The Fabulist is at 7:30. Go to the Village Theatre website (www.villagetheatre.org) for details, contact info, tickets, etc. -- and news about the other shows, whose authors include David Friedman, Peter Kellogg, Paul Graham Brown, David Spangler, Jerry Taylor, Scott Warrander and Tom Orr.

And maybe I, the two Stephens -- and Aesop -- will see you there ...

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