One of my earliest musicals, Cathedral of the Stars, was performed by the 6th grade class of 1989. In some ways, it is the silliest production I have ever done, yet in others, it addresses two very serious themes: the failure of society to allow boys to not be “young men,” and the glorious notion that we all live under the same sky. This “sky” theme was first presented in the 1988 production of Reunion. The whole “sky” thing probably was a result of two terrible years I spent teaching at a prestigious Southern California boarding school, a school that included compulsory outdoor education as an integral component of their education philosophy. By the time I was fired from the school, I had seen the best, and worse of the outdoor education policy. Yes, when you are sitting under the staggeringly star-filled sky over Big Sur, it is easy to see the benefits of the program. However, when I’m struggling to care for inexperienced students (while I had zero outdoor experience), the benefits are nowhere to be found.
Cathedral of the Stars is about a group of 6th grade students out camping. There is no antagonist here, just boys talking about their lives, specially their fears (There’s Nothing That I’m Scared Of). There is some pretty witty lyric work here (The Anti-Camping Song), and a bit of urban-myth making (Archibald). I have always wanted to produce it again, but the ending would never work these days. Someone steals the boys’ clothes while they are sleeping!? Oh well, at least the songs were pretty good. (Note: I am missing one song, but hope to locate it soon!)
I appreciate your comments. Enjoy.
THE SONGS
The Camping Song: The class goes camping! Based on my recent experiences teaching at a boarding school that really emphasized outdoor education. The faculty was expected to be full participants, regardless of prior experience. I knew nothing about the outdoors. Thought it was difficult, I still managed to appreciate the beauty of nature.
This is a very compact song, just intro and a couple of verse/choruses, doing what many of my songs do, verse in minor, chorus in major. The groove is a relaxed triplet shuffle.
Archibald: I was still new to the Bay Area when I wrote this urban ballad. I was particularly struck with the city of Half Moon Bay, a community south of San Francisco, that is almost always shrouded in fog. The whole Archibald thing came up late one night when my kids were asleep, and, well, I just went with every silly thought I could.
The song is in the style of a legend song, just a group sitting around the campfire telling scary stories. Like all story songs, the chorus does not always relate directly to the verse, however, by the end of the song, it all comes together.
There’s Nothing That I’m Scared Of: I am struck by how middle school students generally will not own up to being scared of things. They put on this coat of bravado and act like they are immune from fear. However, eventually I was able to coax a few things from them. The verses reflect actual fears the cast had. The solutions were my inventions.
This song is another or my minor/major songs. This time I led with the minor chorus and then moved into the major verses. I also did something I rarely do, I varied the tempos of the different sections.
Sean Breen 