OKAY CUPID: The Musical Interview with Danielle Good and Rebecca Leshures

OUTSIDE THE PRACTICE ROOM:

THE MSM STUDENT BLOG

by:  Jonathan Koe

Best friends from the onset of their Master’s program at MSM, Danielle Good (MM ’12 – Vocal Performance) and Rebecca Leshures (MM ’12 -Piano Performance) are currently writing a musical together about the phenomenon of online dating. Having watched the Act I preview at the Norwegian Seamen’s Church in New York on February 23rd, I was very impressed by the fact that these alumnae are forging their own path to musical fulfillment on top of their busy schedules as active performing musicians and pedagogues in the city. They are ready for the complete preview of the musical on April 12th, 2013 at Davis Hall in International House. Check out the Facebook page and promotional video of Okay Cupid: The Musical.

JK: Tell us a little more about Okay Cupid!

Danielle: The musical portrays the life of six characters, the cultural phenomenon of online dating, and the clash involved when the old and the new world collide.

Rebecca: The tradition of meeting someone randomly or through friends, the new trend of “shopping” for exactly what you want in a person, and finding the perfect match through that.

Danielle: The six characters represent different generations. We have Richard in his 50′s, Monica in her 40′s, Teddy in his 30′s, and we have two sisters as well as Jason who are in their 20′s – both early and late. One of the most exciting aspects of this project is after the preview of the first act, people come up to us and say, “I’m so Whitney,” or “I identify with Emma but there is a part of me that feels like Jason.” We realize that this story has the capacity of touching audiences from multiple generations.

JK: Why did you guys pick online dating as a theme for the musical?

Danielle: It’s very relevant and modern.

Rebecca: Stats show that each year larger proportions of couples are being set up through online dating. I’ve already had two friends meet their spouses online.

Danielle: Yes, that’s true! And for two girls whose parents met the old-fashioned way, we didn’t know quite how to feel about it.

JK: Who are your targeted audiences? Do you also plan to reach out to more experienced audience members?

Rebecca: Certainly. People who have lived longer than us have more weight in terms of their experience. Our generation has barely experienced romance for a decade! Mid-twenties, I am sure, feels worlds apart from mid-forties. There is dimension and understanding in terms of the emotions felt. We feel like this will only help to enrich the musical and assist it in terms of reaching out to the audience.

Danielle: The overall message is universal and appeals to all generations. The people who identify more with the message, however, are the tech kids: us. We are the AOL kids who stayed up until 1 AM talking to strangers in a chat room! We have no problems with that.

Rebecca: Not to mention the fact that the sound of dial-up is endearing to us now!

Danielle: Meeting someone online isn’t quite so intimidating to our generation. What doesn’t sit so well, however, is the idea of meeting somebody and have it be “the one” like it was for our parents. Yet, this is what is happening in our society – it’s not only us who uses online dating, it’s also people who are divorced with three kids and a full-time job. Some people find this idea very artificial – especially in the concept of creating your virtual identity. In one of our pieces, our character Monica says “They say a picture’s worth a thousand words, but how can I be certain that these words reflect who I am ” The fact that you have to filter yourself down to these pictures and these descriptions is remarkably overwhelming and scary!

These are the issues of our generation and the one before us but I feel like nobody is talking about this. We just sort of go along and see what happens. There are successes and failures – but this whole compatibility thing….measured through a logarithm that calculates your match percentage based on background and interests… it will be very interesting to see how this plays out in the long run.

JK: What are your inspirations both in terms of the music and the drama?

Rebecca: Art of any and all forms. We frequently go to New York City ballet, the MET, Broadway, Shakespeare in the park…these are some of the many sources of our inspiration.

Danielle: We are inspired through the musicians of past, present, and future. And New York is our oasis. Meanwhile, from the dramatic aspect, our characters live in us and in the people around us, things people say to us find their way into the storyline sometimes. That’s not to say that one character is modeled perfectly after a certain person in our lives, though.

JK: Where do you guys see this project for the future?

Rebecca: First, our next performance is in April 12th in International House, right across from MSM. It will be in Davis Hall, which seats about four hundred people, with lights, props, and an ensemble.

Danielle: We are working out another venue for June – so things are taking off. Three performances in one semester while we finish up the musical is quite a lot on our plate. We see this continuing not only in Manhattan, but everywhere especially since the topic is so relevant….from Manhattan theaters, to community theaters, to audition rep….the most important, powerful thing is for us to reach people by assisting them find their personal truth through the connection with the music.

JK: At the preview, I was thinking about how amazing it is that you guys are using the very skills MSM want to equip us with –  entrepreneurship in the musical industry! After graduating from MSM for a year and being able to gain some perspective from the ‘real world’ what was the route you navigated? Also, what did you gain from your education?

Rebecca: We have experiences – from being in ensembles, classes, performances in and out of school – and we have to use the combination of these topped off with confidence to be our own musician. You have to stretch yourself to be a complete musician.

Danielle: MSM provided me with an incredibly supportive network of colleagues, professors, and the confidence in my musicianship to bring my unique artistry to the table.

I think is important for us to remember that people today don’t only have one job anymore – people change careers all the time nowadays. Isn’t that exciting for us to be able to have that opportunity to seek out multiple different venues and companies? If our life is a painting, at MSM we perfected our colors – our violet becomes ultra violet – and we got this array of colors on our palette and an empty canvas. Our gift and duty as musicians post-graduation is to open up and share that with our audience.