It isn’t often that a Tony Award-winning Broadway writing team comes to Hawaii to share its knowledge of what it takes to write a hit musical. But Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty — think “Seussical,” “Once on This Island,” “Ragtime,” “Rocky” and “Anastasia” — will conduct a two-hour master class for young musical theater writers Saturday morning in the Punahou School Drama Workshop and then give a free public performance at Paliku Theatre in the evening.
Ahrens and Flaherty are coming to Hawaii courtesy of the Dramatists Guild Fund and the Dramatists Guild of America, and thanks in part to Roslyn Catracchia, best known here for her work with the late playwright Lisa Matsumoto. Catracchia was introduced to the Dramatists Guild by another colleague, former Hawaii resident Dustin Sparks, and attended the group’s 2015 national conference.
TRAVELING MASTERS
with Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty
>> When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
>> Where: Paliku Theatre, Windward Community College
>> Cost: Free
>> Info: 227-9568
While there she met Dramatists Guild Fund executives Rachel Routh and Seth Cotterman. She told them how Hawaii’s isolation made it difficult for island writers and performers to attend skill-building conferences and training programs. Routh, Cotterman and Sparks responded by including Hawaii in the current series of Traveling Masters programs.
Ahrens and Flaherty were selected to come to Hawaii.
“These are two of my favorite writers of musical theater. I can’t believe they’re coming,” Catracchia said. “They’ve written ‘Once on This Island,’ which I’ve seen countless times and musical-directed twice, and ‘Seussical the Musical’ and ‘Anastasia,’ the animated feature, which I’ve watched at least 25 times, and so much more.
“They’re coming here for no compensation but strictly because they believe in pouring (knowledge) into the next generation of theater writers.”
The 10 a.m. master class at Punahou is closed, but there might be space for a few observers. For details call Catracchia at 227-9658.
“I’ve gone to the mainland for events like this, and I learned so much,” she said. “It’s normal for New York and Los Angeles, and it’s a gift — like priceless — to meet in Hawaii.”
At their Paliku appearance, Ahrens and Flaherty will perform songs from their shows and tell stories about their experiences. The final part of the evening will be open to audience questions.
Catracchia said she remembers going to New York at 25, certain she was leaving Hawaii to start a career as a Broadway songwriter. One long, cold winter convinced her that Hawaii was where she belonged, and home she came. (“Everything took off for me here,” she said.)
She’s had a productive career working with Matsumoto’s Ohia Productions ohana and teaching music, but the Traveling Masters visit is something special, Catracchia said.
“I’ve been teaching people to write musicals for years, and currently I have an amazing student who is a freshman at Punahou who will be learning from Ahrens and Flaherty. They will be able to give her an education and insights that I would never be able to at this point in my career. And they are coming here strictly to inspire and educate Hawaii’s students. Hopefully, this is the first of many master classes.”
The post Award-winning Broadway writers to conduct isle workshop appeared first on Honolulu Star-Advertiser.