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| Playwright & Composer Austin Zumbro |
You could say that Austin, who wrote the script, music and
lyrics for BACT’s hit show, THE DAY THE CRAYONS QUIT, THE MUSICAL, spent 20
years preparing for the bow he took on opening day.
As a student in the Oakland schools, he loved his classes
but missed having the arts in the curriculum, so, he did it himself—writing plays,
filming videos and making music with his friends. He learned the piano, taught himself guitar.
And, at summer drama camp, he acted in plays as a camper, directed them as a
counselor, and ultimately wrote the plays himself.
In high school, he learned he had a gift for songwriting . .
. by losing a bet.
“I was bowling one day, and my friends wagered that, if I
lost, I would have to write a song about them,” he said. “I lost, wrote the song, and it got a good
reaction. So I had a moment in which I learned,
‘Oh, I can make up a melody and play chords. It’s not magic—you just have to
write it down and remember what you played.’”
When Austin got to Stanford University, he parlayed his
newfound skill into taking requests for songs from fellow students. He also joined the university’s
improvisational theater troupe and performed with it for the next four years.
“I didn’t know it when I applied, but Stanford has a very
strong improv program,” he said. "We had two-hour practices three times a
week, and we did 20 to 30 shows a year. It
was a great experience! I learned how to get up in front of people, and I’m
comfortable with that to this day.”
Austin’s improv experience and encompassing memory has
served BACT very well in emergencies, when he has stepped out of his role as
BACT’s beloved patron services manager to fill in for actors on stage at the
eleventh hour in shows like If You Give a Mouse a
Cookie; The Little Engine That Could; Pinkalicious; and James and the Giant
Peach.
“Some people would find that too stressful, but I’m willing
to jump in and do my best,” he said. “I know the audience and the cast will be
supportive. That’s what’s so wonderful about theatre—it’s a supportive
community with everyone trying to make the show great!”
At Stanford, Austin majored in human biology, with an
emphasis in neuroscience and psychology.
“I love learning about the brain and behavior,” he said. “I
like to think about people and their motivation, their stories. That’s also why I’m attracted to theatre.”
For BACT, Austin has created a comedy, Rudolph the Ugly Duckling, and productions for schools, including The Gold Rush Musical; Labcoats and
Scapegoats: A Science Fair Musicalamity; and Rock the Block: A Walk and Roll Musical.
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| L to R: Actors Anna Smith, Jacqueline Dennis, Carina Salazar, Brett Jones & Chloe Condon. Photo by Joshua Posamentier. |
“I spent a long time with the book, trying to read into the
letters,” he said. “The book is so
successful because Daywalt and Jeffers use very short letters and simple
drawings to create very rich characters on the page—that’s why people identify
with the story. So I was sitting with
the relatively sparse words and pictures and thinking about who would write
that kind of letter, what other words they would say, and why they would choose
those words. I tried to be really true to that in the script and the lyrics.”
Austin’s choice of musical genres for the play came out of
the same desire to bring his characters to life in ways that are faithful to
their personalities and stories.
“I knew what kind of song I wanted to have, but I had to
learn how to make it sound right,” he explained. “I created long playlists
within each genre—gospel and blues, opera, musical theatre, etc.—and I tried to
absorb them all to figure out what elements make them what they are. I also asked people with more
experience. Then I synthesized what I’d
learned for each number, and worked with our music director, Kevin Roland, to
match the songs to the talents of the actors.”
Playwrights don’t necessarily participate in rehearsals for
their shows, so Austin was “thrilled to be in the room” throughout the
development of his play.
“It’s been a joy to be part of the team,” he said. “I feel incredibly privileged to have done my
part and see it come together! I wrote
it, but that’s just the first step. Nina Meehan (the director), the actors, and
the artistic team deserve all the credit for beautiful execution.”
On opening day, Austin’s biggest question was whether the
show would “appeal across the generations.”
“I know what I
like,” he said, “and I work with kids all the time, but I was trying to write a
show for everybody.”
Judging from the laughter and the thunderous applause the
show received that day and throughout its run, he succeeded—from A to Z!
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| L to R: Actors Anna Smith, Jacqueline Dennis, Brett Jones, Matt Ono, Carina Salazar & Chloe Condon. Photo by Joshua Posamentier. |
