Hey folks,
My name is Hannah Johnson and I’m a co-writer of THE PARK.
Hannah Johnson, Co-Writer of THE PARK
Like Anton and Ben, I’m a student at Studio 58. The boys approached me back in the spring of 2009 about a musical project they wanted my help with. They sat me down in Ben’s living room and blew my mind with an early version of our epic opening number, “Springtime Happening.” Right then and there, I knew I had to be involved. Since I’m a born-and-raised Vancouverite, the idea of a musical about Stanley Park seemed fun, fresh, and exciting. Over the next few weeks the three of us worked long hours hashing out plot ideas, writing and re-writing lyrics, and developing our cast of characters. We submitted a rough draft of our script to the STEW adjudication committee, and were thrilled to learn that Studio 58 would be producing it in January, 2010.
This process has been really exciting for me for two main reasons. Firstly, although writing has always been my passion, I never would have guessed in a million years that I could co-write a musical. Don’t get me wrong, I love music (and musicals, for that matter) but my talents in that department are limited to playing the kazoo and singing in the shower. For someone as un-musical as me, working with two amazing musicians and composers like Ben and Anton is a huge gift. It has been such a pleasure to watch their process and listen as they construct a whole world out of their unique musical styles. Secondly, writing with them is a laugh and a half. I’ve lost count of the number of times a discussion over a certain idea, lyric, or piece of dialogue has dissolved into hilarity. And it’s been such an amazing experience for me as a writer to work so collaboratively with them. I think we’ve all learned a lot about putting the project ahead of our own egos, and letting go of ideas even if we really loved them at first (David Suzuki flying in from the grid, a wise-cracking squirrel sidekick, you get the idea.) As a result, THE PARK has evolved a lot over the past few months, and I am so excited to watch it grow even more once we get it on its feet
Thanks for following our progress this far! Keep checking back for updates as we head into production, and don’t forget to put us in your calendar. THE PARK is a show that you don’t want to miss!
Bye for now,
Hannah
(Hannah Johnson has written another show playing in STEW called Disappearing Acts, a one-act play in PROGRAM A of the festival. Don’t miss it! She is one talented mofo!
COMING SOON — Two new songs by the end of the week!)
