Life in the Pit

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This podcast is devoted to the lives and experiences of instrumental musicians who play for musical theatre. Listeners can hear the stories of what goes on in "the pit" and aspiring musicians can learn what it takes to become a pit musician.

Episodes

Wednesday Aug 18, 2021

Preview of "Something Rotten" for Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance

Wednesday Aug 18, 2021

This is a short, sparsely edited episode that offers a sneak peek into community theatre tech week. Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance has been a special part of host David Lane's musical theatre experience, and on Friday, it officially reveals its brand new venue on 650 W. Sixth St with the local premiere of "Something Rotten". David chats with the director and 2 cast members in the midst of the hustle and bustle. Shows run August 20-22 and 27-29. For tickets, visit https://www.theatrealliance.ws/box_office/

Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod. Visit www.davidlanemusic.com/podcast for more info or to send feedback regarding the podcast. You can also donate through the website. This podcast is currently ad-free, so all donations are gratefully appreciated. Please leave a rating and a review. Thank you for listening.

Friday Aug 13, 2021

58. From Branson to Vegas - Tish Diaz, keyboardist

Friday Aug 13, 2021

Tish Diaz has had a full career, more than you might think for someone still young and full of energy, one that includes theatre work in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Los Vegas, and Branson MO. We talk about playing with artists like Andy Williams, being a keyboardist for the Vegas Jersey Boys show along with other acts, and even programming keyboards before the digital era. She is currently keyboardist and associate conductor for the Pretty Woman national tour. Find out more about Tish at http://www.tishdiazmusic.com/

Friday Jul 23, 2021

57. Reducing Orchestration - Alex Tirrell, music director

Friday Jul 23, 2021

Alex Tirrell is a music director and keyboardist in Rhode Island. He also is one of the sound designers at https://stage-sounds.com/ , the founder who is John Eldridge from Episodes 38 and 39. This conversation focuses on some of the things music directors have to do on a limited budget such as creating reduced orchestrations. You can find out more about Alex at www.alextirrell.com

Friday Jul 09, 2021

56. The Wicked Harp - Laura Sherman, harpist

Friday Jul 09, 2021

Laura Sherman is currently a lecturer for the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Prior to that, she lived in NYC and played on Broadway shows, most prominently as the harpist for Wicked. She also is the harpist on the Original Broadway Cast Recording for Hamilton: The Musical, which is notable in that there is not a harp book for the show. We talk about why that is, along with her experiences for both shows as well as more deep-diving into the uniqueness of harp in general! We discuss an article she wrote about Broadway harpists for Harp Column Magazine, and you can find that here: https://harpcolumn.com/blog/give-my-regards-to-broadway/

Friday Jun 25, 2021

55. Entr'acte: Celebrating 1 year of Life in the Pit

Friday Jun 25, 2021

Host David Lane celebrates 1 year of LIFE IN THE PIT as he reflects on the experience of creating the podcast, and describes some of the changes that will take place moving forward. Don't worry; the podcast isn't going anywhere, but there are a few changes. Finally, David shares 10 takeaways that he has learned from the composite of the past year's worth of guests that any musician can use to become the best pit musician he or she can be! Thank you so much for supporting this podcast for one year!

Friday Jun 18, 2021

54. Principles for Professional Pit Musicians: Paul Perfetti, trumpet

Friday Jun 18, 2021

Paul Perfetti was the principal trumpet for the 1st and 3rd national tours of Les Misérables between 1987 and 2006. He also played trumpet for the 42nd Street national tour. Before and since then, he has played for several dozen productions in various theaters as well as operas. He is a Grammy nominated contributor to early music recordings as an expert in historical trumpets and cornetti. He is a resident of Boston, and frequently is a guest lecturer at places like the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and the New England Conservatory of Music. In this episode, we discuss the lessons he's learned that distinguishes the professional pit musicians with long careers from those with short ones. This is a long episode, but one packed with wisdom from many thousands of shows!

Friday Jun 11, 2021

53. Low Notes - Jennifer Wharton: trombone, bass trombone, tuba

Friday Jun 11, 2021

Jennifer Wharton loves playing low brass (her website tag is indeed, "I play low notes"), and has enjoyed doing so on Broadway in shows such as Beloved: The Carole King Musical, 9 to 5, Curtains, Porgy and Bess, King Kong, and most recently West Side Story. She's played with a ton of jazz ensembles and artists, and is a founder of the group Bonegasm, an ensemble of 4 trombones plus rhythm section! She talks about her shows and more! You can find out more about her at https://jenniferwharton.com/

Friday Jun 04, 2021

52. Tours and Reels - Matthew Croft, keyboardist and music director

Friday Jun 04, 2021

Matthew Croft has either music directed or played keyboard, or both, for theaters all over Michigan, Ohio, and New York. He has also played for The Illusionists: Turn of the Century on Broadway. He has also toured nationally with 5 Broadway productions: Guys and Dolls, The Producers, Motown: The Musical, Something Rotten, and most recently Jesus Christ Superstar - the 50th anniversary production! Matthew talks about tour life, handling keyboard and music directing for some demanding shows, and tips for getting such work including demo reels. You can find out more about Matthew at www.matthewcroftmusic.com .

Friday May 28, 2021

51. Theatre in Ireland - Andrew Clayton, guitarist

Friday May 28, 2021

For the 2nd time, LIFE IN THE PIT goes outside North America to explore theatre from musician's perspectives in other parts of the world. Andrew Clayton is a young guitarist and teacher who lives in Dublin and chats to me about his experiences in the pit and of the Irish theatre scene in general. You can follow Andrew at instagram.com/claytona95 and on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4kB2-r-np0agWbqp33eDoQ

Friday May 21, 2021

50. The Collins Boy: A New Musical - Brad Bass and Cari Joy, writers

Friday May 21, 2021

5 years ago, the host of this podcast, David Lane, was invited to be the arranger and later the musical director for The Collins Boy. Working with the writers Brad Bass and Cari Joy, working with actors like Lisa Howard, Tony Galde, and Russell Fisher, and playing for audiences in NYC and Atlanta have been one of the best experiences! Brad is no stranger to Broadway. He was on-stage for a decade with Wicked, Memphis, and Jersey Boys. Eventually, he left NYC to focus on teaching and becoming a writer. His long-time writing partner, Cari Joy, is a songwriter, pianist, and teacher. This is a musical that is still being developed, but set a crowd record at the 2019 Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival. We talk about that show from where it started to where it's gone to where it's going!