If you love ARTS in Dayton…and you love video podcasts…meet DDQ, Dayton’s Drama Queens. This New Video Podcast will feature all things ARTS in Dayton. The stars of the show are Philip Drennen (yes, the one who has a show heading to NYC) and Joshua Stucky (yes, the one who created Dayton’s own RubiGirls.) The premiere features an interview with Drennen, one of the creators of ‘The Big Gay Jamboree‘ which is headed to the Orpheum theater in NYC this September!
You can catch the first episode by using one of the following: daytondramaqueens.com or at YouTube, Amazon, iHeart or wherever you get your favorite podcasts!
Luckily, D937 was able to talk with Drennen before he departs for the Big APPLE!
D937: WOW Philip!! This is amazing news. Congrats. Tell us, what was your part in all of this?
I co-wrote the music and lyrics for The Big Gay Jamboree with Marla Mindelle, one of my best friends from college for over 20 years! We also graduated from CCM with the book writer, Jonathan Parks-Ramage and the director, Connor Gallagher. We all got our degrees in Musical Theatre from Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
D937: SO COOL! Where did this crazy idea come from??
The Big Gay Jamboree started as a screenplay for a movie musical about 10 years ago and Margot Robbie was attached. It was written by Mindelle and Parks-Ramage and after Marla’s success in the off-Broadway hit Titanique (where she wrote and stars in the show), got back in touch and they decided to give BGJ another go as a stage musical. They brought me into the mix to write the score about a year and a half ago and we hit the ground running. We got picked up by Wagner Johnson Productions (who just had huge success on Broadway with Stereophonic winning 5 Tonys this year including Best Play) who are co-producing BGJ with LuckyChap, Margot’s production company. This is LuckyChap’s first stage show after years of producing films like Saltburn, Barbie, and my personal favorite, I, Tonya.
D937: I, TONYA! WHAT A HOOT! What has this experience been like….any surprises?
Being granted the time to really workshop a show can be so key to its success. Many Broadway shows can take up to 10 years before it’s debut and we are very lucky to have been fast tracked in this way. But our producers know the importance of workshopping and making sure it’s the best it can be and we’ve learned so much from being in those rooms and experimenting.
D937: In Dayton, we know you from your work with TheatreLab. Has that experience helped??
I have worn a lot of hats with TLD and I’m so grateful to have gotten training in Arts Administration, theater tech, marketing and so much more. There is a need for a group like TLD in Dayton and I hope it’s able to continue to survive in such an arts rich city!
D937: Agreed! So, how do we get to see the BGJ?
Previews begin at the Orpheum Theater off-Broadway on September 14 (open to the public) with our official opening night on October 1. Right now we are scheduled to run through January 31. Ticket info can be found at biggayjamboreethemusical.com.
D937: Sounds like such fun!!
I think right now we all need to laugh and BGJ is basically non-stop laughs!
D937: All of Dayton is proud of you Mister. We wish you all the best!!
