The whole idea for running a Musicals track came from a conversation with friends at last year's Nine Worlds, about how many shows had musical episodes now, which led to a wider conversation abut Musicals (not that I ever need an excuse) so I mentioned the idea to one of the Nine Worlds staff and they told me to submit a pitch.
Once I got home and started having about Musicals, and running a Musicals track, I cam up with some things I thought it would be interesting to discuss that were not related to musicals strictly, so much as were music related, so I widened the pitch a bit!
So, this is the pitch I submitted to Nine Worlds last year, and have sent off again this year:
Panel ideas:
1. Feminism in Musicals. So looking at everything from Calamity Jane to Disney.
2. Do villains get the best music? (Ursula, Oogie Boogie, Darth Vader!)
3. Celebrate Disney (join with Kids track, prizes for costumes, sing a long to Disney songs, coloring in, pick you favorite hero/ heroine/ villain ?)
4. An analysis of musical episodes (Lexx, Fringe, Xena x 2, Buffy, Scrubs, Community)
5. Driver picks the music- How important is music in genre? (Supernatural, Buffy, GotG etc)
3. Celebrate Disney (join with Kids track, prizes for costumes, sing a long to Disney songs, coloring in, pick you favorite hero/ heroine/ villain ?)
4. An analysis of musical episodes (Lexx, Fringe, Xena x 2, Buffy, Scrubs, Community)
5. Driver picks the music- How important is music in genre? (Supernatural, Buffy, GotG etc)
6. Films that straddle the border - Is it a Musical or just a film with music?
7. When the Soundtrack is as famous as the film (A celebration of Queen)
8. Songs in literature (GoT, Tolkien, Hunger Games etc)
9. Songs as parody and homage (Not Literally, taking the hobbits to Isengard, weird Al Yankovich, filk etc...)
10. Guilty pleasures (songs you sing in the shower)
11. Representation of LGBTQIA+ in musicals. (Hedwig and the angry inch/ Cabaret/ Rocky Horror etc) ((Join with LGBTQAI+ track))
8. Songs in literature (GoT, Tolkien, Hunger Games etc)
9. Songs as parody and homage (Not Literally, taking the hobbits to Isengard, weird Al Yankovich, filk etc...)
10. Guilty pleasures (songs you sing in the shower)
11. Representation of LGBTQIA+ in musicals. (Hedwig and the angry inch/ Cabaret/ Rocky Horror etc) ((Join with LGBTQAI+ track))
16. New Hollywood vs Old Hollywood (Rogers & Hammerstein vs Hairspray etc)
17. Use of classical music in Sci- Fi (although this would probably need people with actual music knowledge/ actual musicians involved!)
18. Williams vs Elfman (pick a side and defend your choice!)
Other things to do:
1. Showings/ Sing along's: (Lots to choose from- Repo/ Rocky Horror/ Little Shop etc as well as Buffy / Dr Horrible)
2. Create the soundtrack of your life (nominate songs to create the ultimate soundtrack) ((This could be a white board outside the room that people can write on, similar to the cookbook idea this year))
2. Create the soundtrack of your life (nominate songs to create the ultimate soundtrack) ((This could be a white board outside the room that people can write on, similar to the cookbook idea this year))
3. Musicals quiz
4. Parody Party (dance along to the parody songs)
Guests:
Well if we could get Anthony Stewart Head that would be amazing! ;)
Other than that I'd suggest we just ask if any of the authors other guests etc like musicals and want to join in?
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So what do you think? What am I missing? What more could we do if given the chance?
Obviously there's been some great comments on Twitter, but I thought if I put the blog up we could discuss it here, which might be a bit easier (certainly easier for me to look back on if this actually goes ahead!)
I am excited by this idea... I keep thinking of a theatre track and musicals would be an obvious fit with that, but not when you recall film and TV have musicals too 8-)
ReplyDelete*absolutely not volunteering. Nope. No.*
You keep telling yourself that ;)
DeleteRepo the Genetic Opera / Devils Carnival / Devils Carnival 2 <3
ReplyDeleteI'm a huge Repo fan, hence why ASH is totally on my list of people it would be awesome (if unlikely) to get as a guest! :D
DeleteFound this via Twitter - if you moved it from musicals (which you wouldn't have to do on my account at all _at all_ - musicals are a perfectly cromulent topic on their own), I'd happily blather about original SF in musical form.
ReplyDeleteAs in: I can blather about SF that's music rather than books or TV or film... and that started that way rather than being adapted from book or TV or film or whatnot.
DeleteOo I hadn't even considered that, thanks! :)
Deleteuhm, something about female roles, played by men, like trunchbull in matilda and the cross over with panto and drag maybe. tho i might actually find that really too emotional.
ReplyDeleteOoo, certainly interesting. I was definitely thinking something about women in 'mens' role, like Calamity Jane, or women playing men (so Yentil, etc). But also interesting to think about it both ways, although as you say would need to consider it carefully.
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