Meet April Alsup

We had the good fortune of connecting with April Alsup and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi April, we’d love to start by asking you about lessons learned. Is there a lesson you can share with us?
Surround yourself with good people who know their craft. If you want to create excellent music theatre works you’ll need to find people who have synergy with your group, are responsible and do their part at a high level. None of us can do this on our own and mounting a new music theatre piece takes all sorts of various talent. You’ll need to identify someone on the team, perhaps yourself, that everyone respects and can rally around. Also, you’ll want to have someone who can spot and take care of any toxicity that sometimes creeps into creative projects with varying levels of self interest and ego.

When it comes to writing music theater works, there really is no preferred method. Some musical theater composers just sketch out songs with chords, rhythm and a melody, leaving the instrumentation to an orchestrator. Others might deliver a fully orchestrated score with a specific ensemble and voices. Musical theater composers create music for all sorts of purposes, instrumental compositions might be used for underscoring or to enhance scene changes, highlight an onstage event, or support a dance number. Vocal songs often advance the plot, supplement story threads, or show a characters’ emotions, struggles, and thoughts. There are so many examples of successful musical theater development teams and the process is different from team to team. The important thing to remember is that “there is far more we can do together than we can ever do on our own”. Find the formula that works best for you and to enjoy the process.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I enjoy writing music theatre works. I grew up near Parkersburg, West Virginia and I’ve always had some sort of music project going on. I’m retired now, but when I was a kid just about everyone at my bus stop had a musical instrument. Music, band and orchestra were just part of my childhood. Today, people label me an “American Musical Theatre Composer, Librettist and Lyricist,” which seems fair, but I think it just means I like storytelling and working with a melting pot of different music genres, traditions and styles.

HIGHLIGHTS: In 2023, Eigg the Musical made its debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and was voted “Best New Musical” by Broadway World readers for its stage portrayal of the community buyout of the small Hebridean Isle of Eigg. In 2024, BANNED the Musical was performed in public for the first time at Fringe and received a four star review from THE SCOTSMAN (Scotland’s National Newspaper) citing “Online dating gets a merciless take-down, while the pleasures of s*x are dutifully celebrated.” In 2025, I’ll be returning to Scotland with the brand new Musical “Absurd Hero”, a present day portrayal of the character in the philosophical treatise by Albert Camus that defines Absurdism.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’ve spent a lot of time in New York City over the years and some people might even say I’m a city girl, but I grew up in Appalachia and I’ve always enjoyed a balance of city life and nature. So if you are in Colorado and want an off-the-charts outdoor experience head up to Meeker for a 4 day pack mule trip into the Rockies. There are several outfitters that offer guided horseback trips across the Flat Tops in the high country. You’ll stay in different camps, some with elevations over 11,000 feet, you’ll make your way on mountain horses with your personal supplies carefully packed on a pack string. If you enjoy fishing for wild trout, bring your fishing gear as there are numerous streams, ponds and lakes to fish along the way. The wranglers will tend to your every need, setup a comfortable campsite, take care of the horses, the camping chores and prepare tasty home cooked meals, so you can enjoy your wilderness experience. The gentle sound of the clear mountain streams, the rustle of the canyon breeze through the quaky Aspen leaves, the smell of pine trees in the fresh mountain air, the night sky lit up by millions of bright stars, a peaceful evening around the crackling campfire… Memories that will last a lifetime!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I grew up in a small town in West Virginia and I’d like to dedicate my shoutout to my high school drama teacher, John Lee. He was the individual that was able to get through to me and he gave me a better perspective of the world around me. He open my eyes to the world of theatre and how I fit into it. I was never meant to perform on stage under the spotlight. My role was to recognize and develop relevant content that could bring an audience into the spectacle of the stage. The moments of silence, the gasps and the thunderous applause. The reward for me is when someone takes me aside and tells me how they can’t get my music out of their heads or how they’ve been thinking about a part of my show that changed the way they were thinking about a topic. This is what John saw in me at an early age and he was able to expose me to a world that would embrace me. I thank him for that.

Website: https://www.alsup.org/

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