13 Tales of Love & Revenge:
A New Jukebox Musical
by
Chris Mixon
Featuring songs by
The Pierces
The Story of
13 Tales of Love & Revenge:
The journey of 13 Tales of Love & Revenge began with a conversation over lunch with a good friend of mine from Alabama. We were in St. Louis where I was performing at the Repertory Theatre, and my friend told me of a "sister band" from Birmingham (AL) called The Pierces.
My friend not only knew Allison and Catherine, but she was obsessed with their album Thirteen Tales of Love and Revenge. At this time, the Pierces were touring with Coldplay as their opening act. The Pierces were also becoming quite popular in England where they had been recently endorsed by Sir Elton John.
In the United States the Pierce's popularity was steadily growing and several of their songs were featured on the TV shows Gossip Girl, Dexter, Charmed, Ghost Whisperer--and their song "Secret" was now the opening song for the widely popular show Pretty Little Liars. They had also just performed on David Letterman:
My friend felt the Pierce's songs would be great in a jukebox musical--if only someone could write a story to put with the music. I agreed to listen to their music and my first discovery was that Allison and Catherine's songs were very different from the mainstream. Their songs were very theatrical, and one of the first songs I heard was called KISSING YOU GOODBYE.
Every Pierces song was equally unique, their vocals and harmonies were soulful and haunting, the lyrics poetic and playful. Their music spoke to my Southern roots and the humor I had grown up with. I got a very specific idea for a story: a fictional tale of two sisters from Mississippi who take their fates into their own hands and "shoot it out" with the law—very similar to the film Thelma and Louise--and it became 13 Tales of Love & Revenge.
We contacted Allison and Catherine for permission to use their songs and I sent them a treatment of the story and they loved it. They put me in connect with their manager and music publishers at Universal Music Publishing. We asked Universal for permission to develop a script using any songs from The Pierce's catalog and they agreed to let us start development. The musical would be modeled after the gritty, iconic films of the 1960s and 70s--but would feature women in the leading roles.
Writing the Book--
From a catalog of nearly 60 songs by The Pierces, I found 29 that I could use in the story. I started researching films from the 1950s, 60s and 70s, and storyboarding scenes as the ideas came. Within a year I had a draft that was a whopping 140 pages, with 26 songs--13 scenes and 13 songs in each act.
The First Reading: 2014
The first reading was on May 5th, 2014 in New York City. Thirteen actors played 21 characters. It was BIG and LONG and FUN. My friend Melissa Rain Anderson served as director and together we called our very talented actor friends—many of whom were working on Broadway at the time--in Bullets Over Broadway and Jersey Boys to name a couple. Everyone generously volunteered their time and we enjoyed a big “Cinco de Mayo" meal with a cooler of Coronas in a modest 42nd Street studio. The best news was that everyone LOVED the script and felt 13 Tales of Love & Revenge was a distinctly unique musical--and no one knew of a musical like it anywhere.
The Second Reading: 2015
The next summer, in 2015, I was working at the Great River Shakespeare Festival in Winona, Minnesota, and it turned out director Melissa Rain Anderson was ALSO there. I asked an extraordinary company of actors to participate in a SECONG developmental reading of 13 Tales of Love & Revenge with a new script--109 pages with 16 songs. I invited a small audience of 20 or so local folks to hear this free reading--to see if they liked it.
With more time to rehearse and 15 incredible actors 13 Tales of Love & Revenge came to life and our invited audience LOVED the story from beginning to end--with great laughter throughout. They were delighted by the comedy AND the heightened "getaway movie" style of the musical. Overall, the reading was a huge success--and we knew that the next step was to add the songs--performed in "real time" by the actors.
(Top) Stephanie Lambourn, Christopher Gerson, Robert Ramirez, Brian White, John Maltese, Silas Sellnow, Andrew Carlson; (Middle) Tarah Flanagan, Leslie Brott, Michael Fitzpatrick, Jim Poulos, Alex Givens; (Bottom) Rosemary Brownlow, Caroline Amos, Benjamin Boucvalt, Melissa Rain Anderson, and Chris Mixon
Utah Shakespeare Festival Reading--2016
The latest reading of 13 Tales of Love & Revenge was on Sunday, August 7th, 2016 at the Utah Shakespeare Festival, with actor/singers from their 2016 summer company with newly-inked piano/vocal orchestrations. We opened our doors once again to members of the community for a free developmental reading. Over 80 people turned out and they absolutely loved it. Everyone thought the story and music worked hand-in-hand together. In fact, most of the audience forgot that the script and music had been written separately! It was another very successful step forward for the 13 Tales Project.
What else is going on?
Mentorship:
The 13 Tales Project has an ongoing mentorship with Broadway producer Jeremy Handelman, owner of Off The Leash Productions. Jeremy has been a New York producer for over 20 years, and was one of the producers on the recent four-time Tony-nominated Broadway musical On The Town. He is a great friend and an important mentor for the 13 Tales Project, and he has agreed to continue to mentor the 13 Tales Project. Thanks, Jeremy!
Audio & Video Recordings:
Funds donated to the 13 Tales Project will be used to produce high-quality audio and video documentation for each step of the 13 Tales journey, and used to market the musical on an ongoing basis.
Music Clearances and Licensing:
Published music is managed by music publishers who negotiate the terms of use for each and every song. Funds donated to the 13 Tales Project will be used to secure these essential contracts.
New York & Regional Producers
Festivals & Universities
Getting 13 Tales of Love & Revenge into the hands of potential producers is an ongoing endeavor. There are also many wonderful festivals and universities that workshop new musicals. The application process for each takes a great amount of time and strategy, and many have application fees. Your contributions to 13 Tales of Love & Revenge will help us get scripts and materials into the hands of the right people!
Donations are Tax Deductible!
"13 Tales of Love & Revenge is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of 13 Tales of Love & Revenge must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law."
Yes! All donations to 13 Tales of Love & Revenge are fully TAX DEDUCTIBLE! I don't receive any personal income from this project. All donations to are held by Fractured Atlas and distributed for recorded expenses for the project. Fractured Atlas receives a small portion for their support services, but your donation is completely tax-deductible!
Donations pay for:
· Demos, CDs and video editing and recording costs
· Transcription & Orchestration expenses
· Submission fees
· Production expenses for readings & presentations
· Printing, copying, mailing expenses
· Artist & Contractor fees
· Legal fees
· Music clearances and licensing
· Demos, CDs and video editing and recording costs
· Transcription & Orchestration expenses
· Submission fees
· Production expenses for readings & presentations
· Printing, copying, mailing expenses
· Artist & Contractor fees
· Legal fees
· Music clearances and licensing
So that’s the story!
And it continues for 13 Tales of Love & Revenge--especially with your help! Please be a part of this incredible journey and consider donating ANY amount to our cause! No amount is too big or too small!
Online donations with a CREDIT CARD are best--just click the green button below. Donations can be made by check but MUST be made out to “Fractured Atlas” with “13 Tales of Love & Revenge” in the memo line, and then sent to: Chris Mixon, PO Box 515, Roosevelt, NJ 08555. I will submit each check and then send you an email or letter for your tax records!
Online donations with a CREDIT CARD are best--just click the green button below. Donations can be made by check but MUST be made out to “Fractured Atlas” with “13 Tales of Love & Revenge” in the memo line, and then sent to: Chris Mixon, PO Box 515, Roosevelt, NJ 08555. I will submit each check and then send you an email or letter for your tax records!