Book by Kate Atkinson & Karen Harris
Music & Lyrics by Dan Fogelberg
Music & Lyrics by Dan Fogelberg
Introduction
Part of the Plan is a new American musical – an original story scored with the music and lyrics by the late, celebrated, singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg.
The book tells a timeless story following three decades in the lives of an adopted baby boy and the teenaged girl of privilege who was forced to give him up. Part of the Plan takes us through the boom times of post-World War II America, the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, and the political upheaval of the 1970s.
Target Audience
Baby Boomers are the target audience for musical theater. Boomers have the most disposable income and are eager to revisit their youth. They comprise 76 million Americans -- almost 30% of the U.S. population, and the vast majority of the work force, continuing to work even beyond their peak earning and spending years. These 76 million people are the engine of the economy, and they buy theatre tickets.
Musicals Using Pre-Existing Catalogues
Stage musicals that utilize previously released popular songs to tell their stories have become a highly profitable endeavor on Broadway, in the West End of London, and in theatres and touring companies around the U.S. and the world. From the first jukebox musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’, to more recent Broadway hits like Mamma Mia!, Million Dollar Quartet, Jersey Boys, Movin’ Out, the 2012 Tony winner - Once - which won a Best Song Academy Award in it’s pre-Broadway life - and 2014’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical... these productions have a built-in audience before they even open. Fans of Webber, Abba, The Four Seasons, Billy Joel, or Carole King open their wallets to see these shows over and over again. Theatregoers take their kids to introduce the next generation to the music and stories that informed their own lives. They will do the same for Dan Fogelberg’s music.
While Part of the Plan is somewhat of a hybrid, utilizing a compelling original story AND the music of a well-known artist, theatregoers get to experience and appreciate both aspects of this show. Fans of Dan Fogelberg, many of whom have sat in the audience for our staged readings and/or workshop-style performances, have commented that it feels as if Dan WROTE these 20 songs for our story. DanFans now have the opportunity to hear Dan's music in a whole new light. And for those that don't know the music, and are hearing our versions of Dan's songs first, these folks are in for an additional treat when they buy and listen to his original recordings.
More About The Music
In using the music of Dan Fogelberg, Part of the Plan directly appeals to our target audience, for whom Dan was a significant voice. His many fans declare that his music was the soundtrack of their lives. Between 1972 and 2003, Dan delivered 13 studio albums, 2 live albums, 2 greatest hits albums, and a 4 CD box set. His records generated 21 hit singles, four of which were #1 hits with eight more in the Top 10. "Same Old Lang Syne", inspired by a chance encounter with a former girlfriend, has become a Christmas holiday standard. "Leader of the Band", an emotional homage to his father, has been embraced by generations of sons and daughters. And his greatest hit, "Longer", has been a favorite wedding song for decades. We have obtained the exclusive rights to the Dan Fogelberg catalogue to mount our stage production, utilizing 20 of his songs in our libretto. Concurrently, a major label tribute album of Dan Fogelberg's music is in the works. A select group of today's top recording artists as well as Dan's contemporaries from the 70's and 80's – many of whom are multiple Grammy winners – are putting their own spin on Dan’s music. We anticipate the new album will bolster the already substantial Fogelberg fan base, expose his music to a new audience, and will ideally tie in with our stage musical.
The Success Model
National tours, international productions, motion pictures, and merchandising produce substantial revenue streams that often surpass a Broadway run. Other shows bypass Broadway altogether. Dirty Dancing has been touring nationally, non-stop, to sold out houses since 2014 with no sign of slowing down. The Bodyguard launched in 2015, is featured in this season’s regional theaters, and still plays both overseas and nationwide, as does Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to Phantom of the Opera. An Evening With Janis Joplin was a standout on the road, and after an ill-fated turn in a Broadway house, it went back on tour and has more than recouped its losses. Shows such as these, with or without a Broadway run, continue to do blockbuster business touring throughout the U.S., Canada, and overseas. It is with this model that we plan to launch Part of the Plan.
Broadway & Beyond
Of course, Broadway is the brass ring in the world of musicals, and the potential is too great to ignore. In its three-year Broadway run, Movin’ Out grossed almost 100 million dollars, with the highest weekly box office gross of over a million dollars. Jersey Boys has been running on Broadway since 2005 and has surpassed $1.7 billion in worldwide grosses. Mamma Mia!, which opened on the Great White Way in 2001, will finally close in September of 2015, after grossing more than $2 billion, not including a popular motion picture and multiple international productions. Once, which opened on Broadway in March of 2012 has already grossed over $110 million in its first three years. While Movin’ Out took two years to recoup its $10 million Broadway investment, and Jersey Boys’ its $8 million investment within 8 months, Mamma Mia! recouped its $10 million Broadway investment in less than 28 weeks. Once recouped its $5.5 million in just 21 weeks, faster than any new Broadway musical in more than a decade. And Beautiful recouped its $13 million dollar investment in less than 10 months. We look to include a limited Broadway run in our touring schedule that can easily transfer to a longer engagement if the box-office receipts warrant it. We expect the Broadway budget for Part of the Plan to range between $5 and $7 million, in line with the budget of Once, which has similar values to Part of the Plan.
In recent years, we’ve seen many Broadway musicals turned into feature films: Jersey Boys, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, Rent, Rock of Ages, and 2012’s Best Picture Nominee, Les Misérables. Sony has recently announced that “Beautiful: the Carole King Musical” is being developed as a film by the playwright, as is Wicked. Part of the Plan’s rich story is perfect for a feature film adaptation.
Our Development History & The Plan
On Dan Fogelberg’s birthday, August 13, 2013, the Bookwriters launched a Kickstarter campaign for Part of the Plan, and raised almost $60,000 in 30 days to fund the very first stages of development. That October, they mounted two staged readings in Los Angeles – one at the NoHo Arts Center and the other at the Greenway Arts Alliance to a wonderful reception. In June 2014, after further work on the book, they mounted another staged reading at Greenway, as well as one in San Diego for attendees of the Theatre Communications Group's National Conference of LORT theatres. In early November 2014, the writer/producers presented two consecutive readings in NYC. The readings were held at St. Luke’s Theatre in Midtown, and were directed by Tony-nominated Lynne Taylor-Corbett with Broadway musical director, Michael Moricz.
In July/August of 2015, Taylor-Corbett returned to direct six workshop style performances of a further honed Part of the Plan, presented in Los Angeles as a fundraiser for Greenway Arts Alliance and the Fogelberg Foundation of Peoria. With the highest level of actor/singers and musicians, many of whom are veterans to Broadway and National Touring companies, the performances were standing room only, and all six shows received spontaneous standing ovations.
The next goal – to create an alliance with a regional theater – was realized when we were invited to bring Part of the Plan to the beautiful Tennessee Performing Arts Center by CEO and President, Kathleen O’Brien. The first staged readings at TPAC repeated the success of the previous outings, with the help of a talented cast representing Broadway, Hollywood, and Nashville. We are now in full development, with TPAC joining us as a producer as well as a presenter. The team is preparing for Part of the Plan's next phase - to deliver its first full-on production. The initial investment for this stage of development will require between $500 thousand and $1 million. Financial backers who come in at this stage are also considered "front money" or "early money" investors and are granted participation on the producers’ side of the revenue stream as a bonus share.
With Dan Fogelberg’s reputation as an American Troubador, it follows that Part of the Plan would have great success in the heartland. In researching the most successful of Dan Fogelberg’s touring cities, and cross-referencing demographics for Baby Boomers (as noted, the primary audience for musical theatre) as well as cities with reputations for quality theater, a list emerged that includes Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and St. Louis. Taking Part of the Plan on a tour to these cities and others would bring in early revenues while building word-of-mouth, assuring that Part of the Plan will reach a mass audience. This will allow us to market the project in new and innovative ways.
The Core Creative Team
Part of the Plan engages the talents of bookwriters and producers Kate Atkinson & Karen Harris, director Lynne-Taylor Corbett, arrangers Victor Vanacore and Laurence Juber, and Music Director Michael Moricz. K-Squared Entertainment and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center will produce, [See bios under the Playbill Who’s Who tab or by clicking here].
Part of the Plan is a new American musical – an original story scored with the music and lyrics by the late, celebrated, singer-songwriter Dan Fogelberg.
The book tells a timeless story following three decades in the lives of an adopted baby boy and the teenaged girl of privilege who was forced to give him up. Part of the Plan takes us through the boom times of post-World War II America, the social and sexual revolution of the 1960s, and the political upheaval of the 1970s.
Target Audience
Baby Boomers are the target audience for musical theater. Boomers have the most disposable income and are eager to revisit their youth. They comprise 76 million Americans -- almost 30% of the U.S. population, and the vast majority of the work force, continuing to work even beyond their peak earning and spending years. These 76 million people are the engine of the economy, and they buy theatre tickets.
Musicals Using Pre-Existing Catalogues
Stage musicals that utilize previously released popular songs to tell their stories have become a highly profitable endeavor on Broadway, in the West End of London, and in theatres and touring companies around the U.S. and the world. From the first jukebox musical, Ain’t Misbehavin’, to more recent Broadway hits like Mamma Mia!, Million Dollar Quartet, Jersey Boys, Movin’ Out, the 2012 Tony winner - Once - which won a Best Song Academy Award in it’s pre-Broadway life - and 2014’s Beautiful: The Carole King Musical... these productions have a built-in audience before they even open. Fans of Webber, Abba, The Four Seasons, Billy Joel, or Carole King open their wallets to see these shows over and over again. Theatregoers take their kids to introduce the next generation to the music and stories that informed their own lives. They will do the same for Dan Fogelberg’s music.
While Part of the Plan is somewhat of a hybrid, utilizing a compelling original story AND the music of a well-known artist, theatregoers get to experience and appreciate both aspects of this show. Fans of Dan Fogelberg, many of whom have sat in the audience for our staged readings and/or workshop-style performances, have commented that it feels as if Dan WROTE these 20 songs for our story. DanFans now have the opportunity to hear Dan's music in a whole new light. And for those that don't know the music, and are hearing our versions of Dan's songs first, these folks are in for an additional treat when they buy and listen to his original recordings.
More About The Music
In using the music of Dan Fogelberg, Part of the Plan directly appeals to our target audience, for whom Dan was a significant voice. His many fans declare that his music was the soundtrack of their lives. Between 1972 and 2003, Dan delivered 13 studio albums, 2 live albums, 2 greatest hits albums, and a 4 CD box set. His records generated 21 hit singles, four of which were #1 hits with eight more in the Top 10. "Same Old Lang Syne", inspired by a chance encounter with a former girlfriend, has become a Christmas holiday standard. "Leader of the Band", an emotional homage to his father, has been embraced by generations of sons and daughters. And his greatest hit, "Longer", has been a favorite wedding song for decades. We have obtained the exclusive rights to the Dan Fogelberg catalogue to mount our stage production, utilizing 20 of his songs in our libretto. Concurrently, a major label tribute album of Dan Fogelberg's music is in the works. A select group of today's top recording artists as well as Dan's contemporaries from the 70's and 80's – many of whom are multiple Grammy winners – are putting their own spin on Dan’s music. We anticipate the new album will bolster the already substantial Fogelberg fan base, expose his music to a new audience, and will ideally tie in with our stage musical.
The Success Model
National tours, international productions, motion pictures, and merchandising produce substantial revenue streams that often surpass a Broadway run. Other shows bypass Broadway altogether. Dirty Dancing has been touring nationally, non-stop, to sold out houses since 2014 with no sign of slowing down. The Bodyguard launched in 2015, is featured in this season’s regional theaters, and still plays both overseas and nationwide, as does Love Never Dies, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s sequel to Phantom of the Opera. An Evening With Janis Joplin was a standout on the road, and after an ill-fated turn in a Broadway house, it went back on tour and has more than recouped its losses. Shows such as these, with or without a Broadway run, continue to do blockbuster business touring throughout the U.S., Canada, and overseas. It is with this model that we plan to launch Part of the Plan.
Broadway & Beyond
Of course, Broadway is the brass ring in the world of musicals, and the potential is too great to ignore. In its three-year Broadway run, Movin’ Out grossed almost 100 million dollars, with the highest weekly box office gross of over a million dollars. Jersey Boys has been running on Broadway since 2005 and has surpassed $1.7 billion in worldwide grosses. Mamma Mia!, which opened on the Great White Way in 2001, will finally close in September of 2015, after grossing more than $2 billion, not including a popular motion picture and multiple international productions. Once, which opened on Broadway in March of 2012 has already grossed over $110 million in its first three years. While Movin’ Out took two years to recoup its $10 million Broadway investment, and Jersey Boys’ its $8 million investment within 8 months, Mamma Mia! recouped its $10 million Broadway investment in less than 28 weeks. Once recouped its $5.5 million in just 21 weeks, faster than any new Broadway musical in more than a decade. And Beautiful recouped its $13 million dollar investment in less than 10 months. We look to include a limited Broadway run in our touring schedule that can easily transfer to a longer engagement if the box-office receipts warrant it. We expect the Broadway budget for Part of the Plan to range between $5 and $7 million, in line with the budget of Once, which has similar values to Part of the Plan.
In recent years, we’ve seen many Broadway musicals turned into feature films: Jersey Boys, Chicago, Sweeney Todd, Rent, Rock of Ages, and 2012’s Best Picture Nominee, Les Misérables. Sony has recently announced that “Beautiful: the Carole King Musical” is being developed as a film by the playwright, as is Wicked. Part of the Plan’s rich story is perfect for a feature film adaptation.
Our Development History & The Plan
On Dan Fogelberg’s birthday, August 13, 2013, the Bookwriters launched a Kickstarter campaign for Part of the Plan, and raised almost $60,000 in 30 days to fund the very first stages of development. That October, they mounted two staged readings in Los Angeles – one at the NoHo Arts Center and the other at the Greenway Arts Alliance to a wonderful reception. In June 2014, after further work on the book, they mounted another staged reading at Greenway, as well as one in San Diego for attendees of the Theatre Communications Group's National Conference of LORT theatres. In early November 2014, the writer/producers presented two consecutive readings in NYC. The readings were held at St. Luke’s Theatre in Midtown, and were directed by Tony-nominated Lynne Taylor-Corbett with Broadway musical director, Michael Moricz.
In July/August of 2015, Taylor-Corbett returned to direct six workshop style performances of a further honed Part of the Plan, presented in Los Angeles as a fundraiser for Greenway Arts Alliance and the Fogelberg Foundation of Peoria. With the highest level of actor/singers and musicians, many of whom are veterans to Broadway and National Touring companies, the performances were standing room only, and all six shows received spontaneous standing ovations.
The next goal – to create an alliance with a regional theater – was realized when we were invited to bring Part of the Plan to the beautiful Tennessee Performing Arts Center by CEO and President, Kathleen O’Brien. The first staged readings at TPAC repeated the success of the previous outings, with the help of a talented cast representing Broadway, Hollywood, and Nashville. We are now in full development, with TPAC joining us as a producer as well as a presenter. The team is preparing for Part of the Plan's next phase - to deliver its first full-on production. The initial investment for this stage of development will require between $500 thousand and $1 million. Financial backers who come in at this stage are also considered "front money" or "early money" investors and are granted participation on the producers’ side of the revenue stream as a bonus share.
With Dan Fogelberg’s reputation as an American Troubador, it follows that Part of the Plan would have great success in the heartland. In researching the most successful of Dan Fogelberg’s touring cities, and cross-referencing demographics for Baby Boomers (as noted, the primary audience for musical theatre) as well as cities with reputations for quality theater, a list emerged that includes Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, and St. Louis. Taking Part of the Plan on a tour to these cities and others would bring in early revenues while building word-of-mouth, assuring that Part of the Plan will reach a mass audience. This will allow us to market the project in new and innovative ways.
The Core Creative Team
Part of the Plan engages the talents of bookwriters and producers Kate Atkinson & Karen Harris, director Lynne-Taylor Corbett, arrangers Victor Vanacore and Laurence Juber, and Music Director Michael Moricz. K-Squared Entertainment and the Tennessee Performing Arts Center will produce, [See bios under the Playbill Who’s Who tab or by clicking here].