We arrived back in LA on February 20th.  We could have flown all the way home from Nashville without an airplane, that’s how high off the ground we were!

The following day, Kate and I went right to work on the Book for Part of the Plan.  We knew we had a story (the one we pitched to Jean, Norbert and Sheryl), but we needed to make certain it would translate into a script for a stage musical.  The characters needed to be fully realized, the plot points had to make sense, and we wanted to create a solid balance between drama and humor, action and romance.  We began to write our script, and rewrite, and rewrite.  

While this is the first project Kate and I have collaborated on, we discovered we had very similar sensibilities.  One would start to explain an idea, and the other would jump in to finish the thought.  When we’d get simultaneous goose bumps, it was time to put pen to paper.  We knew that Part of the Plan would follow parallel stories – that of the privileged but rebellious Rebecca, who gets pregnant at 16, and Sean, the boy she’s forced to give up for adoption.  And we discovered that the best musicals start out with a bang, so we decided to bring up the curtain on a
country club dance in 1950, a la Mad Men, with the entire chorus as wealthy elitists performing “Power of Gold.”  When we needed a big Act I finish, “A Voice for Peace” transformed into a Vietnam-era anthem (a troop carrier may
just be the icing on the cake for this scene, if the budget allows ;-).

Those times when Kate and I would disagree, we were always respectful, even while our voices would get louder and we passionately swore that my way (or hers) was PERFECT!  In fact, we’re still arguing over whether Sean should accompany himself on guitar when he sings “Leader of the Band” at a critical, dramatic turning point, or whether he should simply sing it standing in a spotlight.  Anyone wanna break a stalemate?

It had been a long time since I’d written with a partner in the same room, but Kate and I came up with a system that worked beautifully.  On any given day, I would take the scenes from one storyline, and Kate would write scenes from the other.  When we’d paste them together at the end of the day, we were always surprised how seamlessly they blended, as if we’d written them together. 

We continued to immerse ourselves in Dan’s music, gaining a greater and deeper respect for the man’s talent. 
While it’s impossible to do justice to his entire catalog, we selected (and reselected) the songs that helped us envision the story we wanted to tell, a process that’s still ongoing.  Just the other day, we added “Ever On,” partly inspired by the feedback we’ve been getting from all of you.  I’m certain any Dan Fan will have opinions about where we get it right, and where we miss the boat, but ultimately, we have to follow our instincts.  The echo of Jean’s words – to always protect the integrity of Dan’s work – is our guiding force.  So we continue to remain true to our vision, our story, and our passion to bring Dan’s music to a generation who may not know his work, to those who may have forgotten his artistry, and to the die-hard fans who yearn to hear his music in all forms.

It was going to take time for all the legal and contractual details to be worked out, which gave us the time we needed to think, create, and write!  Throwing ourselves into our work was heaven.  We could have kept rewriting the book, but the day of reckoning was coming.  We had to get out from our safe little cave of an office and actually hear the words spoken.  By real actors!  Sitting around a table in Kate’s living room.  That, my friends, was terrifying.

- Karen Harris
 

It was such a pleasure to meet Jean when I had only communicated with her by e-mail for over three months.  Norbert commented on the fact that we had never actually even spoken on the phone.  “Dan’s watching over this,” he said.  We thought so too.

We all settled into the conference room with the three of us from LA on one side of the table, and Jean, Norbert and Sheryl on the other.  Karen and I narrated our story and Richard worked the music.  Whenever there was a video to go along with the music from Victor, we’d play it.  Everyone loved Victor’s energy, talent, and especially his take on Dan’s music.  As we anticipated, Jean’s biggest concern in signing on to a project like ours was that the INTEGRITY of Dan’s music be maintained.  Luckily for us, they all agreed that we had found just the right musician for the job.  At one point in the presentation, as we ended the telling of Act I, Jean gasped out loud… in a good way.  We knew she liked where we were going. 

By the end of our presentation, Jean and Sheryl were open about how they felt.  They both expressed how impressed they were with what we had put together.  Norbert seemed somewhat more reserved which made us a little nervous.  He was, after all, the man who knew Dan’s musical artistry longer and better than anyone.  We looked at him, waiting for a response.  Any response.  He took a deep breath as we held ours.  And then, he spoke:  “You’ve got it all here.  There’s nothing for us to do.”  As we exhaled, he talked about the emotional aspects of the story, as well as how taken he was with the ordering and selection of songs we’d chosen.  “It hasn’t been done before.  It’s great.” 

We knew we’d done really well, but no one was saying the magic words we came to Nashville to hear.  The next thing we knew, Norbert had invited us all to the hotel bar to celebrate.  Celebrate what?  A good pitch?  A long flight?  We were dying for more, but apparently, we weren’t reading the signals.

In the bar, we all got on like gangbusters.  Norbert and Sheryl regaled Richard and I with the story of when Clive Davis came to Norbert with a cassette tape of a young budding musician and his very first songs… Norbert knew and respected Dan’s talent from the very beginning.  Jean and Karen spoke of dealing with loss – Karen had come right to the airport from the memorial of a dear friend who had passed away from cancer.  Jean told her about the Don’t Lose Heart website, created by Jean to provide support for caretakers of the terminally ill. 

While our side of the table was yucking it up about Norbert playing bass for Elvis and how his band blew off the chance to meet the Beatles in their hotel room, I heard Karen blurt out to Jean, “So, what now?”  All conversation stopped cold and we all looked to Jean.  It was a total E.F. Hutton moment.  Jean told us she wanted to work with us, that Dan would have loved this project, and she promised she would call the right people to get the deal rolling.  Part of the Plan was officially born in that moment, the moment we all had waited for... Now we were ready for the Grand Ol’ Opry!

-Kate Atkinson