University student Curran Latas has a lot on his plate.
When he isn’t performing for Theatre Baton Rouge, LSU Mainstage or the Musical Theatre Club at LSU, he spends his time composing music. This summer, the product of his free time came to fruition when he helped to write an original musical with former fellow University student Michael Braud.
Latas, a 19-year-old theatre performance sophomore, penned the music for the show, entitled “1000 Words,” while Braud, who graduated in spring 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in biology, contributed the book and lyrics. The story, described by Latas as a “piece on equality,” attempts to describe the shift in American ideology regarding the treatment of gay people from the 1920s to the 1940s, centered around one pair of lovers and the schism of World War II.
“At first, I wasn’t super passionate about the story, but once we got the ball rolling, it was really fun,” Latas said.
Latas said the songs were pop-influenced,and followed a similar structure.
“There isn’t really one show I want to compare the music to. It’s basically contemporary musical theatre,” he said.
“People always ask me, ‘what was your favorite song?’ and I can never answer. I mean, I love all of them,” he said.
Latas said the piece took him and Braud, who he met in their shared musical theatre class, about four months from start to finish, and described the experience as “a very collaborative effort” throughout.
“He’d say, ‘Oh, this is how the character is feeling right now,’” Latas said on Braud’s input. “I’d go into a practice room and just start playing, and then I’d send the recording to him and he’d give me feedback. He’d be thinking of the music when he wrote the book, and I’d be thinking about the story when I wrote the music.”
A full-staged reading of the work, open to the public, was held in LSU’s Studio Theater on July 13.
“Everything was sung, everything was read aloud, so that was fun,” said Latas. He described his involvement in the remainder of the production as “relatively hands-off.” The show already has a director, but Latas will remain close to the show as assistant musical director, accompanying on piano and attending most rehearsals.
“It’ll be tough sometimes,” he said, taking his hands off the wheel and leaving things, at least for the most part, to the production team.
Production will soon be ramping up for the stage, as performances at Theatre Baton Rouge are slated for January 2015, with auditions to be held in November.
LSU Student Composer Writes Original Musical
September 15, 2014