Author Archives: Eric Schrager

Checking in…

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I’m bummed to have missed Coronation, but I’m savoring this experience doing Drood. We close this coming Saturday, and after a nice long run, I’m going to be sad to see it end. I’ve found another family with this cast and crew.

But while I enjoy being a musical theater actor once more, and indeed this may be my favorite experience doing a show (which is not the same as it being my favorite show)…

In my heart I’m still a bard. And while I can be both, I have missed my other tribe. I’m looking forward to connecting with my SCA peeps again this coming month.

#firstworldproblems #knownworldproblems #broadwaygeekproblems

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Lyrics change: “Lady of the Rose”

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I wish to share in this space that, as of this summer, I have made a permanent change to the lyrics of “Lady of the Rose”, and added a footnote to the page explaining the change. The lines that said “Open your petals to fullest display” now read “Bloom in the sunlight to fullest display”. Someone I care about shared with me that the original lines carried sexual undertones that made her uncomfortable hearing the song, though she knew that was not the intent. Whatever else one may feel about the piece, that sort of discomfort has no place in it, so I have made this change accordingly. This is the only version of the lyric I will perform going forward, and I invite anyone else who enjoys the song to adopt this change as well.

[EDIT: I have also updated the song notes at the bottom of the page to reflect that, while it is overwhelmingly composed of women, the Order of the Rose is in fact gender neutral.]

Song page added: “Shine, Child”

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I finally found the time to add the song page for “Shine, Child”, and tell the story behind the writing of the song (commissioned by Lady Angela Mori for her daughter Thora) in the notes. It’s a very personal and special piece.

Players Night: “Drood”

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I knew it was a privilege to get cast in a production with the Bergen County Players, but I didn’t fully understand it until I experienced my first Players Night. Allowing BCP members to attend the final dress rehearsal as a free or half-price performance creates a magical and supportive launch for opening weekend. Performing for a crowd that eager, that tuned in to what it means to make theater happen, was like an evening-long stage dive, being held and carried by a crowd that appreciated and loved every nuance of what we were doing. The energy was infectious, addictive, delightful. I’m so grateful that my wife and son got the chance to first experience this completed production as part of this audience, and I’m flattered beyond words to have been welcomed into this troupe.

(For those of you who haven’t purchased tickets yet: you should really consider it. This cast is perfect. We open tonight and we run for a month.)

Opening weekend for “Drood”!

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Some of you will recall that I made a pledge to my wife to take some time away from bardic this year and get involved in a community theater production. That commitment is about to bear fruit. This Saturday (September 8), The Mystery of Edwin Drood opens with the Bergen County Players in Oradell, NJ, and I will be playing the role of John Jasper (the villain–but am I in fact the murderer?) Click here for show details (it runs every weekend through Saturday October 7), or if you wish to order tickets.

Returning to theater work has been a demanding but highly enjoyable experience, and this is probably the biggest role I’ve ever had in a musical. If you’re not far and would like to enjoy a funny evening of music and melodrama, tickets are $24 each.

Looking back at Pennsic 47

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So, even by my sluggish standards, this Pennsic post is really late. We got home three weeks ago. There are a few reasons (excuses) why I didn’t jump on it right away:

  1. Between my job and rehearsals for The Mystery of Edwin Drood (which opens next weekend), I have been very busy and squeezed a bit hard on re-entry the last few weeks.
  2. I did do a few shares on this blog related to Pennsic, including two posts from war, a new song which recapped some of my experiences with a broad brush, and posting my full concert on YouTube.
  3. Because the Sing for the East project added songbooks to our offerings just in time for Pennsic, and we still had some inventory left when we got home, I felt like I was attending to unfinished Pennsic business for much of my first week back. (We did sell out quickly enough on Bandcamp, and have sent this year’s donation to the EK Royal Travel Fund.)

Nevertheless, it’s important to take time to reflect on a two-week event we only experience once a year, and I have lots of people to acknowledge (even if I have mentioned some of them previously). Continue reading →

Latest Donation Sent to Royal Travel Fund

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All of our copies of the “Sing for the East” Companion Songbook have now SOLD OUT. Tallying up those sales, the limited run of Volume 1 songbooks, CDs, downloads, and streaming revenue, we have now mailed out a donation check for $900 to the East Kingdom Royal Travel Fund for this year, leaving us with a little operating capital in case we need to cover some production expenses for printing in the coming months.

This brings our total donation to the Travel Fund to $2,300 to date. Thank you all for your participation in this project!