There are many ways to get your musical produced; one is by winning the coveted Ed Kleban Prize.
This month, I was notified that my show, “The Thirteenth Olympian,” had advanced into the top five.
The Ed Kleban Prize is an annual award administered by a namesake foundation established posthumously by the legendary lyricist for “A Chorus Line.” Recipients of this award include Joe Iconis of “Be More Chill” and Jason Robert Brown of “The Last Five Years.”
There are two distinct categories for this award: lyric-writing and book-writing (i.e., the script of a musical). Any person who has written a musical meant for the stage and has done at least one developmental reading is eligible for consideration for either category.
In his will, Edward Kleban wrote that this monetary prize would be given annually to “writers of extraordinary promise” in the realm of musical theatre.
Winners in both categories are notified following that adjudication process at the end of the year, and subsequently win a total of $100,000 to produce their work. That $100,000 prize is delivered in two annual installments of $50,000. The prize has a seven-month adjudication process, and the application window for this year was from March to May 2020.
My submission of the libretto for my prospective Broadway musical had advanced in both aforesaid categories. It is a completely sung-through and rapped-through dramatic comedy, told in a musical/lyrical style akin to “Les Misérables” or “Hamilton.”
Here is a brief overview of the basic storyline for “The Thirteenth Olympian:”
Almost everyone learns about the 12 Olympians on Mount Olympus, but why are there only 12? In my story, that is what its main protagonist, Titonius, the son of Ares and Aphrodite, wonders. He wants to become a god, and learns that the only way to do that is to go to Earth and find Hades’ lost Baetylus. In Greek mythology, a Baetylus, such as the Omphalos at Delphi, is a special artifact that symbolizes the strength of each god; each god has one, but Hades’ has been lost to history.
So, Titonius goes to Earth and enlists the aid of Jack Jackson, an average 20-something who works at the Numbers Accounting Firm, where he has an unrequited (or so he thinks) crush on a coworker named Grace Ryder. To get Jack’s help, Titonius lies to him by telling him that he is cosmically special. Riding on that lie, Jack, after helping Titonius, professes his love for Ms. Ryder.
Then, Jack and Grace go down to the Underworld to do Titonius’s bidding and give the Baetylus to Hades. However, Hades is quick to realize the Baetylus is a fake and also reveals that Titonius had lied to Jack about him being special. As revenge, Hades takes Grace captive until Jack gives him the true Baetylus.
The musical’s second act then watches as Jack confronts Titonius about the lie, sending Titonius into a spiral of self-deprecation. Finally, the characters have to settle their differences and find a way to free Grace from Hades once and for all.
“The Thirteenth Olympian” blends together several different genres, both of music and of writing. Even after submitting my libretto to the Ed Kleban Prize, I have continued to constantly revise and strengthen the merit of my work, and have done several subsequent readings.
Whether I end up winning this award or not, I cannot wait to someday get my debut original musical on a stage, and let it be seen by an infinitely wider audience.
