From Inspiration To Stage

In this revealing podcast, Drew talks about the inspiration and journey he took as a young budding musician and how he started writing musicals.  The episode features previously unheard songs from Drew's earliest years, including his first attempts at songwriting and for composing for the stage.  It's "warts and all" - but after all, we all started somewhere, and that somewhere is part of who you are as a creative person today.

In this second Composer Spotlight, Drew interviews Vidya Makan; Australian composer, writer, actor, and singer!  Vidya talks about her journey as a musical theatre composer, and what inspires her to write.  You'll also hear exclusive live recordings from her song-cycle "My Home Too", and the behind-the-scenes stories of her other works and stage performances.

For the first podcast of 2020, Drew gives you a behind-the-scenes look at his songwriting process, and how a song can change over a period of time.  Featuring "Play With Me" from his acclaimed new show "Electric Dreams: The Musical", Drew traces the song's development, focussing on the purpose and context of its original shape, and then the reasons it changed and adapted over time.  With exclusive never-heard-before demos, and a live recording taken from the most recent staging of the show, this podcast is revealing and insightful.

It's Christmas, and Drew has broken out the festive cheer by looking at writing ... grinch songs?  Yep, that's right: in this Christmas special of "From Inspiration To Stage", Drew talks about the process of writing an anti-Christmas song, complete with exclusive demos from the writer himself.  So, get your eggnog and put your feet by the fire (or if you're in Australia, grab a cold one and start the BBQ) and enjoy this lighthearted delve into the Christmas spirit - Grinch-style!

It's the song that sits right at the end of the show, but before the finale: a trope of the "golden age" of musicals where shows began at 8.30pm.  However, what is this mysterious convention and is it used today?  Join Drew on a little journey into the heart of the 11 o'clock number, and hear several songs from his own shows, including "The Impossible Princess", "Marking Life", "Somewhere To Fight For", "Cafe Latte" and an exclusive new song from "Electric Dreams: The Musical".

As a writer, there are times when you just seem stuck - no matter how hard you work, nothing seems to be coming out, or in the way you want it to.  The flow isn't there, the inspiration is missing, or it's just a case of everything seems "bleugh".  In this podcast, Drew gives 7 tips on what to do when you're faced with the dreaded Writer's Block, and how you can find your way out of it.  The podcast also features three songs from Drew's own catalogue, two of which never made it to a musical and came out of his own struggles with writing.

It all began as a totally different podcast, but what came out was a question that seems to permeate our creative life - what does being successful actually mean?  In this podcast, there's no songs and no insights into the writing process.  Rather, it's a honest exploration of the concept of success, and how failure is vital to discovering our own version of success.

It's the first big number that the audience sees and hears, so what should the Opening Number of a show actually do?  In this podcast, Drew explores the purpose of the opening number and breaks it down into 5 key points.  Listen in and you'll hear exclusive tracks from The Tree Of Life, A Different Normal, The Impossible Princess and his brand new musical Electric Dreams.  

Welcome to a new branch of From Inspiration To Stage, where we get to meet some of the great up and coming/established composers of the Australian Musical Theatre scene!  In this first "Composer Spotlight" podcast, Drew interviews Jye Bryant, a composer based in Sydney, who has found success with his musicals The Things I Could Never Tell Steven and The Velveteen Rabbit.  Hear exclusive songs from Jye's shows and get behind the mind of this amazing Aussie theatre composer.

In a very honest and open episode "From Inspiration To Stage", Drew talks about the six key lessons he's learned about writing musicals from writing musicals and features some exclusive demos that have never been heard before.  He reveals some of reasons his very early shows didn't work, while offering a little advice for all musical theatre composers based on his own failures and successes.