JamesandNick.com

We're Baaaaaaaaack!

2009-07-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

Hello Intangible And Yet Surely Lovely People Out There in the Electronic Cosmos,

Nick and James here - it's been a really freakin long time, but we've been thinking about you, and what you look like, and if you like Chipotle as much as we do, so after more than a year, we thought we'd come back and check. How are you? Do you like Chipotle? Oh good!

It's been quite a year since we were last here, and our show was opening on Broadway. The show closed, we mourned the loss of jobs for our amazing cast, we moved on to other acting projects, started writing a new show together, started writing shows with other people, celebrated July 4th, 5th and 6th, Labor Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hannukah and Christmas, and then, at long last, New Years. It was a year of figuring out where we want to go next after an amazing and absolutely unexpected opportunity arose, and with the rest of 2008 spent planning our next steps, we'd love to tell you about them!

Here's what we got:

Subsidiary Rights - GLORY DAYS will be licensed to a theatrical rights company in the next few months (find out who here), which will allow it to be produced all over the world! That is so very awesome. We already got the incredible and surreal opportunity to fly out to Tokyo, Japan and see an amazing production of the show in JAPANESE!! Check out www.glorydays.jp for more info on the initial run, the tour, and the DVD!

Cast Recording - GLORY DAYS will also be receiving its Original Broadway Cast Recording, available for purchase this fall. We spent 3 hilarious and miraculously productive days in the studio this month, and will be mixing and mastering until about September, when we'll know more about an exact release date. We're also hoping to have some record release events for the album, so stay tuned about that if you wanna come join us and throw panties at Steve Booth!

New Show - we're writing a new original musical, tentatively titled FINDING ROBERT HUTCHENS, that we got commissioned to write by some incredibly nice and helpful producers named Jennifer Costello and Sara Skolnick, over at Broadway Across America. They produce HAIR and WEST SIDE STORY, among other cool exciting musicals. Including small and hopefully exciting musicals, like ours. More to come on that soon, but if you're interested in hearing a song from the show, here's Nick performing the opening number, "Pot at a Funeral," this March at the Laurie Beechman Theatre:

That's all for now we believe - we'll be writing and updating more and more now that the new year is well under way and we are super psyched for whats to come!!

Thanks for being so lovely, however intangible out there in the electronic cosmos,

Nick and James

....WOAH.

2008-04-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

Ummm.....ok. Woah.

So....im not sure if anyone's out there and if not this is just a very self-indulgent public journal entry, but a few weeks ago, we got some pretty incredible news.

Glory Days is going to Broadway.

woah.

So... WOAH- this is REALLY happening!!! And we've wanted to sit down and write ever since we found out that it was a sure thing on Monday, March 10th - but through gag orders, press blitzes, rewrites, auditions, crying, Emergen-C, James losing his voice, performing in two shows OTHER than this one, and FINALLY moving James to the big NYC - this is the first time we've been able to breathe.

It is crazy. Crazy. Crazy. And whats crazier is that never in the 5 years of working on this show together have we ever even for a second let ourselves dream that our show would make it this far. It's always just been something fun that we have loved writing and working on with our friends, and now we still get to work on it with our friends, just at the Circle in the Square Theatre. I cant believe I was allowed to just type that.

Here's a photographic documentation of how we reacted to the news:

So if there is anyone reading this, THANK YOU a million times over for supporting and being so wonderful to us - it's REALLY happening and we'll REALLY be starting previews on

APRIL 22nd!!

and we REALLY open on

MAY 6th!!

Wow the world is amazing. We are the luckiest guys on earth and can't thank everybody who's working on this, who came to see it, and who didn't come to see it yet but wants to. You guys rule and we drool at the thought of you.

All the love and surprise and ridiculous gratitude in the world,

Nick and James

...ALWAYS REMEMBER

2008-02-24T13:11:00.000-08:00

Hello Lords and Ladies,

Our deepest apologies for taking so long to post - but it means the world to both of us that you guys actually READ these! It's kinda been our diary for ourselves to document the incredible experiences we've had in the last few months, and it's an honor to have gotten to share them with you - all the way through the end of this chapter.

The Signature production closed on Sunday, February 17 to a sold-out audience, and was a beautiful way to end a beautiful run. The boys' performances grew so much since we began this process, and by the end it truly was THEIR show, which was another one of those honors that as a writer you're not sure what you did to deserve, but are thankful for all the same.

One of the make or break parts of doing theatre is the people you get to (or have to) spend your time with - and we couldnt have gotten luckier. After the show, and before Nick had to head back to New York that evening, our incredible tech crew WROTE and PERFORMED a spoof version of the show to a sold-out crowd of their own:

GLORY DAYS: A Tech Musical, starring Bway Veteran (and neighboring Signature show THE TRICK PART star) Marty Moran, and our amazing crew!

Class Picture: GLORY DAYS Team '08

It was so sad to leave the theatre after such a transformational couple of months, but it looks like the show is going to be able to have a life because of the opportunities Eric and Signature gave us, and that's something we never ever expected. This whole process, step by step, has surpassed even our most unrealistic expectations, and we hope to continue to push ourselves past what we expect we're capable of, for as long as you are willing to come see whatever it is we make.

So, thank you. For coming, for supporting, for listening, for reading our little blogs and for giving a couple of new guys a chance to say things our way. We plan to continue to do just that.

Check back here in the next couple weeks if you're interested in what's coming next for the show! It's gonna be an awesome year.

All our love and thanks for an unforgettable World Premiere!!

James 'n Nick

PS. In case you didnt get to see it, take a look n' listen to your very own GLORY DAYS boys singing the national anthem to Kobe Bryant (and 30,000 other people) at the Washington Wizards game this past Sunday, 2/13!

SNEAK A PRE-VIEW!

2008-01-14T21:29:00.000-08:00

Why hello there,

Sorry long time no type. But we're in tech! And it's been incredible. The set, lights, costumes, and the BAND make all the difference in the world. Man they rock. Now if we can just get them not to blow out anyone's eardrums...

But we will. This time is all about working out the kinks, and with the geniuses we are blessed by working with, there's no question that they're gonna happen.

Here are some shots of four particular geniuses I'm particularly fond of hard at "work:"

It might LOOK like HIGH FIDELITY...but that's just cuz Andrew's really good at jumping.

No, they're not spelling anything...this isn't PIPPIN!

Who said "driving" with your eyes closed was a bad idea?

Just, you know, four guys chillin on some bleachers with 484 lights behind em...

You have to come see the show to see what they're singing about at this moment...

Boys.

FRESHMAN: I Get Older...They Stay the Same Age

Screamin' bout amazing things.

This is the story of four best friends...

...and earth tones.

Keep moving forward, and always remember...

THAT WE START PREVIEWS TOMORROW!!! I can't believe it. It's here. The process is not over by far, in fact there are still some really exciting changes going in for the show tomorrow, but the first people ever to pay to see our show will be in seats tomorrow night. BUT the great news is...

ITS PAY WHAT YOU CAN!!!

So come on down to old Shirlington Village and pay (what you can) a visit. We'd love to see you, and see what you think.

Thanks for stickin by us. Cant wait to see you there!

Nicknjames

WE ARE RIGHT HERE...!

2008-01-11T18:36:00.001-08:00

So...to further prove that we are the luckiest guys in the world, thanks to the wonderful work of the crack PR team at Signature, and supercool journalist Ellen McCarthy...we're in the Washington Post!! WHAT!?

Young Scribes Get a Signature Boost
By Ellen McCarthy
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, January 11, 2008

The new show at Signature Theatre is just four guys hanging out at a football field. Just some dudes, best friends from high school, giving one another a hard time and catching up after their first year of college. Realizing, as teasing gives way to truths, that none of them is quite who they thought they were 12 months ago.

And sometimes they tell it in song.

All of which might sound a little hokey and fake if it weren't for the fact that the playwrights weren't imagining -- or worse, remembering -- what that moment felt like.

They were living it.

"I think that's the reason it's working now: It came out of trying to be true to ourselves," says Nick Blaemire, who composed the songs for "Glory Days," while his buddy, James Gardiner, wrote the dialogue. "What it feels like is we've sort of bared ourselves here, about who we were and who we were hoping to become."

And they probably wouldn't have even dared to hope for this: to be, at 23, just days away from a full-scale premiere of their show at one of Washington's most prestigious theaters. It's a moment far more thrilling than the one they captured and every bit as precarious.

"I am a little nervous for them," admits Signature Theatre Artistic Director Eric Schaeffer, who has shepherded "Glory Days" from infancy to its main-stage debut. "The show is so raw. That's what so fascinating about it, because it's so real."

Blaemire, from Bethesda, and Gardiner, of College Park, met as teenagers while studying acting at the Musical Theater Center in Rockville. When Blaemire came home from freshman year at the University of Michigan, he had a falling out with an old friend.

He wrote a song about it. And shared it with Gardiner. The two gave themselves exactly one month to come up with a complete draft of the musical. And when they did a read-through for friends and theater associates, people "almost" liked it, Blaemire recalls.

They revised and revised and revised, and the summer before their senior year in college they enrolled in a musical theater program Schaeffer leads at the Kennedy Center. On a particularly gutsy day, Blaemire played a song from the show for Schaeffer. The director liked it, so they sent him the script.

"And it was kind of a mess," Schaeffer recalls. So, via e-mail and instant messaging, they revised and revised some more. Schaeffer continued to lend his ear, thinking that "it would end up being a favor: 'Let's just get these kids started and get them on their way.' "

But somewhere along that way, the director says, the show "found its voice." A voice uncommon to musical theater: today's teenage buddies, throwing jabs and insults and shifting into pop-rock ballads about coming out of the closet, feeling alienated and the pervasive self-absorption of Millennials.

"It became clear that we could talk not just about these four guys, but about a generation of overindulged, privileged young people," Blaemire says.

"People our age -- everyone just wants to be seen as legitimate," Gardiner adds.

Their own big boost toward legitimacy came the day Schaeffer called to say he had decided to include "Glory Days" in Signature's 2007-08 season. "I was just like 'peeing my pants, peeing my pants,' " recalls Blaemire, who is boisterous and frenetic to Gardiner's self-contained quiet.

An early version of the show drew praise during last year's Capital Fringe Festival, but expectations will be higher and the critical glare stronger with its main-stage debut Tuesday.

"Yeah, it's a huge risk, but that's what I think you're supposed to do, being a theater producer," Schaeffer says. What ultimately convinced him, he says, was the authenticity of Blaemire and Gardiner's work. "They captured the spirit of what young kids go through in a way that other people can't; it's so true and honest to what they've done."

The young playwrights are hoping others will agree and like this thing they've brought along now for nearly a quarter of their lives. But there's no guarantee. So sleep is fleeting and nerves are buzzing.

And perspective is tricky, but here it is: "In 20 years, no matter what happens, we get to walk away and say we did this," Blaemire says.

"This is our little piece of history."

WOW! REAL LIVE ELECTRIC STARS!!

2008-01-03T20:22:00.000-08:00

Hi guys,

So...I know we've been posting a lot lately, but sue us, we're excited. :) Today was a big day. Big day. Steps forward like mad. We got to do three interviews (which added up to 4 full hours of talking about ourselves...and did we get tired? NEVER!) and found out that our guys, who did their second run of the show today, are featured on the COVER of the Jan/Feb issue of VIRGINIA LIVING MAGAZINE!!!

Check it out: www.virginialiving.com/magazine/

This show is freakin rockin. And here's proof:

Matty G givin' us "Law and Order ESV: Electric Star View."

Some pretty electric stars workin the bleachers.

Wow...we have a real PROP TABLE.

Hmmm...yes James I see what you pontificate...and so does Eric...and he's making fun of you.

AND...

CHECK THIS OUT!!!!!

Can you tell we're having too much fun?

Love,

Nickojames

DREAMING OF AMAZING THINGS...

2008-01-02T16:44:00.001-08:00

Jesse JP Johnson, Andrew Call, Steven Booth, and Adam Halpin (from the bottom clockwise)

THIS YEAR UNDER THESE ELECTRIC STARS...

2007-12-30T13:49:00.000-08:00

Wow, so very much to report! It's been a whirlwind of a week, with a ton of great fixes implemented to the script and score after a visit from our Musical Superman Jesse Vargas (dont get a note wrong though, he'll end you), and then our FIRST STUMBLE THROUGH! It really was magical to see that the show WORKS. And we are in such great shape so early that it makes me wonder what we're gonna have to do during tech, for a show that has no scene or costume changes! There's still much to do of course, but it is comforting to watch every change improve the show, and to feel so ahead of the clock.

This show is dangerous because it could feel so static to watch four guys just shoot the proverbial $H!+ for an hour and a half, but the boys and Eric are finding so many different ways to explore the potential levels in each moment and song that by the end of the run I felt like I'd watched an entire emotional journey for all four characters. Which is what James and I have always dreamed about.

But no matter how much work gets done, the hilarity never ceases. I dont think I've ever laughed more than I do with (and at) the little theatre fraternity that's being created in our rehearsal room. Even the only girl, our ASM Julie, joins in on the machismo patter with the best of 'em. Don't make fun of her, cuz she'll getcha right back.

Here are a few examples of what we're getting paid to do all day:

Am I inside? Am I outside?

The Brothers Glorymatzov.

Um...IS THAT OUR SET???

YEEEEAAAAAASSSSS!!!!!

And now, a non-verbal skit from us, when we should have been writing...

So, as 2007 comes to a close, we couldn't be more thankful. Our show is getting done by more wonderful, giving, and talented people than we could ever make up, and it's an honor to watch them turn something we kicked around in our living rooms into something real. Makes me pretty darn excited to see what 2008 brings.

Happy Almost New Year!!

Nicko

PS. Check out DCTheatreScene.com's #1 Pick for 2008!!

http://dctheatrescene.com/2007/12/28/2008-wish-list/

IS IT CHRISTMAS!?

2007-12-26T07:09:00.000-08:00

The whole weekend seemed to build up to the Christmas vacation. On Friday after rehearsal we joined the Signature Staff for a little holiday fiesta hosted by the lovely ladies in the marketing department (Rachel, Jackie, Megan, and Suzanne.) Here are some pics:

Milky White (star of Signature Theatre's production of Into the Woods) keeping the riff raff out of the festivities.

Check out the Christmas hooch!

The Glory Days boys and some goofy looking guy with a mohawk! Get out of the picture goofy mohawk pixie!

Eric and his singing Christmas tie!

We begin rehearsals again today, after taking Monday and Tuesday off to celebrate Christmas. On Sunday, we showed up to rehearsal and everyone found $10 gift cards to Cap City Brewery (lovingly referred to by Signature regulars as 'The Office') waiting for them. We're still trying to figure out who the mystery Santa is!

But it hasn't been all play and no work. Rehearsals have started off with a bang! Eric has finished staging the first third of the show. It's been very exciting to watch the script on it's feet for the first time. Since the show happens on a football field over the course of one evening, Eric and Matthew have been working very hard to make sure that the show never becomes stagnant. You can see the wheels turning in their heads, but so far they have both done amazing work.

Our musical supervisor, Jesse Vargas, joined us on Sunday to review music with the cast and make sure all the piano arrangements were in good shape. Jesse has been touring with Clay Aiken's Holiday Tour as pianist, conductor, and arranger for the past couple months. He has become an invaluable member of the creative team and it was great to have him in rehearsal.

As promised, Nick and I will be updating this blog with pictures and videos. Here is a video of Andrew and Jesse rehearsing "Other Human Beings" - more like AWESOME human beings!

Love,

James

OFF TO THE RACES!

2007-12-19T14:56:00.001-08:00

December 19, 2007

James and I are sitting here in rehearsal making small edits to the script, as Steve and Andrew, our incredible Will and Andy, learn a new version of the song “Things are Different,” which has changed significantly since it was last performed in the workshop, so Steve keeps glaring at me every time he has to learn a new melody. Andrew is new to the show for this production, so he's being a trooper about learning an entire score that the other three guys are pretty familiar with at this point. But with that said, “Things are Different” is certainly a metaphor for this process, which even on our second day of rehearsal, is full of great changes and improvements to the show. And they're much to the credit of our cast, who are bubbling over with ideas about how to make things clearer, funnier, and more honest. It's an honor to have four such talented, professional young guys bringing this to life for the first time. I cant wait till you all get to see what they're capable of. And speaking of capable – we got to see the design presentation yesterday, with a set by the incomparable Jim Kronzer, and costumes by newcomer Sasha Ludwig-Siegel, who at 22, is even younger than us! Hiring her to design the costume for these college freshman is just one example of how smart Eric is being in terms approaching this show – he always has a brave, brilliant idea of how to keep things as authentic as they can be. And thats why we're already making edits – to keep GLORY DAYS from feeling like a presentational “musical comedy,” and to create a new perspective on what musical theatre can be – as Eric says, “a slice of life.” Below are some pictures from our first day, as well as a quick photo shoot that the guys for Virginia Monthly. We're all busy already, and couldn't be more thrilled.

Nick

Music, lyrics and book by James Gardiner?...diva.

Nick making love to the first part of our amazing set...

...which looks like this! And is AMAZING! 484 freakin lights!

The entire costume plot. Man, all those quick changes are gonna suck.

The boys hard at work - from L - Andrew Call (Andy), Jesse JP Johnson (Jack), Adam Halpin (Skip) and Steve Booth (Will)

KEEP MOVING FORWARD...

2007-12-16T15:19:00.001-08:00

Well, we begin rehearsals tomorrow morning for GLORY DAYS at the Signature Theatre in Arlington, VA. And we couldn't be more excited. We've got an awesome cast, made up of four terrific young actors: Steven Booth (AVENUE Q), Andrew C. Call (HIGH FIDELITY, ALTAR BOYZ), Adam Halpin (FOREVER PLAID – NSMT & PCLO), and Jesse JP Johnson (ALTAR BOYZ). We've got a great musical supervisor, Jesse Vargas, and musical director, Derek Bowley. A wonderful choreographer… Matthew Gardiner. One of the best directors around, Mr. Eric Schaeffer! And to top it all off, our show is being produced at one of the most exciting and innovative theater companies in the country. We're definitely two very lucky guys!

We have been working on GLORY DAYS for almost four and a half years now. We met Eric while we were both students in Overtures: Signature's Musical Theater Institute in 2004. For whatever reason, we worked up the nerve to ask Eric if he would read the script for a new musical that we were writing, which at the time was titled ASS BACKWARDS. A few weeks after the program ended, we received an e-mail from Eric telling us that he wanted to develop the show with us. Eric took a big risk with two young performers who had never written anything else. To say that we are grateful to Eric for this opportunity is an understatement.

Throughout the process, we plan on keeping this blog up to date with rehearsal reports, etc. We'll update it as often as possible with observations, pictures, and maybe even a video or two. So keep checking back.

- James and Nick