Full Synopsis
Act One
Elliott, a chubby teen beaming with hope, appears on stage. Elliott relays his excitement to the audience as the brand-new captain of The Beavers Marching Band ("Captain Of The Beavers").
Elliott is then revealed hanging on a locker room door. Laura, Elliott's friends, knocks and comes into the room. As Laura helps him down, Mr. Hornsby bursts in with his whistle. He reminds the two that with the new season, Elliott must be in tiptop shape. Mr. Hornsby exits and Elliot & Laura get ready for band practice ("Band Geeks!"). During the song, we move to the football field - everyone is arriving for rehearsal. Elliott proceeds with roll call. We are introduced to a new student exchange student: Natalia Vosavich. The students pull out their instruments and rehearsal begins. In another part of town, we move the home of Jake; a past star of the football team who has been forced to move into the marching band for his Senior year.
On the practice field, the students are still adjusting to the new music and formations. Ms. Dixon enters, assistants in tow, to check on Mr. Hornsby and his students. She introduces Jake to the band, who will be playing drums for the school year. Skeptical and unsure, Elliott brings a set to Jake and the students begin to train him ("Keep The Beat"). Frustrated and upset, Jake throws down his drumsticks and leaves. The band takes a break. As Elliott and Laura share a moment, Nicole interrupts; Elliott is speechless - it is his high school crush. When Elliott leaves Laura to reflect, she confesses her feelings ("Lost In The Brass").
We now move to Ms. Dixon's office. She informs Mr. Hornsby of bad news - due to a lack of funding, she must cut the band program. Now, the students will forfeit their use of the practice field and begin to practice for their final appearance in…the parking lot ("Good Enough"). Although the kids' spirits are down, they must still prepare for their last performance. Meanwhile, in the locker room, Elliott is preparing to ask Nicole out on a date. The boys come in and give him a hard time ("Twirler Girl").
Later that night, the marching band has snuck onto the practice field with Mr. Hornsby. They are quickly falling apart, though. Ms. Dixon, who is still in her pajamas, is shocked to find them on the field. She reprimands Mr. Hornsby and instructs Joyce to confiscate his field pass. Alone in the darkness, the music teacher dreams about new possibilities ("If I Had A Stage"). Elliott interrupts to remind Mr. Hornsby that they still have to play the big game against Waterloo, and Jake is shocked - it is his old school! The next day, we find Laura and Jake behind the bleachers. In sizing each other up, they share an unpredictably special moment ("One Look At You").
It is now Monday, 3:00 pm. As the boys prepare for rehearsal in the locker room, Laura coaches Jake in the parking lot. The big night is quickly approaching ("Friday Night").
After a week of hard work, we find ourselves at the Friday night football game as Belleview High faces off against Cuyahoga High and its Marching Beavers. Sitting in the stands, Jake thinks about his ruined dreams of football stardom ("Team Player"). Lost in his thoughts, Jake unleashes an incredible, unrehearsed snare drum solo. The performance receives praise and awe from the band and Mr. Hornsby. Even more, a recruiter from Ohio State is so impressed she invites the band to compete at the Festival of Champions ("The Festival Of Champions").
Act Two
In the parking lot, after the game, Mr. Hornsby reminds the kids that this will be the biggest opportunity for the Beavers. His students agree; Kyle, Alvin, and Stewart step up to provide a demonstration to their band teacher - a 'sneak peek' at ideas for the competition ("Get It Together").
On the way home from Cedar Point, Laura and Elliott bond. Jake and Nicole flirt in the back of bus ("The Back Of The Bus"). Back at school, Elliott talks to Jake about his school crush and Stewart endures more bullying from the jocks. Over in Mr. Hornsby's office, Laura is having difficulty with a musical piece and eventually confides to him that her parents are forcing her to attend state school, despite the potential Mr. Hornsby sees in her.
Later, we find Natalia and Spitz practicing in a large storage closet. The two square off in a battle of egos and talent ("Big Shot!"). Back in the parking lot, Ms. Dixon gives Mr. Hornsby some bad news - the supply closet in the field house has been broken into and the equipment has been vandalized. Jake is accused and Ms. Dixon warns him that this will be the final straw; he is to be kicked out of school. As the band mourns the loss of Jake, Laura contemplates her situation and what she should do ("Lost In The Brass Reprise").
The next morning in Mr. Hornsby's office, we learn that Laura has stepped forward and confessed to the crime in order to save Jake. Elliott cannot believe it and rushes to Jake's house. He informs Elliott that he is done with school and has given up, but is shocked to learn that Laura has taken the fall ("Loser").
Back at the parking lot, the band is practicing ("Good Enough Reprise"). Many of the students have accepted that it's a losing cause and begin to think about other things they could excel in. At the end of the song, Elliott appears and announces that Jake has come back to the band. In an effort to mend relations, Stewart steps forward and admits that he vandalized the field house after the football team locked him in.
Early morning the next day, Laura is welcomed back by Elliott. After reconciling, they share a brief kiss and then laugh about it ("Captain Of The Beaver Reprise"). At the Festival, the band is ready for their long journey to come to an end. Elliott passes his baton off to Laura and the song begins ("Embrace Your Inner Geek"). As the song concludes, the curtain closes.
Show History
Inspiration
The concept for Band Geeks occurred when writing partners, Tommy Newman and Mark Allen, were considering ideas for a second show to work on. When both writers realized they shared a similar experience playing trumpet in a high school marching band, they agreed to attempt a stage translation of the unique experience. Newman believed the concept would have appeal beyond just the marching band enthusiasts.
The writing team's vision expanded with the addition of a fellow NYU graduate student Gaby Alter some time later. The show, which was commissioned in 2008 by Goodspeed Musicals, received numerous readings and workshops for about three years until its world premiere.
Gordon Greenberg, the fourth and newest member to the team, also inspired the decision to set the show in the early 1990s with what they described as "our last gasp of innocence--before information and instant access became our dictators, prior to the advent of email, cell phones and internet."
Productions
Although it began as a staged reading in a New Artists festival, Band Geeks received its world premiere full-scale production in May of 2010 at Goodspeed Musical's Norma Terris Theater in Chester, Connecticut. It enjoyed a limited engagement, which was closed to critics, after several years of developmental workshops and staged readings.
Since 2010, there have been several regional presentations throughout the country including the Midwest stage premiere at Ohio's Human Race Theatre. Most notably, the musical was presented in 2012 by the Troy University's Department of Theatre and Dance in collaboration with creator Tommy Newman, a Troy University alum. The production was presented as part of the school's yearlong 125th Birthday Celebration.
Trivia
- As part of their developmental research, the writers interviewed marching band students from the Nathan Hale-Ray High School in East Haddam, CT.
- Jared Gertner, star of Broadway's The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, appeared as the story's main character, Elliott, in the world premiere production.
- The writers of Band Geeks all met in Grad School at New York University.
Connect
Billing
- Music by
- Music and Lyrics by
- Concept, Music, Lyrics and Book by
- Book by
- Originally Produced for
Requirements
Book by
Tommy Newman & Gordon Greenberg
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Music and Lyrics by
Gaby Alter, Mark Allen and Tommy Newman 50%
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GOODSPEED MUSICALS has achieved international acclaim for its dedication to the preservation and advancement of musical theatre. Under the direction of Michael P. Price since 1968, Goodspeed produces three musicals each season at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, Connecticut, 17 of which have gone to Broadway (including Man of La Mancha, Shenandoah, and Annie), receiving more than a dozen Tony Awards, In addition, Goodspeed produces three new musicals each year at The Norma Terris Theatre, opened in 1984 in Chester, Connecticut, for the development of new musicals. Also integral to its mission, Goodspeed houses the Scherer Library of Musical Theatre, which preserves scores, sheet music, scripts, original cast recordings, playbills, and theatre memorabilia, and has established the Max Showalter Center for Education in the Musical Theater to educate and train future generations of theatergoers and theatrical professionals. Goodspeed has received two Special Tony Awards, for its outstanding achievements. To learn more visit www.goodspeed.org.
Workshop and Developmental Production at The Hartt School, University of Hartford
BAND GEEKS
Video Warning
If you purchase a separate Video Licence to allow non-commercial video recording of this production, you must print the following in your programme: ANY VIDEO RECORDING MADE OF THIS PERFORMANCE IS AUTHORISED FOR PERSONAL, AT-HOME, NON-COMMERCIAL USE ONLY. THE SALE OR DISTRIBUTION OF SUCH RECORDING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED UNDER COPYRIGHT LAW. If you do not purchase a separate Video Licence then you must print the following in your programme: The videotaping or other video or audio recording of this production is strictly prohibited.Included Materials
Item | Quantity Included |
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LIBRETTO/VOCAL BOOK | 16 |
PIANO CONDUCTOR'S SCORE | 2 |
Production Resources
Resource |
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CUSTOMIZABLE SHOW POSTER |
FULL SCORE VOL 1 OF 2 |
FULL SCORE VOL 2 OF 2 |
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON-10/CS |
HOW DOES THE SHOW GO ON? |
LOGO PACK |
LOGO PACK DIGITAL |
PRODUCTIONPRO-DIGITAL SCRIPT/SCORE |
STAGE MANAGER SCRIPT |
STAGE WRITE APPLICATION |
VIDEO LICENSE |
STANDARD ORCHESTRATION
Instrumentation | Doubling |
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DRUMS | COWBELL , DRUM SET , MARK TREE , TAMBOURINE , TRIANGLE , WOODBLOCK |
ELECTRIC BASS | |
MEDIA CUE SHEET | |
PERCUSSION | COWBELL , GLOCKENSPIEL , MARK TREE , SNARE DRUM , SUSPENDED CYMBAL , TRIANGLE |
PERCUSSION 2 | BASS DRUM , COWBELL , CRASH CYMBAL , MARK TREE , SUSPENDED CYMBAL , TIMPANI , TRIANGLE , WOODBLOCKS(HI & LOW) |
REED 1 | FLUTE , PICCOLO |
REED 2 | ALTO SAXOPHONE , CLARINET , COWBELL |
REED 3 | |
REED 4 | |
TROMBONE | |
TROMBONE 2 | |
TROMBONE 3 | |
TROMBONE 4 | |
TRUMPET | |
TRUMPET 2 | |
TRUMPET 3 | |
TRUMPET 4 | |
TUBA | |
TUBA 2 |