D’you hear the one about Bosco & Jones?

I just found out that Bosco & Jones, a musical I wrote with my husband Brett and our friend Scott, won an award.
 
It won Best Independent Theatre Production in the 2010 BroadwayWorld Toronto Theatre Awards.  Not too shabby for a show that debuted at the 2010 Toronto Fringe Theatre Festival. 

To be honest, it wasn’t even the full show.  It was a 1-act workshop which had never been read or performed in front of anyone before opening night.  So what does it mean that we won this award?  It shows that there really is a chance for little shows with the potential to grow.  It also shows the power of social media.

Because we were presenting within the framework of the festival, we had no access to our ticket buyers.  There were no subscriber lists or email addresses, no numbers to call; all we had was a Facebook page and a Twitter account.  While we did have a website, it was created in about 1/2 an hour with our laptop, and we never gathered user information from that site.  So what we had was our social media voice.  And it proved to be a loud and powerful one.  Theatre companies are just starting to understand that.

What it really comes down to is the fact that the audiences loved it.  To us as playwrights, that’s the greatest gift.  After all, a musical about a ventriloquist & his dummy singing about giving good wood isn’t standard fare.

And that’s why we love the Fringe. It’s an inexpensive place to try out new material on audiences wanting to see new works.  They’re a springboard for all sorts of talent, and that’s one of the reasons why Mirvish partnered with the Toronto festival.  We’ve workshopped 3 of our shows there, all with success and acclaim.  One of



 them, Nursery School Musical, had its American debut in Houston and played an extended sold out run.  By popular demand, it then came back to Toronto and was nominated for a Canadian Comedy Award for Best Live Show.  The movie version is currently in pre-production.

In the BroadwayWorld awards, we also came in 4th in the Best Musical category behind Dancap’s Jersey Boys, and 2 Mirvish powerhouses, Rock of Ages and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.   I’m excited to be surrounded by that company.  I’m also excited to be able to create dynamic projects with people that we love, trust and know are willing to take a risk with us. 

Wonder if Aubrey Dan or David Mirvish are willing to join in?