Quadruple Threat: An Interview with Dominick Vincent Alesia, Playwright, Composer, Librettist, and Music Director for Miranda: A War-Torn Fable
Since first working with him in 2019, The Impostors Theatre Company has had the exceeding pleasure and privilege to commission Dominick Vincent Alesia as an ensemble member, actor, composer, and friend. He earns high marks on all counts, but in the advent of this fourth season of productions, we are most indebted to and thrilled by his musical composition skills.
Dom’s original scores (and expert live accompaniment) have been characters in nearly every Impostors production since his initial collaboration with us. To quote the Chicago Reader’s review on the Jeff recommended Hertha Nova: “Stefan Roseen’s impressively scaled production treats it all tongue-in-cheek with broad storybook characterizations and a whimsical score by Dominick Vincent Alesia, who earns one-man-band status playing piano and guitar (sometimes literally at the same time).”
I won’t lie, I read this quote and did a double take, then did an actual double take the next time I watched the show. It was true! Somehow, Dom managed to flawlessly play both the guitar and the piano at the same time as he underscored a climactic moment in the story. I’m not sure where the extra arms were hiding, as that is the only way I could conceive this to be a manageable feat. Dom must save them for special occasions.
At any rate, if this doesn’t intrigue you to see an original musical written by Dominick Vincent Alesia, perhaps some of his influences will–he references George Gershwin, Claude Debussy, and Stephen Sondheim as some of the biggest shapers of his work. Read on for more insight on Dominick Vincent Alesia’s process of crafting Miranda: A War-Torn Fable, straight from the impresario himself.
How long has Miranda: A War-Torn Fable been in the works? When and how did the concept first come to you?
DVA: I've been working on Miranda: A War-Torn Fable since 2018. It was early in that year that I started writing it, but the concept came to me a year or so beforehand and sat in the back of my mind for a while. While at the Art Institute in Chicago, I saw a vibrant, messy, striking painting of a red-haired woman which was created sometime in the early 1900s, and I knew right then that I had a main character for a story. Giving her the name Miranda, the musical's development went through many different concepts, ranging from including other characters found in paintings to an unconventional and non-linear, plotless style of presentation.
Share a little bit with us about your process on creating this original musical. You’re responsible for the music, lyrics, book, and concept. Which was most difficult? Did you complete one first before starting another, or work synchronously?
DVA: The writing process for this musical was pretty sporadic, which I honestly wasn't too fond of. When I first started in 2018, there would be a month of consistent writing, followed by two months of getting nowhere with it. During 2020 when the craziness of the pandemic began, I thought, "Well, if I'm going to be home all day every day, I'll at least get a lot of good writing done." But that ended up being much easier said than done. Once 2021 came, I was able to work pretty consistently on it, finishing a first draft in the middle of that year. My process for creating a musical is pretty standard: I'll create a detailed outline with basic dialogue implemented, and then I'll go through and decide which moments I want to be musicalized or sung. A lot of songs in Miranda are considered 'conversational' songs, which are my favorite kinds of songs to write. When lyric writing, I spend a lot of time thinking about the specifics of character (for example, if a character would drop their G's, or if they would use long, run-on sentences). Oftentimes I let the rhythm of speech determine the rhythm of a lyric, which is something I think most songwriters do without even thinking about it, as the two go hand-in-hand. The harmonic structures and tone of the score were inspired heavily by George Gershwin, Claude Debussy, Stephen Sondheim, and some other greats.
Speaking of Sondheim–you have an affinity for the artist’s work, and your appreciation shows in your own composition. What is it about his work that inspires you?
DVA: A few people who know me know that Stephen Sondheim's work is the entire reason I started writing almost a decade ago. I was in a literature class in high school, and my teacher had gotten on to the subject of characters motivated by revenge. He mentioned a few that I was familiar with, but then mentioned the character Sweeney Todd. After class I asked him more about it, and he played me some songs from the original cast recording. I was overtaken by its complexity, beauty, tone, and specifically how a lot of the music juxtaposed the dark nature of the plot. I skipped my next class and went down to our empty auditorium and sat at the piano, beginning ideas for a musical. Over the next few years, I learned a lot about writing through listening to his work; studying a lot about how to write for specific characters, and how to use details to your advantage. Not just writing about a car, but writing about a cherry-red Chrysler Royal. Putting tiny details together to create one big picture is one of my favorite things about the writing process. Like any writer including myself, I think Sondheim does have a few songs that are maybe a little oversaturated, for lack of a better term, but he was truly a master of getting into a character's mind and writing in their specific language and rhythm.
You also have a special connection to the artist himself. Can you divulge a bit of the advice Sondheim shared with you in his response to your reach out? Any words of wisdom or encouragement that pushed you along?
DVA: Stephen Sondheim and I exchanged a handful of letters discussing the process of writing a musical. Though I never got to meet him in person, he gave me several pieces of advice which I've since held very dear to my heart. The most important thing he shared was just to keep writing through it all, and to keep pushing yourself to come up with fresh, new, challenging ideas. Write something, get it on its feet, then write something and get it on its feet. Try unusual song forms, try writing in keys you don't like to write in, try overwriting and try underwriting. Of all the advice, my favorite was the simplest, which is to write a story that you really care about and do it your way. That isn't to say don't accept criticism or suggestions, as those can of course be incredibly important and helpful. But at the end of the day, write the way that's important to you.
What do you hope audiences take away from this musical?
DVA: This musical is a lot about trying to put things back together at a time when everything feels broken, lost, or hopeless. Amelia is forced to grow up faster than she is ready to, and her journey to find her sister is her attempt to control her uncontrollable world. To look in the face of despair and try to mold what you can into something salvageable. That sense of hope is something I aim the audience to take away from the musical, as well as the importance of friendship in all times light and dark. It's also a lot about the personal journey that happens within during the large-scale journey on the outside. What deems this journey as a success? Is it physically obtaining what you set out to find? Is it a feeling or change that clicks within? Or is it something that happens so suddenly, that you won't know its importance until years from now?
