34th national alliance of musical theatre festival select
Based on a Chew Story
September 13-15, 2024
Evelyn Smith Music Theatre
Music Building (East Building First Floor)
50 Gammage Parkway
Tempe AZ 85281
FIRST LOOK AT MUTT AT ASU
a dark musical comedy THAT FOLLOWS A three-legged shelter dog and his chew toY ON THEIR epic journey to find FAME, FORTUNE AND a forever home in Hollywood.
Friendship is personal, reciprocal, and sacred. Who better to embody that relationship than a dog and his chew toy? MUTT is a musical comedy that explores the nuances of friendship. Inwardly, it was written not only to give audiences a much needed escape from this looming reality we live in, but to be a metaphor for how humans should cherish and champion positive connections every single day. Outwardly, by employing this deliciously unique storyline, with all-original music, we hope to catapult casting in entertainment into a brighter, more inclusive echelon.
Marcus Terrell Smith
Book & Lyrics. Marcus Terrell Smith (Book/Lyrics) graduated from the University of Arizona with a BA in Linguistics. The following year he was accepted into the Actors Studio Drama School (ASDS) at Pace University in New York City, receiving an MFA in Acting. After graduating, he joined the national tour of Broadway’s Book of Mormon. Smith then moved to Los Angeles, where he diversified his talents as an actor on TV/Film and continued his work in theater. He is also a prolific storyteller, currently writing narrative lore for League of Legends (Riot Games) and Magic: The Gathering.
Robin Schäfer
Music & Arrangements. Robin Schäfer (Composer) is a songwriter, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist who resides in Cologne, Germany. Since 2002 Schäfer has played and composed music in several original bands of various genres. In 2018 he walked away from his career in business administration to become a full-time musician. Currently, he has been focused on his own singer/songwriter project, ROBIN SHEPHERD, and the instrumental Soul-Funk band, MALAKO ZOO. He also works as a session musician and music teacher.
Chris Sargent
Orchestrations & Arrangements. Chris Sargent (Orchestration & Arrangements) has been an active member of the Chicago music scene for more than fifteen (15) years as an arranger, musical director, and conductor. Credits include “Mamma Mia!” (2nd National, associate Conductor), “Dirty Dancing” (1st National Tour, Associate Conductor), “The Book of Mormon” (2nd National), “Beauty and the Beast” (Drury Lane Theatre - Oakbrook, IL, Musical Director), “Mary Poppins” (Drury Lane Theatre, conductor). In 2016, he MD’ed, sang, and rapped in a revue of 80’s pop music, “Reunion ’85”, at the Lone Tree Arts Center in Colorado. He was most recently Musical Director of Drury Lane’s “An American in Paris” (winner of four 2020 Jeff Awards).