Anna K. Jacobs is a light, a visionary, and a composer and lyricist that you must know if you’re a fan of musical theatre. I’m honored and humbled to have her be a part of this Q&A Series, and to feature her work in Women of The Wings: A Celebration of Female Musical Theatre Writers Volume II – March 2 at Feinstein’s/54 Below.
MM: First things first, when did you realize you wanted to be a songwriter?
AJ: You know, I’d always loved song and character and lyric, but it took me a long time to realize that songwriting was something I could legitimately do. I come from Australia, where musical theatre is not an indigenous art form, and I hale from a classical music background, so while I was (and continue to be) crazy about pop music, I hadn’t found a way to meld that passion with the work I was creating professionally. I just figured that composing with a capital C was what I needed to do to create. So through my mid-twenties I wrote lots of art song and choral music, plus the occasional instrumental work. Then in 2015 I moved to the US to pursue a Masters of Music at Indiana University. I was writing a lot for the opera singers there, and it was during that time that one of those singers told me about the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU. I had an aha moment when I went online and read about the program – like I instantly realized that’s where I belonged.
MM: What drew you to writing for musical theatre?
AJ: The collusion of lots of things! I am in awe of and more than a bit obsessed with actors. I have a penchant for gossiping and psychoanalyzing people, and writing gives me a constructive outlet for doing that, since I’m basically just inventing characters and throwing them into conflict to see how they behave. Musicals also give me an outlet for voicing my point of view on the world around me, which is not something I always felt I could do growing up.
MM: Of all the stories you’ve been a part of creating, is there one in particular that’s closest to your heart?
AJ: Perhaps the one that feels most of the moment right now is TEETH, a musical I’m writing with Michael R. Jackson. It’s an adaptation of the indie horror film of the same name, about an evangelical Christian teen named Dawn who discovers she has Vagina Dentata. In a world that’s rife with purity and rape culture, toxic masculinity, and sexual confusion, the teeth that Dawn at first despises become like a superpower. Michael and I have worked hard over the past few years to adapt the film in a way that makes it feel inextricably linked to the current climate of #metoo and Trump, which in turn has led us to create a musical that I believe to be truly impactful.
MM: When one walks into your home, what books are permanently on your bookshelf?
AJ: “Brown Bear, Brown Bear,” “Owl Babies,” and “The Very Hungry Catepillar” (I have a two-year-old).
MM: If you were stranded on a desert island, what television shows and/or movies would you want available to you, (assuming of course you have a television and Internet connection?)
AJ: All the reality TV I can possibly get, though especially The Bachelor (in its many iterations) and House Hunters.
MM: What’s the best piece of advice you’d want to offer aspiring lyricists and composers?
AJ: Make room for your actors to insert their voices into your piece. Simplify, simplify, simplify and don’t overdo the subtext. This is something I’m still trying to learn. 🙂
MM: What sound do you love? What sound do you hate?
AJ: I love authentically imperfect sounds. I hate belting for the sake of belting.
MM: What literary or musical theatre character is most like your personality? Least like your personality?
AJ: I’m totes Angelica Schuyler. Once a big sister, always a big sister. Definitely not a Peggy.
MM: Time for shameless self promotion! Tell our readers what you want to brag about, what you’re excited about in your career at the moment.
AJ: My first movie musical endeavor will be released in the spring! It’s a short, called KAYA: TASTE OF PARADISE, starring HAMILTON’S Okierete Onaodowan and directed by Paul Warner, with a screenplay by Jerome Parker. In April, performances will begin for ANYTOWN, a musical I co-wrote with Jim Jack for the George Street Playhouse that delves into the nation’s teen opioid abuse epidemic. I’m also in the early stages of a new musical commission for Barbara Whitman Productions and Grove Entertainment. I’m working with the fabulous playwright Anna Ziegler, and I’ve been a fan of hers for ages. It’s a bonafide victory when you get to transition from being somebody’s fangirl to being their collaborator!
MM: In today’s economic state, arts education programs are being cut. What reasons would you give to a school board or politician for preserving arts education programming in schools?
AJ: The arts promote the development of so many different types of skills and learning – critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, inference, literacy, public speaking… I could go on. To assume that arts education is limited to just learning about a specific art form or arts skill is naive. But moreover, the arts is what defines and enriches communities of people. It’s what whole societies are built on. How can that not be integral to a child’s education?
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher? (Can absolutely be more than one.)
AJ: I’ve had many, but Vicki Watson, my singing teacher from high school through college, has been a guiding light in my journey to where I am today. She was the one who recognized and nurtured my love of composing and singing. She was the one who introduced me to Bernstein and Sondheim and all the songs on Audra McDonald’s album, Way Back To Paradise. She was the one who made me feel as though I was talented and capable enough to leave my country and family behind, and pursue my dreams on the opposite side of the world. She was all the things a great teacher should be: mentor, role model, and friend.
Thank you, Anna!
Live, Love, Learn,