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This week Daniel and Monty sit down with actor, singer/songwriter, and Rude Grooms Master of Music, Kara Arena. Kara has composed music for every Rude Grooms production, as well as the music for this very podcast. Listen to her talk about her journey as an artist, how her creative process works, and then go and follow her on Instagram HERE.
Topics include:
- Kara’s artistic origin story.
- Fearless, mystical writing
- Learning to play an instrument for a show
- The difficulty of consistent practice
- How the comfort of the theatre and performance can relieve the pressure of learning an instrument
- The difference between the artist and their artistic persona
- Playing your own music for the first time
- Learning not to take judgement personally
- The inherent compelling nature of fictional villains
- The fun of playing roles that go counter to “type”
- Looking internally at your own experience as a catalyst for character development
- Separating your own sound from your influences
- How to write music for a show
- Finding the vibe of a show
- The power of oooooh’s and aaahh’s in music
- How simplicity in songwriting leads to adaptability
- What most people get wrong about Romeo and Juliet
- Why Juliet is out of Romeo’s league
- Allowing your creations to take on lives of their own
- Improvisation within structure
- Why you don’t need lessons to be a musician
- Kara’s first music video!
- How the meaning of a song evolves as you spend more time with it
- The differences in writing for Greek theatre vs. Shakespeare
Music is by Kara Arena, Master of Music for Rude Grooms. Share your thoughts and questions with us @thiswoodeno on Twitter and Instagram, email audio responses to thiswoodeno@rudegrooms.com, visit us on the web at thiswoodeno.com, like us at facebook.com/thiswoodenopod/, or support us on Patreon (patreon.com/rudegrooms) to join the conversation during livestream broadcasts of every episode.
This week’s shoutouts, recommendations, & further reading include:
- Rickie Lee Jones
- Spring Awakening
- Joni Mitchell
- Sufjan Stevens
- Arcade Fire
- The Beatles
- “Heart Song” by Kara Arena on YouTube
- Gilbert Theater
- Portland Stage Company
This Wooden O is a production of Rude Grooms. Learn more at rudegrooms.com or follow us @rudegrooms on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
