The common preconception of a musical is a show consisting of random outbursts of songs, large dance numbers, and usually written by one or two people.
“Free Style,” an original musical directed and written by Matthew Gould, strives to redefine the musical theatre genre and its purpose by utilizing original lyrics and poems written by high school students from Los Angeles County.
Produced by the Reprise Theatre Company, in partnership with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, “Free Style,” exclusively features songs written by 15 students, ranging in age from 14 to 19. The students’ lyrics were set to music by composers hailing from the worlds of Broadway, pop, R&B and rap. The final production will play for one night only on Friday, July 11 at the Ford Amphitheatre.
Gould was involved in the process of choosing the songs for the show, and he said that his main goal was to tell a moving story.
“This is not just the story of cheap living in the inner city; these kids come from a variety of different socio-economical backgrounds, and we really wanted to get an interesting collage that told a multi-faceted story,” Gould said.
The original idea for “Free Style” came from Jason Alexander (“Seinfeld”), the artistic director of Reprise, and Michael Kerker, the vice president of musical theatre at ASCAP.
The project was envisioned as an educational program that would give younger audiences a closer look at the process involved in writing musicals and through that, make musicals more relatable to young people today. “Free Style” is just the first such production; two more musicals will be created from the same process, the second of which will premiere next year.
The 15 original songs will be interspersed throughout the show, each preceded by a film clip of the student lyricist.
One of the songs that will be performed was written by Angeleena Estrada, a student from Gardena High School. Barrett Yaretsian, a UCLA alumnus, was responsible for setting her poem to music.
The song is a rap piece entitled “Mamma Listen” and was written during a tumultuous period for Estrada that involved gangs, a foster home and a mother behind bars. The song presents the words that she longs to say to her mother, particularly “Mom, why aren’t you here?”
Yaretsian says that even though he comes from a different environment, he still finds Angeleena’s story relatable.
“It’s that universal theme of going through hardship and coming out on top … coming out bigger, better and stronger than you were before you went through that hardship,” he said. “It’s about the human experience.”
Many of the songs that will be presented during “Free Style” aim to give audiences a deeper awareness of the lives of inner city youths. Yaretsian says that working on Estrada’s song helped him to understand more about youth in Los Angeles.
“Just to understand where (the students are) coming from and their stories and hardships … we hear about it, but we’re not in it, and what this event does is, it puts us in it so we can all better understand each other,” Yaretsian said.
The theme of bringing people together is present throughout the show, which is divided into five parts. Beginning with “the UNmelting Pot” and ending with “Celebration,” “Free Style” tells the story of a community divided that learns how to come together. Each section will be narrated by Malcolm-Jamal Warner (“The Cosby Show”), and brief interludes between the sections will feature the Groovaloos, a hip-hop dance group.
Sari Rose Poll, the Reprise teaching artist and the associate director of “Free Style,” visited 19 Los Angeles County schools and worked with over 1,000 students on their lyrics.
She admits that the creative process was initially difficult but said the progress the students made was worth the effort.
“By the end, it was more about getting them to express their personal hopes, fears, dreams. … It became sort of a journey about them telling their personal story rather than an assignment that I was giving them,” Poll said. “And the stories that they told were so compelling and really showed their strength, courage and potential.”
The inclusion of real-life stories written by real people is a concept within “Free Style” that Poll feels better reflects the voices and experiences of today’s youth.
“I feel this kind of theatre, in particular, is a step in creating an awareness of what is going on in the youths of our country, and I think that’s the first step to create change,” Poll said.
For Matt Gould, simply understanding is the main theme and purpose of “Free Style.”
“The last line of the play is, “˜The moral of the story isn’t get along; it’s get to know your neighbor.’ … That’s what I want people to walk away with,” he said.