Life in the Pit had reached its end as a podcast a few months ago, but I resisted making it official. This episode was recorded and released simply because YOU the listener deserved a proper farewell, and I wanted to share just a little of why I'm not continuing here. As I mentioned in this episode, I'm very proud of the work accomplished in the ep…

"& Juliet" is a musical reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with a different fate for Juliet, all told with music from the legendary song writer Max Martin, whose songs have made the charts when sung by Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, The Backstreet Boys, and more. Dominic Fallacaro is the music director and also the co-orchestrator (along with B…

This is a brief follow-up to Episode 77 with Jason Loffredo, where we talked about the conflict of the new show, Here Lies Love, wanting to open with only pre-recorded tracks in a union theatre that required 19 live musicians. An agreement was reached earlier today. This is a reading of the news followed by a few brief thoughts on what it means. Th…

After a longer than intended hiatus, Life in the Pit is back for a couple of episodes this month. This was an impromptu meant to address an ongoing conflict between the Local 802 AFM (the union for Broadway musicians) and the pending opening of Here Lies Love in a Broadway house. The production has announced that it will be employing NO live musici…

LIFE IN THE PIT listeners, here is the trailer for David Lane's new podcast. If you'd like to add this to your podcasts, you can find all available apps at https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ For Apple Podcasts, click here. For Spotify, click here. Please follow the show! Is it your goal to become a great musician? Are you already a working musici…

Life in the Pit is still temporarily on hiatus, but David Lane wanted to come on to thank all of you for listening, talk a little about the state of the podcast, and what's going on for 2023. This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) wi…

Whether you're in the pit or any kind of musician who has to perform to an expected standard, you may often or even occasionally struggle with stage fright or performance anxiety. Elisa Di Napoli specializes in ways of treating this to allow you to become a confident performer. She is the author of "Dare To Be Seen", which you can get for free for …

Marci Shegogue is a music director and keyboardist who has been active for decades in the Maryland/DC area. In 2018, she started the Free Theatre in Silver Spring, MD (https://www.instagram.com/thefreetheatre/) and talks about the admin side of running a theatre and how that crosses over with her life as a music director. This episode is sponsored …

Life in the Pit is going to go on a hiatus, hopefully a short one. For more details, listen to this episode as David Lane talks about what's going on with the podcast and why. Also, we do a deeper dive into the 3 keys to making it big that was touched on in the previous episode. This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps priva…

Dennis J. Arcano has played for several dozen shows including the national tour of Tick, Tick,...Boom! as drummer and assistant music director. He is also frequently a sub on drums and percussion for Broadway productions such as Follies, Jagged Little Pill, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. We talk about all of that, the high quality …

Episode 71 begins with David Lane reporting on his very fun first-time experience at NAMM 2022 in Anaheim. Then he brings up a topic that might be uncomfortable but one that is important and widespread: non-union musicians for community theatre are, for the most part, still being paid the same amount they were receiving at the beginning of the cent…

This is a follow up to Episode 70 with Angela McCuiston, where we chatted about strength and injury prevention for musicians, but we never actually talked about her pit experience. This is a funny story of her "big break", and not in the way that phrase is normally used. Follow Angela and discover her resources at http://musicstrong.com. his episod…

We might not be discussing performance on Episode 70, but don't skip this week, because a reported 90% of musicians will go through some kind of performance-related injury in their career. Angela McCuiston is determined to see that number go down because of her services as a personal trainer for musicians through her company, Music Strong. Angela i…

If you're a musician in any field, your network is paramount! If you're a music director who works a local market and are responsible for filling chairs in the pit for your production, are you taking shortcuts and possibly saving time while sacrificing the opportunity to build relationships? This is a mild rant from host David Lane about a trend he…

Jeff Saver took over music directing sometime around 1988 during the original Broadway run of Into The Woods. He talks about his experiences with that production, his friendship with the late great Stephen Sondheim, and his understanding of collaboration. This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types…

A lot of talented musicians sit around waiting for work, or struggle with plateauing. Whether you're just getting started or you've been a professional freelance musician for a while and just needing to take an honest assessment and maybe course-correct, David Lane offers 14 habits compiled from himself, past guests, and former listeners that can h…

Arnold "Arnie" Gross began his professional career as a pianist, and that included working on shows such as Company and Cabaret. For over 5 years, he was the music director for the original Broadway production of Annie. He was also the dance music arranger as well as the on-screen pianist in the 1979 film All That Jazz, starring Roy Scheider and di…

This is the first listener-generated episode, where David Lane answers two questions: The first question is asking about the pros and cons of accepting a theatre gig that doesn't pay much beyond travel expenses. The second question is asking about tips for managing a day job, family, and even meal times with evening gig life. This was produced as a…

Rob Rokicki is a composer, lyricist, and orchestrator - including the musical adaptation of The Lightning Thief which had a short Broadway run but is currently very popular in local theaters around the nation! He chats about the musical itself and gets into some song-by-song musical elements. And, of course...we talk about his pit musicians! Find o…

Many musicians are their own employers, to a small extent if not entirely, making a significant of their portion from freelance gigs. While the vast majority of them are great at their instruments, making good decisions with finances isn't a strength for everyone. Samantha Absher of WTF is a Budget (and past cameo guest on an early episode about Te…

This is a brief follow-up to Episode 64 with Jose Simbulan where we talked about being an audition accompanist. Host David Lane has been doing a lot of audition accompanying this week for two community theaters, and shares some of his observations of dos and don'ts based on recent experiences. You can watch this video at https://youtu.be/dAC33G5mSY…

Jose Simbulan has had a long successful career as a pianist, keyboardist, and music director, including a stint on Broadway. He has also accompanied no fewer than 35,000 actor auditions, many of them the high pressure 60-90 second variety such as those for professional divisions at the annual Southeastern Theatre Conference (SETC) where he is prepa…

Very very few pit musicians can make the pit their only source of income. A significant number rely at least a little if not a lot on teaching their instrument, and many of them do it privately rather than in a school system. Private teachers often neglect or get overwhelmed at the business side of things and, as we discuss, often undervalue themse…

Making connections, moving to a new community, studying music in a doctoral program, continuing to play for theatre productions: All of these things are difficult enough separately, but when you combine them and then add in a pandemic, you have Tanner Harrod's life. He smiles his way through all of it as we chat about his life in grad school; playi…

Happy New Year, everyone! Life In the Pit isn't going anywhere in 2022, but the format is changing to add different perspectives that branch outside of theatrical productions. We're not changing what we've done, only growing to include more. In this short episode, David Lane gives you a preview of what's to come! Follow the podcast on Instagram, Fa…

Like so many theatre musicians, Joe LaRocca's path to his first Equity national tour, the currently-traveling 50th anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar, was far from linear. At times, he had to change directions and even gamble on himself before he could even back it up by even owning the instrument he needed for the gig. We talk about tour l…

LIFE IN THE PIT is full of success stories from musicians around the world! Today's episode, however, is a story of failure. It's a personal story from host David Lane who recently was let go from a high-profile gig. He talks about what happened and, more importantly, the 5 lessons he learned for decreasing the odds of it happening again. If you're…

Paul Baron has had a career in both theatre and in commercial recordings, including the first national tours of Evita, Cats, The Full Monty, In the Heights, Spamalot, and currently Frozen. He is also the author of multiple books including The Broadway Trumpeter and the upcoming follow-up of Volume 2 (coming later this Fall). This series is a compre…

This is an improvised, random mini-episode with David Lane giving some thoughts on the 20th anniversary 9/11 and some personal thoughts based on recent experiences with COVID. If you're only here for the music talk, skip to 12:25 to hear David talk about practice preparation specifics for an upcoming show. Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook,…

Just as Broadway productions and Broadway tours represent a small percentage of American theatre productions, the same is true for pit musicians. Pit musicians and theaters are in every metro area, including Bakersfield, CA. Jeff Ingle is a middle school history teacher by day, and a gigging percussionist with a passion for theatre by night. He coo…

This is a short, sparsely edited episode that offers a sneak peek into community theatre tech week. Winston-Salem Theatre Alliance has been a special part of host David Lane's musical theatre experience, and on Friday, it officially reveals its brand new venue on 650 W. Sixth St with the local premiere of "Something Rotten". David chats with the di…

Tish Diaz has had a full career, more than you might think for someone still young and full of energy, one that includes theatre work in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Los Vegas, and Branson MO. We talk about playing with artists like Andy Williams, being a keyboardist for the Vegas Jersey Boys show along with other acts, and even programming keyboard…

Alex Tirrell is a music director and keyboardist in Rhode Island. He also is one of the sound designers at https://stage-sounds.com/ , the founder who is John Eldridge from Episodes 38 and 39. This conversation focuses on some of the things music directors have to do on a limited budget such as creating reduced orchestrations. You can find out more…

Laura Sherman is currently a lecturer for the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami. Prior to that, she lived in NYC and played on Broadway shows, most prominently as the harpist for Wicked. She also is the harpist on the Original Broadway Cast Recording for Hamilton: The Musical, which is notable in that there is not a harp book for the…

Host David Lane celebrates 1 year of LIFE IN THE PIT as he reflects on the experience of creating the podcast, and describes some of the changes that will take place moving forward. Don't worry; the podcast isn't going anywhere, but there are a few changes. Finally, David shares 10 takeaways that he has learned from the composite of the past year's…

Paul Perfetti was the principal trumpet for the 1st and 3rd national tours of Les Misérables between 1987 and 2006. He also played trumpet for the 42nd Street national tour. Before and since then, he has played for several dozen productions in various theaters as well as operas. He is a Grammy nominated contributor to early music recordings as an e…

Jennifer Wharton loves playing low brass (her website tag is indeed, "I play low notes"), and has enjoyed doing so on Broadway in shows such as Beloved: The Carole King Musical, 9 to 5, Curtains, Porgy and Bess, King Kong, and most recently West Side Story. She's played with a ton of jazz ensembles and artists, and is a founder of the group Bonegas…

Matthew Croft has either music directed or played keyboard, or both, for theaters all over Michigan, Ohio, and New York. He has also played for The Illusionists: Turn of the Century on Broadway. He has also toured nationally with 5 Broadway productions: Guys and Dolls, The Producers, Motown: The Musical, Something Rotten, and most recently Jesus Ch…

For the 2nd time, LIFE IN THE PIT goes outside North America to explore theatre from musician's perspectives in other parts of the world. Andrew Clayton is a young guitarist and teacher who lives in Dublin and chats to me about his experiences in the pit and of the Irish theatre scene in general. You can follow Andrew at instagram.com/claytona95 an…

5 years ago, the host of this podcast, David Lane, was invited to be the arranger and later the musical director for The Collins Boy. Working with the writers Brad Bass and Cari Joy, working with actors like Lisa Howard, Tony Galde, and Russell Fisher, and playing for audiences in NYC and Atlanta have been one of the best experiences! Brad is no st…

LIFE IN THE PIT does its first episode on a book. The book is "Strategies for Success in Musical Theatre: A Guide for Music Directors in School, College, and Community Theatre" by Herbert D. Marshall, published with Oxford Press and available as an e-book through Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and other major outlets. Dr. Herbert (AKA Butch) Marsha…

Rochelle Collins lives in Las Vegas, NV where she has been a performer for Cirque Du Soleil for 19 years, first for the show MYSTERE, and currently for KA. Her work as a vocalist puts her onstage (and over stage) in the spotlight, but she also performs as accompaniment to the action (in other words, as a pit musician). She talks about what it's lik…

Steven Zumbrun has been everywhere because of theatre, and has so many stories to tell! He's played for shows based in the Springer Opera House in Columbus (GA), the Nebraska Theatre Caravan, the Totem Pole Playhouse in Pennsylvania. In addition to playing keyboards and music directing, he also is a performer onstage with acting, singing, and tap d…

Trevor Landreth is a percussionist and educator in the Greater Wichita area. In addition to playing in the pit, he teaches high schoolers and college students in not only percussion, but also drum line, something we haven't given a lot of attention here before. In his spare time, he also co-hosts a podcast about movies called The Couch Critics. Fol…

Mary Ann McSweeney has played enough shows on Broadway to be really close to having played in every physical theatre on Broadway. She's the original bassist for Avenue Q, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, Far From Heaven, and Silence. But she has subbed for periods on dozens of other shows including The Book of Mormon, Sister Act, Next to Normal, Mi…

Brady Aldrich lives in Wenatchee, Washington, and has music directed and played shows on keyboard, trumpet, drum set, and percussion. He has also done technical theatre particularly from the aspect of the sound, and we talk about what goes into sound reinforcement for the pit. Our main focus is going down the list of what music directors and keyboa…

Sachio Nang played in the pit for all of his musicals in his Chicago area high school, including Rent, Les Misérables School Version, 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, The Little Mermaid, and Little Shop of Horrors. On the latter, he asked for the experience of leading the pit orchestra as a keyboardist conductor for the show, and this was a …

Shelagh Abate is a Broadway veteran who plays the French horn. She has opened the productions for Disney's Frozen, A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Honeymoon in Vegas, Anastasia, Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, South Pacific, and other shows as a principal and a sub. We talk about "snow calls". Shelagh talks about the need for a well-stocked too…

Regular listeners of this podcast first heard Andy Mock's voice on the bonus episode on CTG's Wizard of Oz that followed Episode 26. Andy has worked with a number of theatres and schools in the Greensboro area, and we have a fun conversation talking about some of the things that distinguishes a great accompanist aside from piano technique and music…

It's our first full Broadway episode, and the guest is trombonist Andrea Neumann. For much of two decades, she has been a very active musician in the NYC area, playing for the Brooklyn Orchestra, Empire Band, Westchester Symphonic Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, and so much more. She has also played the trombone book in the Broadway pro…