melliotwrites

[melliotwrites]

little doodle of quincy from memory i did with my friend !! im so washed Lololo

[melliotwrites]

So, give me his hands, and his beard, and his hands!

Ghost Story I love you 💞 I didn’t get any darn WIP photos whoops… I’ll just break down my art then heh

1st page - MONTANA!!! Nice flowers and butterflies with added mountains in the background because of the “Mountains so blue they blend into the sky” and “Passing through the mountains of Montana” lines… supposed to be Joey looking at a photo of Józef because its supposed to represent the “When I see him riding off into the sky he looks like the best parts of me” line. Text to the top right says “To see type in a dream, portends unpleasant transactions with friends. For a man to clean type, foretells that he will make fortunate speculations, bringing love and fortune.” as I thought it represented Joey pretty well (it might’ve also originally be about a woman… So I crossed out the “wo” in woman and the s in she….) On the top left, theres a mini book with Józef on the cover to be Józef’s journal that Joey is reading through during Montana (according to the zoom reading iirc)

2nd page - GUYS LIKE YOU PAGE!!! I wanted the background to look more burnt / distorted look compared to Montana so I chose some grainy torn paper thing for the background. Then theres Joey in Józef’s clothes (except for the red bandana because I drew it in pen and went oh well) to represent the second to last verse of Guys Like You and flexing because of how muscles and strength are tied to masculinity. The text says “Guys like me know they’re destined for greatness” in more messy handwriting than the text on the Montana side. Next to Joey is Józef’s journal again but darker and with annotations in red added by Joey, each page having more and more annotations until the last page is fully crossed out and rewritten to represent Joey’s attempts to rewrite Hao’s and Józef’s story in Ghost Story Act 2

[melliotwrites]

What was the creative process like for No Trespassing since it was created in such a small amount of time?

(I’m especially curious about how the creative process for No Trespassing might’ve differed from your other creations because of this)

It was interesting! We came up with a bunch of ideas beforehand by talking through various speculative fiction genres that we hadn't written in yet, and pitched them to our designers. One that everyone gravitated towards was an experience with virtual actors and a live actor at the end -- an analog horror story where the audience is the "monster." Then when I found out we had three awesome trans actors I had to put my own spin on it and talk about transness in a way I hadn't gotten to yet :)

(We also didn't really get to talk to the actors beforehand, unlike e.g. Adamandi, so that's part of why the story has less racial and gender specificity than other Melliot works; I didn't really know the actors' backgrounds or what they'd feel comfortable exploring in this kind of a process, so I tried to write roles that a variety of people could fit well!)

In terms of the actual writing process, I think this is the first (and probably only lol) Melliot creation where I wrote all the physical words on the page? Elliot and I always collaborate on the story in terms of outlining, tossing ideas back and forth, coming up with characters, etc, which was still the case for No Trespassing, but for all previous shows there's been a mix of dialogue and lyrics written by both of us. For No Trespassing, because we had such little time, I just kinda locked in one night and wrote the whole thing. Not sure yet what that did to the final product, but I think that is why it's about things that are a little closer to my experience (urbex, creepypasta, American suburbia, messy trans teens, etc) than his.

We also got to go back and forth less than we usually do because of the structure of the hackathon (e.g. while Elliot was setting the songs and teaching the music to the actors, I was hanging lights and talking to designers, and we had to lock the script very early on to do all of our production stuff.) Often after hearing how a song is set, I'll edit or delete lyrics because the musical storytelling fills in those gaps for the audience. This time I didn't have as much time to do that, so some of the lyrics aren't doing exactly what I want them to do yet, or feel superfluous to me. Hopefully we get to revise it and put it up somewhere else where I can fix those!

~Mel

Yeah! Not much to add from me. It was way more about putting something up and making sure it made sense as a theatrical experience than really getting to refine our musical and lyrical storytelling. The songs are all also much shorter than typical Melliot songs because of time constraints, so it was a new challenge trying to provide satisfying musical content/movement of story within a smaller frame. The glitchy y2k musical style was fun to explore, though, and knowing the limitations (e.g., no live musicians beyond our actors) allowed us to decide on a very synth-heavy genre to set the world in from the get-go. (Genre was a big consideration when we were deciding on story -- we had some fun folk or punk ideas that could've been cool with the tech, but we ended up moving away from them because those stories would be less doable without live accompaniment.) - Elliot

[melliotwrites]

No Trespassing: a new immersive musical by Melliot!

An analog horror musical about three transgender teenagers summoning a monster off of the Internet.

NO TRESPASSING is an immersive musical built at Musical Theatre Factory's MTFxR Garage, where teams of professional artists and creative technologists make an XR musical in a week. Accordingly, this is a prototype built in a short amount of time -- so some elements are stand-ins for what a fully produced piece might look like!

For more of our work, visit melliotwrites.com and follow us @melliotwrites on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

[melliotwrites]

No Trespassing: a new immersive musical by Melliot!

An analog horror musical about three transgender teenagers summoning a monster off of the Internet.

NO TRESPASSING is an immersive musical built at Musical Theatre Factory's MTFxR Garage, where teams of professional artists and creative technologists make an XR musical in a week. Accordingly, this is a prototype built in a short amount of time -- so some elements are stand-ins for what a fully produced piece might look like!

For more of our work, visit melliotwrites.com and follow us @melliotwrites on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

[melliotwrites]

ooo new art post

idk why its so low quality i think i fucked up the canvas size ���� also i messed up haos proportions a bit but shhhhhh

this was og gonna be that one “for the last time” animation thing but. i cannot fucking animate and i just dont really like this

blah blah blah reblogs appreciated

[melliotwrites]

BEATRIX AAARGRGHHH they could never make me hate you I’ve had this saved for. a while. a nondescript amount of time. and I figured I would throw my hat into the adamandi ring ദ്ദി(ᵔᗜᵔ)

[melliotwrites]

A drafty demo of one of the songs from No Trespassing, the short musical we're writing for the MTFxR Garage. We're in a breakneck 4 days of putting together this show, and we get actor recordings tomorrow hopefully! We'll be posting more about our process on our TikTok so make sure to keep up with us there.

and there are tix to the MTFxR Garage Summit on Thurs for anyone in the area!

lyrics under the cut:

MY NEIGHBOR’S WINDOWPANE IS BROKEN I BARELY NOTICE ANYMORE BUT WHEN MY GRANDMA SEES THEIR WINDOW SHE EXPLAINS THE BROKEN WINDOW THEORY EVEN IF I’VE HEARD IT ALL BEFORE

IT’S THIS THEORY FROM THE 80s TO JUSTIFY SUBURBAN SPRAWL. “IF SOMEONE BREAKS YOUR WINDOW AND YOU NEVER CARE TO FIX IT THEN PEOPLE COME AROUND AND BREAK THEM ALL.”

THEY TREAT MY FRIENDS LIKE BROKEN WINDOWS MOMS AVOID US AT THE MALL PEOPLE WATCH US FROM THEIR WINDOWS LIKE, “THANK GOD THEY’RE MOVING OUT OF HERE” BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND BREAK THEM ALL.

SOMETIMES I WISH I COULD GO WITH THEM HAVE A SOFA ALL MY OWN BURN MY FUTURE IN AN ASHTRAY ON THE FIRE ESCAPE WITH MY HOODIE AND THE SIM CARD FROM MY PHONE. BUT FUTURE TENSE IS NOT MY FORTE I’M SUBJUNCTIVE THROUGH AND THROUGH I’M STUCK IN THE “IF,” I DON’T WANT THE “THEN,” I DON’T WANT TO KNOW WHAT I DON’T WANT TO DO.

IT’S NOT THE WINDOWS OR THE MYSPACE. THE THINGS THAT EVERYBODY BLAMES. IT’S NOT GRAFFITI OR THE URBEX OR THE LEAD FUMES FROM THE HIGHWAY OR THE YEARBOOK LIST WITHOUT THEIR REAL NAMES. SOME WINDOWS BREAK WITHOUT A REASON. SOME FACE THE SKY AND SOME THE WALL. SOME BECOME AN EYE THAT SEES THE BROKEN ONE ACROSS FROM THEM AND HOPES THAT SOMEONE COMES AND BREAKS THEM ALL. BREAKS THEM ALL I HOPE SOMEONE ELSE CAN COME AND BREAK US ALL

[melliotwrites]

A sneak peek of what we're working on for the MTFxR Garage event! This is the opening to a 15-minute musical about a group of trans teens summoning a monster in an abandoned textile factory!

Anyone based around NYC -- come to our summit this Thursday! The MTFxR Garage is an event where writers and creative technologists come together to prototype new extended reality (XR) musical theatre works.

[melliotwrites]

You could BANISH YOUR SOFTNESS!

I never posted these whoops

[melliotwrites]

An updated demo of “Have Another Drink” from our new musical, Thy Sinful House! Vocals by Giao Vu Dinh, spoken lines by Lana Gaige. Lyrics by Mel Hornyak and music by Elliot Valentine.

Lyrics under the cut!

Lyrics:

THYESTES:

I want to see my children! Where are they?

ATREUS forcibly sits her down, and tucks a napkin into her shirt.

ATREUS:

YOUR KIDS ARE RIGHT HERE!

NO NEED FOR ALARM.

STAY FOR DESSERT, EAT A COUPLE MORE COURSES!

THEY'RE IN YOUR EMBRACE.

THEY WON'T COME TO HARM.

AT LEAST, NOTHING WORSE FOR YOUR KIDS THAN DIVORCE IS!

HAVE ANOTHER DRINK, THYESTES!

HAVE ANOTHER ROLL.

YOU’LL HAVE FAMILY BONDING

UNTIL YOU’RE QUITE FULL.

HAVE A LITTLE BREAD, THYESTES!

DRINK A LITTLE WINE.

AS YOU MADE CLEAR,

THE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE:

WHAT’S MINE IS YOURS

AND WHAT’S YOURS MUST BE MINE.

THYESTES:

What have you done with them?

ATREUS:

YOUR KIDS ARE QUITE SAFE.

THEY'RE ALWAYS WITH YOU.

INSIDE YOUR HEART - WELL, A LITTLE BELOW.

THEY WON'T LEAVE YOUR SIGHT

ONCE DINNER IS THROUGH.

YOU’RE THE ONE KIND OF MOTHER THEY'LL NEVER OUTGROW.

HAVE ANOTHER DRINK, THYESTES!

TAKE A LITTLE REST!

I MADE THIS MYSELF

AND IT’S MADE FROM THE BEST.

HAVE ANOTHER SWEET, THYESTES.

EAT ANOTHER CAKE!

IF THEY DON’T RETURN

THEY WON'T HAVE TO LEARN

THAT WHAT FAMILY GIVES YOU

IT ALSO WILL TAKE!

THYESTES:

Where are they?

ATREUS:

OH, THE LITTLE BRATS ARE FINE!

THEY'RE IN THE BREAD, THE MEAT, THE WINE

THIS IS THE ONLY WAY I'M ABLE

TO MAKE THEM JOIN US AT THE TABLE!

IT’S NOTHING WORSE THAN GIVING THEM A HOUSE WE BUILT ON SIN!

(Thyestes starts gagging)

I HOPE THEY TASTE WORSE COMING OUT

THAN THEY DID GOING IN!

(Thyestes starts choking)

ATREUS:

HAVE ANOTHER DRINK, THYESTES!

(she spills the wine onto the floor)

HAVE ANOTHER BITE!

(she tips the tray of meat off the table)

THEY WON'T TASTE GOOD TOMORROW

SO DON’T WASTE A SCRAP TONIGHT!

(she pushes the table over, chases Thyestes down, and starts pouring wine on her)

HAVE ANOTHER PLATE, THYESTES!

DON’T KNIT YOUR PRETTY BROW!

YOUR KIDS ARE PROTECTED!

YOU’RE ALWAYS CONNECTED!

TELL ME, THYESTES--

(Opening a cloche. Inside are TANTALUS and PLISTHENES' heads.)

DO YOU RECOGNIZE THEM NOW?

[melliotwrites]

Ghost Story Roundtable Reading video!

Here is the recording of our Roundtable Reading of Ghost Story: a new musical with Musical Theatre Factory!

This is the first table read of a script in development, and the actors’ first time reading through the whole script out loud, so please turn on subtitles to follow along with the dialogue!

Ghost Story is a supernatural western romance musical written by Mel Hornyak (book/lyrics) and Elliot Valentine (book/music). When a gay couple spends the summer in Montana, they haunt and are haunted by two cowboy lovers who lived there a hundred years earlier. Amid mountain wildfires, sun-bleached bones, and the timeless desire to rewrite history, this introspective chamber musical explores queer ancestry, immigrant identity, and masculinity in the American West.

Also, because it is a cold read, this video is unlisted, not public -- that being said, feel free to use screenshots/create fan work/make edits etc. as usual! The only big difference between this video and the Montana concert is this one isn't searchable on YouTube/Google/etc., so you'll have to hold on to this link to access it/share the link directly with friends if you want.

Happy watching! And keep an eye on this blog and our website for updates on our next chance to produce Ghost Story! We have some really exciting things in the works (including resurrecting an old project and entering a longer term collab with Musical Theatre Factory), partially thanks to having such an enthusiastic audience turnout at the table read - THANK YOU again to everyone who came to support us live, and we hope you enjoy!

~Mel and Elliot

[melliotwrites]

Ghost Story Roundtable Reading video!

Here is the recording of our Roundtable Reading of Ghost Story: a new musical with Musical Theatre Factory!

This is the first table read of a script in development, and the actors’ first time reading through the whole script out loud, so please turn on subtitles to follow along with the dialogue!

Ghost Story is a supernatural western romance musical written by Mel Hornyak (book/lyrics) and Elliot Valentine (book/music). When a gay couple spends the summer in Montana, they haunt and are haunted by two cowboy lovers who lived there a hundred years earlier. Amid mountain wildfires, sun-bleached bones, and the timeless desire to rewrite history, this introspective chamber musical explores queer ancestry, immigrant identity, and masculinity in the American West.

Also, because it is a cold read, this video is unlisted, not public -- that being said, feel free to use screenshots/create fan work/make edits etc. as usual! The only big difference between this video and the Montana concert is this one isn't searchable on YouTube/Google/etc., so you'll have to hold on to this link to access it/share the link directly with friends if you want.

Happy watching! And keep an eye on this blog and our website for updates on our next chance to produce Ghost Story! We have some really exciting things in the works (including resurrecting an old project and entering a longer term collab with Musical Theatre Factory), partially thanks to having such an enthusiastic audience turnout at the table read - THANK YOU again to everyone who came to support us live, and we hope you enjoy!

~Mel and Elliot

[melliotwrites]

haven’t done digital art in a hot minute, so take a drawing of subin kara ahn’s hao

notes & progress pics under the cut

vest + button-up shirt combo because afaik that was a common thing for ranch hands to wear when ghost story is set

reblogs very much appreciated! it means more people will see this etc etc

idk why he looks paler in the finished product </3 i think its because i took these photos with my phones camera before i’d coloured the outlines or really anything else

[melliotwrites]

Thank you to everyone who came to the reading yesterday! It was a wonderful turnout (64 folks at one point?) thanks to you all! It was great seeing y’all’s reactions and getting to chat a bit with you after. We really appreciate all the feedback you sent through the form, through the chat, and through Zoom! 💖💖

[melliotwrites]

hi!!! i wasnt able to make it to the reading unfortunately, but i had heard that there was a little opportunity to chat with you guys,, since i couldnt be there on the zoom to say it, i just wanted to leave a little message of appreciation here for how you guys have written anthony. i got officially diagnosed with ocd right around the time that i had gotten into ghost story, but i had suspicions about it for a long while before that. its always been something that has been hard for me to navigate, and gets in the way of a lot of day to day activities. despite this, especially when i first got diagnosed and was still learning, it was a lot easier to navigate my thoughts and feelings because i could connect myself with anthony and use him to remind myself that its something that people can live with.

anthonys definitely my favorite character in ghost story; for his ocd writing, his relationship with his ex, and his bond with joey — hes genuinely so interesting, and such a good portrayal of the disorder. im so excited to see where you both take his development as you guys revise the musical more and more :)

Thank you! This presentation — as other folks may be able to attest — gets to show a lot more of Anthony’s arc than the concert, which is exciting. Hopefully there will be a private video we might be able to circulate soon! - Elliot

[melliotwrites]

Because a few people have contacted us — if you RSVP’d for the Ghost Story reading but haven’t received a confirmation email or the Zoom link, let us know and we can send you the info!