melliotwrites

[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!

[melliotwrites]

TODAY! See y’all there :)

Happening tomorrow (5/29) at 7pm Eastern Time! Come to the table read of our new musical, Ghost Story, with Musical Theatre Factory. Make sure to RSVP here ahead of time to receive the link to the event!

[melliotwrites]

Hi! Myself and a few others were wondering if it would be alright to screenshot things from the Ghost Story Roundtable tonight. None of us wanted to do so without being sure it's ok. Thank you!

Go ahead! I don't think a screen recording would be allowed (though Musical Theatre Factory is screen recording it and we might be able to share that link later), but stills from the reading is alright!

Thanks for asking :)

~Mel

[melliotwrites]

Happening tomorrow (5/29) at 7pm Eastern Time! Come to the table read of our new musical, Ghost Story, with Musical Theatre Factory. Make sure to RSVP here ahead of time to receive the link to the event!

[melliotwrites]

Happening tomorrow (5/29) at 7pm Eastern Time! Come to the table read of our new musical, Ghost Story, with Musical Theatre Factory. Make sure to RSVP here ahead of time to receive the link to the event!

[melliotwrites]

Did the RSVP for Ghost Story close? I keep clicking the link and getting told to eat shit by the registration forum.

They fixed it! It should be working now here.

[melliotwrites]

A teaser from our upcoming reading of Ghost Story: a new musical with Musical Theatre Factory -- a new demo of "I Don't Know You Anymore" featuring Subin Kara Ahn!

Come to the virtual reading on May 29th 7pm ET to hear more new demos and the whole musical out loud!

Lyrics under the cut:

HAO: I HOPE I'M NOT RIGHT. I HOPE YOU WON'T THINK ME INSANE. BUT SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH JÓZEF. I DON’T WANT TO FIGHT. BUT THE THOUGHTS I HAVE REMAIN. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH JÓZEF.

HE COMES HOME TOO EARLY. COMES HOME TOO LATE. COMES HOME TOO DRUNK. WANTS FOOD ON HIS PLATE. A DIFFERENT STEP. A DIFFERENT SMELL. FORGETS A SONG HE SHOULD KNOW WELL. FORGETS A SONG HE SHOULD KNOW WELL.

SOMETHING HIDES INSIDE YOUR SKIN. I DON’T KNOW WHEN I LET IT IN. WATER DROPLETS ON THE DOOR. I DON'T KNOW YOU ANYMORE. ONLY BREATHING WHEN YOU’RE GONE. SEEK THE HORSE I’M SITTING ON. WATER PUDDLES ON THE FLOOR. I DON'T KNOW YOU ANYMORE.

HIS SKIN TOO LOOSE. HIS VOICE TOO LOW. HIS EYES TOO SCARED. I STOP, HE'LL GO. HE FEELS LIKE DEATH. HE LOOKS THE SAME. HE KNOWS MY LOVE BUT NOT MY NAME.  HE CALLS ME “LOVE” BUT NEVER MY NAME.

SOMETHING HIDES BEHIND YOUR EYES. SOMETHING FEEDS ON MY SURPRISE. SOMETHING THAT I CAN’T IGNORE. I DON'T KNOW YOU ANYMORE. YOU FORGET THE WAY WE WALKED, ONLY SHOUT THE WAY WE TALKED; ASKING WHAT I’M FRIGHTENED FOR. I DON'T KNOW YOU ANYMORE.

MY GRANDFATHER SAID NOT TO PLAY NEAR THE SHORE. IF SOMEONE HAD DROWNED THEMSELVES THERE BEFORE. THEIR GHOST GRABS YOUR ANKLE AND SWITCHES YOUR PLACES. A GHOST WITH A THOUSAND FAMILIAR FACES. WHEN DID YOU CHANGE?  WHY WASN’T I THERE?  WHY DID YOU DROWN?  WHY COME UP FOR AIR?

I WILL CAST OUT A ROPE TO THE AFTERLIFE’S SEA YOU WILL NOT HAVE HIM YOU WILL NOT HAVE ME.

I HOPE I’M RIGHT. I HOPE YOU DON’T GET WHAT YOU WANTED. HOW DARE YOU WRONG MY JÓZEF?  I HOPE I’M RIGHT.  I DON’T KNOW WHY THIS HOUSE IS HAUNTED. HOW DARE YOU WRONG MY JÓZEF?

[melliotwrites]

Hi everyone! As we prepare for the reading and rewrite a bunch of songs, we're moving the Ghost Story OpenAIR MT concert album off of streaming platforms (so people don't listen to outdated demos before the reading.) You'll still be able to stream them on SoundCloud here -- apologies for the inconvenience!