Our lives on stage
The world-premiere of the musical “The Workshop, A Dress Rehearsal for Life!”, written by life coach Dr Cherie Carter-Scott and based on the numerous coaching-workshops she has conducted in more than 30 countries of the world and over a four-decade career, will be staged at the Thailand Cultural Centre’s small hall on May 18-19, and May 29 to June 1.
Like the famed Broadway musical “A Chorus Line”, which was about various artists auditioning for the chorus line in a stage-production, this musical is about various characters gathering together for a personal development workshop. The play is comprised of 11 individuals, of diverse ethnicity, occupation, sexual preference, who have individual challenges, and seek solutions.
Carter-Scott and her sister Lynn Stewart wrote the play in order for larger audiences to share this human experience. The characters in the play are everyday people who share the same challenges of contemporary society-boundary management, overweight, overwork, abuse, discrimination and communication breakdown.
American-born Carter-Scott, who started her work in 1974, has written more than 20 books on the subject, including a New York Times Best Seller, which was translated into 40 languages. She has been on the Oprah Winfrey Show twice, featured on numerous TV, radio, print media, and conducted her workshops in more than 30 countries around the world.
Throughout the last ten years, Carter-Scott and her coach-husband Michael Pomije and sister Lynn Stewart have been based in Thailand, conducting workshops, training corporate coaches, travelling to various other countries, to maintain their numerous coach training assignments.
The idea of writing a stage musical production based on her experiences, had been in her head for many years. She had her first draft monitored by a script-doctor in New York, did a full reading with theatre-artists, hired an “arranger” to make the music in her head translate to the piano keys.
To make the drama enjoyable and entertaining, she created more than 17 songs, writing the lyrics herself, and setting them to a diverse range of genres – classical, Gospel, Country Western, even a German beer song. Every character has his/her own special song, which defines and differentiates them.
The choreography and movement director is Darren Royston, who has worked with Royal Academy for Dramatic Art and the National Theatre in UK. This entire cast and the director of this English-language musical are Thais. The ensemble has been intensively trained by English language dialogue and diction coaches. Among the performers are well-known singer Pete Pol and TV star Yah Janya. The stage director Napisi Reyes has also directed multiple musical productions.
Early bird discounts are available until tomorrow (April 20). Visit www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.
