What Are Dreams Made Of?

A brilliantly inventive award-winning musical combining a compelling story, colorful offbeat characters and infectious songs intended for young adult audiences who enjoy Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight.

Logline: In the magical kingdom of Wonderhaven, Aoede the Muse of Song is plagued with a terrible, haunting dream, and children are spirited away by a Siren. Aoede must explore realms of darkness and light...

A brilliantly inventive award-winning musical combining a compelling story, colorful offbeat characters and infectious songs intended for young adult audiences who enjoy Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight.

Logline: In the magical kingdom of Wonderhaven, Aoede the Muse of Song is plagued with a terrible, haunting dream, and children are spirited away by a Siren. Aoede must explore realms of darkness and light, overland and underworld, confront magical fairies, goblins and dream gods, and struggle to get to the heart of her dream.

What Are Dreams Made Of?
Book and lyrics by Lisa Sniderman
Music by Lisa Sniderman/Aoede and Scrote
Based on “What Are Dreams Made Of?” (a musical audiobook story)
By Lisa Sniderman/Aoede and Scrote
http://whataredreamsmadeof.com

A brilliantly inventive award-winning musical combining a compelling story, colorful offbeat characters and infectious songs intended for young adult audiences who enjoy Harry Potter, Hunger Games, Twilight. In the magical kingdom of Wonderhaven, Aoede the Muse of Song is plagued with a terrible, haunting dream, and children are spirited away by a Siren. Aoede must explore realms of darkness and light, overland and underworld, confront magical fairies, goblins and dream gods, and struggle to get to the heart of her dream.

Aoede shares her nyxmare with Luk, her house goblin, who insists she find Morpheus the Dream God. In the Department of Dreams (DOD) overland, Aoede doesn’t find Morpheus, but meets Aislin, a fairy on probation. She tells Aislin her nyxmare, and Aislin agrees to help her thinking it can get her off probation if she solves the case. Aislin suggests a Siren is what Aoede keeps seeing in her dream, luring the children perhaps to the underworld, to do her bidding. Aislin says they need the help of Morpheus-leader of the Dream Gods. Aoede meets Morpheus and finds out Phobetor, his brother, has gone missing. Aoede asks Morpheus if she can return with him to the underworld to find out more about her nyxmare and find the missing children.

Inside the Land of Dreams underworld, Morpheus and Aoede encounter Phantasos (Morpheus's other brother) and the Bad Seeds, a group of misfits that work for and serve Phobetor. Aoede discovers that she is the white witch/Siren and dreads the dark reflection of herself. Aoede and Morpheus overhear the Bad Seeds discuss a secret plot by the Goblin Kings to build a Darkhaven and to lure and use the children as labor, and discover Phantasos was also part of this plot. Aoede learns that the Siren was stealing the children's dream seeds. Over the course of the story, the witch takes a stronger and stronger hold on Aoede. She loses all sense of self, spirals downward and finally becomes the Siren-unable to speak, only sing her Siren song.

Aoede finds the missing children and stolen dream seeds, but is captured by the Goblins. The Bad Seeds appear, and Phobetor shows up in his true form. By looking at him directly, the Bad Seeds disappear. Phobetor shares how he was put to sleep by a potion the Bad Seeds slipped into his Chocolate Nectar and kept by the Goblin Kings in the Kallikantzaros Caves. Aoede and Luk return to the DOD, and the three Dream Gods confront the Goblin Kings, demanding Darkhaven not be built.

It isn’t until Aoede confronts what's at the heart of her dream that her nyxmare stops and the witch leaves. Aoede must acknowledge what she has repressed and suppressed: that the there is both dark-witch and light-muse inside her.

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What Are Dreams Made Of?

Cast Size can be from 10+, including ensemble (e.g. 4 females and 6 males). To consider a smaller cast size, many main characters can be double or triple cast: Bruadair/Phantasos, Siren/Dalfry/DOD Fairy, Mara/DOD Reception Operator, 3 Goblin Kings/Luk, Alp, Epiales. Main characters would also be cast as Ensemble: characters who only sing, e.g., children, shadow dancers, goblin army, dream makers. This production would ideally be staged with young adults or adults (or a combination) for an all-aged audience. Any ethnicity can play any character in this fantasy musical.

CHARACTERS:
AOEDE
(1 Female-Young Adult)
The Muse of Song. Eternally youthful. Looks 17.

WITCH/SIREN
(1 Female-Young Adult)
Singing dark character from Aoede’s dream known as the White Witch.

MORPHEUS
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Dream God-Leader of the Oneroi overland and underworld; shimmery light blue-skinned shape-shifter. Wisdom and voice of authority and reason, charismatic, powerful, a father-figure; usually calm and collected; British-sounding.

PHANTASOS
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Dream God-God of Fantasy Dreams-a dark shadowy phantom with wings dressed in orange oversized coat; underworld; shape-shifter and trickster. British-sounding.

PHOBETOR
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Dream God-God of Nyxmares underworld and Leader of Bad Seeds-dark,
ominous and frightening but not sinister; shape-shifter. British-sounding.

AISLIN
(1 Female-Young Adult)
Small shimmery gold fairy at the Department of Dreams (DOD) overland who helps Aoede investigate her dream; speaks very fast with a high voice; nervous personality matches her wing flutter; flutters all the time.

LUK
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Aoede’s faithful house goblin. Stands 3 1/2 feet tall. Dressed in grey peasant rags, faded green high crowned felt hat with wide brim.

BAD SEEDS
Phobetor’s crew-all dark, sinister, plotting; underworld (Kabalos, Mara, Alp, Epiales)

KABALOS
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Hairy goblin; self-proclaimed leader of Bad Seeds when Phobetor is missing; in charge of Underworld goblins. Has green skin and a few yellow teeth, thick black/grey matted hair. Speaks Goblin tongue, English. Carries shiny trinket.

MARA
(1 Female-Young Adult)
Pitch black talking horse with fiery eyes who can also be human; has a slow sing-songy cadence to her speech; is part of Phobetor’s Bad Seeds.

ALP
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Comical looking bat with human and elfin features, long legs and a hat; part of Phobetor’s Bad Seeds. Talks with a lisp.

EPIALES
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Dark winged demon spirit with a very low voice; part of Phobetor’s Bad Seeds.

GOBLIN KINGS 1-3: TARK, STROGG, SMEG
(3 Male-Young Adults)
Three evil goblin brothers who reign at the Unseelie Court in the Kallikantzaros Caves.

BRUADAIR
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Brilliant elf at the DOD and The Dream Whisperer.

DALFRY
(1 Male-Young Adult)
Hobgoblin and Dream Peddler at the Goblin Market overland.

DOD RECEPTION OPERATOR: FAELINNA
DOD BACKGROUND OPERATORS: THILANA, CAELIA
(2-3 Females-Young Adults)
Tiny blue fairies who work at the DOD overland.

DOD DISPLAY FAIRIES
(1-2 Female-Young Adult)
Little pink fairies that sprinkle pixie dust; part of interactive DOD displays.

GOBLIN ARMY
(Ensemble-Males/Females-Young Adults)
Army for the Goblin Kings. Covered in studded leather and chain mail armor with swords and daggers (non-speaking, only sing).

CHILDREN
(Ensemble-Males & Females-Young Adults)
Wonderhaven dreamers, and eldest Wonderhaven children who go missing; mindless, dreamless, empty, still, motionless (non-speaking, only sing).

SHADOW DANCERS
(Ensemble-Males & Females-Young Adults)
Dark shadowy figures that dance and sing with Aoede (non-speaking, only sing).

DREAM MAKERS
(Ensemble-Males & Females-Young Adults)
Dream Builders, Dream Catchers, Dream Seeders who work at the dream factory at the Department of Dreams. (non-speaking, only sing).

Development History

  • Type Reading, Organization Caryl Crane Youth Theatre, Ohio, Year 2015
  • Type Reading, Organization San Carlos Children's Theater, San Carlos, CA, Year 2014

Awards

  • Top 25 Feature Screenplay Finalist and Official Selection for “What Are Dreams Made Of?”
    FilmQuest Film Festival
    Finalist
    2016
  • Official Finalist: “What Are Dreams Made Of?” Script
    Ronald M. Ruble National Play Festival
    Finalist
    2015
  • Endorsement for Screenplay: “What Are Dreams Made Of?”
    KIDS FIRST!
    2014
  • Official Finalist-Stage Play Competition: “Aoede’s What Are Dreams Made Of?”
    Beverly Hills Screenplay Contest
    Finalist
    2014
  • Script Award Winner-Feature-Musical: “What Are Dreams Made Of?”
    Indie Gathering Film Festival
    Winner
    2014
  • Official Finalist Stage Play “Aoede’s What Are Dreams Made Of?”
    New York Screenplay Contest
    Finalist
    2014
  • Official Screenplay: “Aoede’s What Are Dreams Made Of?”
    Beverly Hills Film Festival
    Selection
    2014
  • Official Screenplay: “What Are Dreams Made Of?”
    Indie Fest USA
    Selection
    2013