April Alsup

April Alsup

Hello, I'm April Alsup and I enjoy writing music theatre works. I grew up near Parkersburg, West Virginia and I've always had some sort of music project going on. People label me an "American Musical Theatre Composer, Librettist and Lyricist," which seems fair, but I think that just means I like storytelling and working with a melting pot of different music genres, traditions and styles....
Hello, I'm April Alsup and I enjoy writing music theatre works. I grew up near Parkersburg, West Virginia and I've always had some sort of music project going on. People label me an "American Musical Theatre Composer, Librettist and Lyricist," which seems fair, but I think that just means I like storytelling and working with a melting pot of different music genres, traditions and styles.

In the last millennium I worked for MAGI, the company that produced the computer animations in the original movie TRON for Disney, and then founded Viewmark, Colorado's first web design firm. Today, I'm busy with family and friends, my musical theatre projects and supporting the Denver performing arts community as a whole.

For more information visit her website at www.alsup.org

Plays

  • BANNED the Musical by April Alsup
    Cast: 
    8–9
    ·
    Genre: adventure, drama + 4 more
    ·
    Keyword: gender queer, nonconforming + 7 more
    Genre: adventure, drama, fantasy, immersive, musical, romantic comedy
    Keyword: gender queer, nonconforming, marginalized, inclusive, online chat, social media, Internet Dating, acceptance, authenticity
    BANNED is a modern-day musical that follows a group of gender misfits through the events leading up to their debut at a local performing arts festival. The polarizing discourse around gender today goes beyond opinions and has real consequences in society. The characters in BANNED go online to live out their dreams and escape the harsh realities of the world. We witness the juxtaposition of their psyche online...
    BANNED is a modern-day musical that follows a group of gender misfits through the events leading up to their debut at a local performing arts festival. The polarizing discourse around gender today goes beyond opinions and has real consequences in society. The characters in BANNED go online to live out their dreams and escape the harsh realities of the world. We witness the juxtaposition of their psyche online and offline, we experience their inner struggles with intimacy, authenticity and acceptance. If the root cause of inequality is marginalization, the remedy is inclusion.
  • Eigg the Musical by April Alsup
    Cast: 
    8–12
    ·
    Genre: adventure, comedy + 7 more
    ·
    Keyword: Music & Lyrics by April Alsup, Book by Mark Sbani + 6 more
    Genre: adventure, comedy, docudrama/historic, drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, immersive, musical, period
    Keyword: Music & Lyrics by April Alsup, Book by Mark Sbani, The isle of Eigg, Scotland, land reform, community buyout, Ceilidh music, accordion and fiddle
    Situated in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the Isle of Eigg has a fascinating history of sovereignty. Not long ago, the inhabitants of Eigg faced a different type of invader; a celebrity Laird looking to create his Gaelic island utopia. Will the citizens support his vision? Can they put up with his antics? Can he accept that a medieval landlord mentality no longer works on Eigg? The transfer to community...
    Situated in Scotland's Inner Hebrides, the Isle of Eigg has a fascinating history of sovereignty. Not long ago, the inhabitants of Eigg faced a different type of invader; a celebrity Laird looking to create his Gaelic island utopia. Will the citizens support his vision? Can they put up with his antics? Can he accept that a medieval landlord mentality no longer works on Eigg? The transfer to community ownership hatched on Eigg is arguably the most captivating example of Scottish land reform.
  • Sisyphus the Musical by April Alsup
    Cast: 
    12–16
    ·
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale + 3 more
    ·
    Keyword: Sisyphus, Greek mythology + 4 more
    Genre: drama, fable/folktale, fantasy, musical, mystery/thriller
    Keyword: Sisyphus, Greek mythology, Camus, existential, absurdism, predestination
    The pain (and joy) of his success is his commitment to the cause

    SISYPHUS the Musical takes a modern twist on the Greek Myth of Sisyphus. SID, an up and coming politician is running for mayor of some gritty city somewhere. His heart is full of good intentions, but he has no problem doing whatever it takes to further his career. He often works with a local social service worker (SISTER DAWN) to...
    The pain (and joy) of his success is his commitment to the cause

    SISYPHUS the Musical takes a modern twist on the Greek Myth of Sisyphus. SID, an up and coming politician is running for mayor of some gritty city somewhere. His heart is full of good intentions, but he has no problem doing whatever it takes to further his career. He often works with a local social service worker (SISTER DAWN) to solicit votes from those who might not otherwise vote. During a campaign stop to christen Olympus Park he angers the leader (OLD MAN ZEUS) of a small group of homeless people.

    ZEUS challenges SID for inadequate solutions and the suffering of the homeless and rejects the sincerity of his campaign. The confrontation ignites the homeless and they become aggressive. ZEUS starts a revolt. The police move in and OFFICER AFFIE and OFFICER ARCHIE try to arrest ZEUS and his buddy THANTOS intervenes. When the dust settles we find ourselves in Corinth, a small town near Mount Olympus during the Age of SISYPHUS.

    SID (now SISYPHUS) is running for mayor of Corinth and politics are as corrupt as ever. The OLYMPIANS have always influenced the elections for their own good and the mayor of Corinth is an important position. On Olympus, ZEUS faces instability among the gods. APHRODITE's long love affair with ARES, god of war, always contentious, threatens to blow up when THANTOS, god of death, tells her about ARES' affair with DAWN. In her uncontrollable jealousy and rage APHRODITE casts a curse upon DAWN of irresistible desire for mortal men and she falls for SISYPHUS.

    After a town hall meeting with SISYPHUS the citizens vandalize the temple. The treasonable act angers ZEUS. He condemns SISYPHUS to Hades but, with the help of the illusive DAWN by his side, they trick THANTOS to chain himself in his own death box. The shock waves of THANTOS’ disappearance disrupts the fragile order between the gods and humanity. ZEUS sends ARES to find THANTOS and bring SISYPHUS and DAWN to him.

    The ultimate crisis for Olympus comes after THANTOS accosts DAWN and ZEUS starts eliminating the citizens. Sisyphus the Musical is an entertaining portrayal of the paradox between free will and predestination. Sisyphus must accept his role as leader, teach the citizens of Corinth to embrace their free will and their humanity despite the wrath of the gods; ultimately, the pain (and the joy) of his success is his commitment to the cause.
  • WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) The Musical by April Alsup
    Cast: 
    4–12
    ·
    Genre: drama, fantasy + 2 more
    ·
    Keyword: online chat, world wide web + 8 more
    Genre: drama, fantasy, musical, romantic comedy
    Keyword: online chat, world wide web, social media, Internet Dating, true, acceptance, authenticity, self-love, pandemic, socially relevant
    Logout and Login to Life

    WYSIWYG (WIZ-ee-wig) or What You See Is What You Get is a timely story of how we disconnect from ourselves and each other as we plug into our electronic devices. The show exposes a world where people can live their lives defined by others or go online to live as they want, safely behind the anonymity of the Internet. Everyone can relate to how social media has changed the...
    Logout and Login to Life

    WYSIWYG (WIZ-ee-wig) or What You See Is What You Get is a timely story of how we disconnect from ourselves and each other as we plug into our electronic devices. The show exposes a world where people can live their lives defined by others or go online to live as they want, safely behind the anonymity of the Internet. Everyone can relate to how social media has changed the way we communicate with each other.

    The characters in WYSIWYG go online to live out their dreams and escape the harsh realities of the world. We witness the juxtaposition of their psyche in their interactions with one another, online and offline, we experience their inner struggles with intimacy, authenticity and acceptance. Today, much of society has fallen into this trap and the pandemic has only amplified the problem. This show helps us escape from that.