Homegrown musical gives young performers a big-league debut at TPAC

Homegrown musical gives young performers a big-league debut at TPAC

An original musical developed in Nashville is debuting this week at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, complete with a cast of local talent.

Why it matters: "One Step at a Time," which opens its two-night run at TPAC on Tuesday, is giving many of its youngest cast members their first experience with a professional, paying stage production.

🎭 State of play: The homegrown show features a cast of 27 performers ranging in age from middle schoolers and teens to adults.

  • The story centers on efforts to revive a struggling school. It explores how music and the arts can help uplift communities.

    • Between the lines: Producer Holly Shepherd, a longtime Nashvillian who cut her teeth performing in shows at the Opryland theme park, tells Axios the team has been intentional about giving this production a professional sheen.

  • The production team held auditions last fall and first put the show on its feet during a workshop in January. They continued to refine it through months of rehearsals.
  • The final product taking the stage this week is "10 times tighter" than the original, Shepherd said.

    • What she's saying: Shepherd stresses that while the cast skews young, the show isn't just for kids. It's aimed at anyone who has been — or has raised — a middle or high schooler.

  • "It is not a recital or a high school quality show," she said. "It is a professional, ready-to-be-seen-by-an-audience show."

    • Between the lines: "One Step at a Time" was developed through the Music Row-based education technology company QuaverEd, which provides programs to help kids learn about music, health and other topics.

  • Company founder David Mastran started writing the musical as part of a program that taught social skills and character development. It eventually evolved into a standalone musical.

    • The intrigue: Many of the younger cast members have never performed on a stage as large as TPAC's Polk Theater, which seats more than 1,000 people. That has added a spark of excitement to the endeavor.

  • "You just don't even know until your toes are touching that stage how this is going to feel," Shepherd said. "There is nothing like an opening night."

    • If you go: Performances are at 7pm on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets start at $22.50 with fees included.