SING ME TO SLEEP Wins USA Best Books 2011 Award!

Celebrate good times!! I just found out SING ME TO SLEEP won for YA Fiction in the USA Best Books 2011 Awards sponsored by USA Book News. YAY!!! Dance and sing. And blog.

I did a marathon revision session for SING ME TO SLEEP, the Musical yesterday. I polished it up and sent it off to my collaborator, award-winning composer, Harriet Bushman, from London, England. We're hoping to produce it in 2013. Harriet wrote the music for "Beth's Song" and "Take me Home" so you know the music will be fantastic.

Would you like to read some? Here's the opening scene. It's a big, up-tempo dance number. Do you think I captured the scene? Writing it as a musical play is so different from a chapter in a novel. You have to sacrifice a lot of details, but it's fun to imagine it on the stage while you write.

SING ME TO SLEEP

adapted from the novel, Sing me to Sleep by Angela Morrison

Book by Angela Morrison

Lyrics by Angela Morrison

Music by Harriet Bushman

ACT I

Scene 1

Setting:            The halls of Port High School, designated by a row of lockers or locker flat.

At Rise:            Lights up on row of lockers, HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, COLBY, HORSEMAN2, milling in the hall before the first bell rings. COLBY is the center of everyone’s attention.

                                    (Song: “WE’RE COOL, WE RULE”)

COLBY

I BUST MY BUTT TO MAKE PORT HIGH THE BEST

ALL GUYS

            SATURDAY’S GAME WE’L FACE THE TEST

GIRLS

            DON’T WORRY, GUYS—YOU ALWAYS WIN

ALL HIGH SCHOOL KIDS

            LET’S DO IT ONE MORE TIME!

           

WE’LL BE LOST COLBY WHEN YOU LEAVE

COLBY

            I GOTTA GRADUATE—AND BE FREE!

ALL HIGH SCHOOL KIDS

            WHO WILL TELL US HOW TO WALK AND TALK?

COLBY

            I’LL SAY IT ONE MORE TIME—

            I’M COOL

            I RULE

            THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM ME

            FOR LOSERS CRYING

            IT AIN’T RIGHT.

ALL

            WE’RE COOL

            WE RULE

            WE KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND DRIVE

            NOT LIKE LOSERS CRYING

            IT AIN’T RIGHT.

(Enter HORSEMAN1 with THE OFFERING. THE OFFERING wears only white briefs, black socks and tennis shoes.)

COLBY, HORSEMEN 1 & 2

(stick a bike chain through THE OFFERING’s underwear and chain him to BETH’s locker while singing)

           

NOWHERE TO HIDE FROM US, NOWHERE TO RUN.

PLACES PEOPLE THIS JOKE WILL BE FUN!

THERE SHE IS—WE’LL GET HER

ONE MORE TIME!!

ALL

BETH THE BEAST POLLUTING OUR HALL

SHE’S DAMN UGLY AND TOO DAMN TALL

FREAKS LIKE HER SHOULDN’T BE

ALLOWED TO BREATHE.

WE’RE COOL

WE RULE

THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM US

FOR LOSERS CRYING

IT AIN’T RIGHT

WE’RE COOL

WE RULE

WE KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND DRIVE

NOT LOKE LOSERS CRYING

IT AIN’T RIGHT

REMEMBER OUR FUNNY PLAYGROUND GAMES?

BROKEN GLASSES—SUCH A CRYING SHAME

VIPER, FOUR-EYES, SQUIRREL FACE CAN’T BE

ALLOWED TO BREATHE!!!

AND SCOTT THAT HYPER KID GLUED TO HER SIDE.

WE KICKED HIM DOWN, HE RAN HOME AND CRIED.

COLBY

ACT NATURAL—PLACES—PEOPLE

ONE MORE TIME!!!

(Music continues under the action and dialogue. ALL take up natural places at lockers or in groups talking. Enter BETH, left. She walks hunched over, hiding behind her hair, watching her feet. Everyone pretends to ignore her, stares after her when she walks by. Ad lib, suppressed sniggering.)

                                    (BETH sees the OFFERING, rushes up to him.)

BETH

Are you okay? Did they hurt you?

(BETH touches THE OFFERING’s arm. He pulls back and stares at it like its going to turn to stone.)

THE OFFERING (frightened)

They said to tell you I’m the offering. They said the Beast requires a sacrifice every full moon.

                                    (ALL gather behind BETH, laughing and catcalling.)

COLBY

Dude, the Beast’s got a mate.

BETH (ignoring the crowd behind her)

It’s okay. We’ll get Mr. Finney to bring his bolt-cutters. I don’t eat freshmen for breakfast.

THE OFFERING

That’s not what they said you’d do.

ALL

(Explode with laughter. Music up. During the song, BETH tries to escape but they won’t let her. Lots of pushing back and jeering. BETH keeps her head down, fighting back tears. BETH ad libs, “Excuse me.” “Let me go, please.” “Guys, come on.” etc.)

WE’RE COOL

WE RULE

THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM US

FOR LOSERS CRYING

IT AIN’T RIGHT

WE’RE COOL

WE RULE

WE KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND DRIVE

NOT LOKE LOSERS CRYING

IT AIN’T RIGHT

WE’RE COOL

WE RULE

THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM US

FOR LOSERS CRYING

IT AIN’T RIGHT

WE’RE COOL

WE RULE

WE KNOW WHAT TO WEAR AND DRIVE

NOT LOKE LOSERS CRYING

IT AIN’T RIGHT

(Song: “BONES BLOOD AND FLESH” ALL continue to sing “WE’RE COOL WE RULE” in the background.)

BETH                                                                        ALL

YOUR WORDS—                                                            WE’RE COOL

WHY DO THEY DEFINE ME?                                    WE RULE

WHY DO I BELIEVE YOU?                                                THERE’S NO PLACE TO HIDE

YOUR FACE.                                                                        FROM US

YOUR LIPS, AND YOUR FINGERS—                        FOR LOSERS

DON’T SPILL THEM ON ME.                                    CRYING IT AINT RIGHT

I’M BONES, BLOOD AND FLESH                                    WE’RE COOL

NOT CLAY TO BE POUNDED                                    WE RULE

AND SCORCHED IN THE HATE YOU FEEL            WE KNOW WHAT TO DRIVE

I BLEED WHEN YOU WOUND ME                        AND WEAR

JUST LIKE THE PRETTY GIRLS DO                        NOT LIKE LOSERS CRYING

IT AIN’T RIGHT!

                          

YOUR WORDS—

YOUR LIPS AND YOUR FINGERS

                                                                                    WE’RE COOL

                                                                                    WE RULE

                                                                                    NO PLACE TO HIDE FROM US

                                                                                                                                               

(BETH gets frantic, trying to break free, plugging her ears. Enter SCOTT and MR. FINNEY, carrying bolt cutters. MR. FINNEY menaces bolt cutters at the crowd and shoos them away. BETH breaks free, almost falls, SCOTT steadies her. The crowd continues to sing  or hum “WE’RE COOL WE RULE” as they saunter off to class. MR. FINNEY goes to THE OFFERING to cut him free.)

COLBY (encountering BETH)

Get out of my way, you damn ugly beast!

(Curtain or black-out leaving BETH and SCOTT in front of curtain or in a spotlight for Scene 2. Everyone else exits.)

In Scene 2, Beth and Scott sing a duet that covers the second half of chapter one--the Beauty and the Beast scene. It's a huge contrast to this--fanciful and dreamy, with some funny parts, too. I'm traveling the next two weeks, but if I get a chance, I'll post some of that scene next.