Andrew and Lesley have graciously taken the time to answer some questions about the show and themselves!

How long have you been writing for musicals?

We first began writing music together back in late 2008/early 2009. Those were our first little inklings of ALICE and The Tortoise and the Hare. The first ALICE songs we wrote actually weren’t even really in our finalized production, so it’s amazing to see how everything evolved from those beginning moments!

Aside from a couple small songs in high school, Lesley didn’t start writing music until the Summer of 2008 when she was employed by a local children’s theater Summer camp program. While working there, the children created 40-minute musicals every two weeks from scratch, so Lesley was writing at least 2 songs a week for a 10-week program. Definitely a music-writing bootcamp if there ever was one!

Although Andrew had been arranging music for a bit before he met Lesley, their partnership sparked his interest in composing.

Where did you receive your training?

Lesley: I started taking piano lessons at age 4 in my hometown of Rockport, MA, and my parents say I was picking out tunes by ear around age 3, which prompted them to get me into lessons! I’m classically trained, though not super strictly. I wasn’t one of those children who practiced for hours a day. I was actually known for my resistance to practicing haha, and wanting to play Disney songs instead. I started with the Suzuki program as a young child, then moved onto adult classical books by elementary school, as well as jazz improvisation and playing other popular music by ear. I was fortunate enough to have a couple of great piano teachers growing up who emphasized having fun while growing musically.

Andrew: From eighth grade to my senior year of high school, I went through the Stoneham Theatre’s Resident Youth Ensemble training program, where I was lucky enough to study a wide range of technique’s and styles. I have also studied at Carnegie Mellon’s Pre-College Program, as well as Broadway’s Circle in the Square Theatre School.

What inspired you to write The Tortoise and the Hare?

I think a few things contributed to our development of The Tortoise and the Hare, but I don’t think either of us ever expected it to grow as it has! Andrew came up with the idea to develop the story, and the springboard for writing this type of music together really comes from feeling like there is a need for fun, educational musical theatre for children – both performed for them and by them. We loved the idea of taking a classic tale and giving it a little twist (which is sort of becoming our ‘thing’ now!) and the more we put our heads together, the more the music just kind of came out.

What is the premise of the musical?

Our version of The Tortoise and the Hare loosely follows the Aesop’s fable, but the real message we’ve driven into the text and the music centers around acceptance, open-mindedness, and the presence of bullying at school.

Tommy Tortoise is a well-traveled tortoise attempting to fit in at Creekwood Elementary with his classmates. The dorky but lovable Cindy Snail sits behind him in class and prays that someday he’ll be her main squeeze. Or, as she sings in the opening number, “we’re in love, he just doesn’t know!”

Meanwhile, Harvey Hare, a rough-around-the-edges schoolyard bully from a not-so-happy home environment, takes every chance he gets to put Tommy down and get the other kids to gang up on him, pushing him down into puddles and drawing on his shell, which has a crack in it and is a bit weathered from all of his worldly travel.

Each year, the elementary school holds a race for three brave contenders, with the prize being a shiny gold medal. Tommy’s eyes light up at the sight of such a prize and he’s convinced that if he could only win the medal, he could hang it over his “cracked, faded, ugly” shell and finally fit in.

Through a series of mishaps, tricks, and twists, Tommy, Cindy and Harvey end up running the race, but the winner just might surprise you! By the end, everyone learns some important lessons about self acceptance, teamwork, and what it means to be a friend.

What is your favorite moment of The Tortoise and the Hare?

Lesley: I think my favorite moment is during the song “With my New Shell” when Cindy Snail almost blows her cover about her secret crush on Tommy. I also love that she sneezes when she’s nervous.

Andrew: Favorite moment is definitely whenever those three sassy ladies are singing in three part harmony, all notes being above high C. Sorry girls! But thank you.

How do you think young audiences will react to The Tortoise and the Hare?

We’ve been fortunate enough to have been able to test out our earlier versions of The Tortoise and the Hare on young audiences in the Boston area as part of a school outreach program for a local theatre, and the response has been positive so far!

We usually held a Q & A after the shows for the children in the audience to get a chance to talk with the young actors. This helped us to gauge whether the message was coming across properly, and to see any parts of the story they thought were particularly funny or interesting. Harvey calling Tommy ‘tortilla’ usually gets a pretty good laugh. : )

Why theatre for young audiences?

We think that fostering the arts and creativity in young people is so important, particularly as schools and community programs are suffering with budget cuts in these areas. We really feel like the arts, and musical theatre in particular, are such a gateway for young people to express themselves, to collaborate, and to experience something that touches them and stirs their creative spirit.

We hope that our work might inspire some of the children that see it to want to participate in theatrical programs themselves, and that it can open their eyes that participating in something like this is possible, even if they have never set foot on a stage before. We also hope that the deeper messages of The Tortoise and the Hare come through to the children that might be going through similar issues in their own school environments as well. If this musical helps even one child to think twice about bullying, or helps a bullied child to feel better about themselves and able to feel strong in the face of adversity, then we will be really happy.