I have decided that I don’t have an answer to any of those questions.  Because if you had told me 5 yrs ago, or 10 yrs ago, that I would be writing Amish Love Story Musicals – I can assure you, I would have said you were crazy!
So I confess – I don’t know!  I don’t know what I will be doing and while I think planning is a good thing, I have discovered that God has a plan for my life and my job is to do my best to follow every little step He leads so that I don’t get off the path.

The Confession Musical is taking tons of my time right now and I am so happy to be a part of it.  Through a series of relationships (how it always happens), I was asked to write the music to this new musical – that venture has led me all over the country doing auditions and meeting hundreds of super talented people.  Not only did I get to write the music, but I also cast, direct, costume, and choreograph the thing as well.  On October 15, 2010 the musical opened in Shipshewana, Indiana.  Shipshe, as we call it, is a small little Amish community turned tourist trap in Northern Indiana with a 325 seat theater.  Great community with wonderful people who support the vision of art – even in small town America.  It ran for about 7 weeks.  On June 1st, 2011, the show opened again and will run through December 3rd. 

In addition, it will open in Lancaster, PA on September 14 in a little town called Bird-in-Hand, Pennsylvania.  I’m serious, that’s what the town in called.  And just in case you want to do a google search – look also for the small communities of Intercourse, Virginville, and Blue Ball!!! Really…look ‘em up!  They are all in the same area.

So… today – mostly I am just grateful.  Those of you songwriters out there know how exciting it is when you write something and people like it.  I am what I call an ‘on demand’ sort of writer.  If you say you’ll pay me to write a song about a tree and you want it by 4 on Tuesday – I’m all over that.  But I’m not like many writers who have a stack of songs sitting next to their piano, or guitar case, or computer, just waiting to be heard.  I am not wired like that.  So it is such an amazing opportunity for me to have someone say – if you write it, they will come… It has been so exciting to see audiences laugh and cry and STAND after these amazing performers poor their heart into the tune I heard in my head sitting at my piano or the 24 hr Steak and Shake by my house. 

Thanks actors!  Thanks to the audiences who have come!  Thank you to the producers who trusted me!  Thank you to the super talented Beverly Lewis who created the characters and sold millions of copies of the book that the musical is based on! And thanks God for having a plan way beyond what I could imagine!

Check out www.TheConfessionMusical.com  – you can listen to some of the tunes on my Songwriter link as well.

If you like ‘em, let me know.  If you don’t – lie – really, I’m an insecure writer like all the rest !  haha..

Blessings,

Wally

I’m here for UPTA – the United Professional Theatre Auditions… Over 800 actors have gathered to audition for about 100 theatres, cruise ship casting agents, traveling shows.  I’m casting The Confession – the musical I wrote with Martha Bolton last year – for the summer and fall of 2011.  Some of my colleagues are casting hundreds of people for their Norwegian Cruiseline ships… amusement parks… and regional performance venues.  I am looking for 15 or so…

It is a remarkable process… from 9 to 5 during the day, talented professionals walk on the stage – one at a time -  and spend a remarkable 90 seconds trying to convince us to call them back.   A usual audition consists of 45 seconds of singing and a 45 second monologue… if they go over, a time keeper in the theatre front row yells “TIME!”.  Think about American Idol… without the feedback.  The gatekeepers in the audience may laugh… if it’s really, really funny, but we will NEVER clap.  And if we like what we see and think we might have a place for them in our 2011 shows, we put their number (oh yes, they all wear a number so that we can clearly see it) on a piece of paper.  That paper is collected every hour and posted in a big room back at our host hotel.  The actors anxiously search for their number under each of our theatre’s names.  If they find it, then they have to go to the hotel room where we host auditions, and sign up for a 7-10 minute slot.  My call back auditions start at 7:30 pm – I finished at about 1:00 am on Friday night (Sat. morning).  OH>> don’ t want to forget the dance auditions… from 5 to 7:30… the actors all have to change into dance clothes, learn a little routine and march in to a hotel banquet room in groups of 8 or so and perform the dance for all the theatre agents… they are divided into groups based on whether they call themselves dancers, really good dancers, or just ‘movers’ – a nice word for “I don’t really dance.”

So…. up and down the stairs and elevators actors rush to get to the next room where their employment opportunities rest.  They walk in the room, I greet them with a big smile and handshake, they hand me a head shot and resume, I have them sing a few bars of a song, tell them about the theatre, ask a little about them, might have them do 30 seconds from a different monologue, shake their hand, send them on their way, and then try to discern if I should offer them a position in my company for several months… it’s crazy!!!  And they are crazy….crazy good!  They come in the room and lay their talents and souls on the table… sing with all their hearts to the top of their lungs.  If I ask for a funny monologue or a serious one, they whip it out like it’s no big deal.  There in that 400 square foot room filled with a king size bed and lots of wholesale purchased furniture, they literally make that space their stage.  It’s awesome!  They are awesome…. and I find myself sympathetic to their job interview process wanting to offer them all jobs.  But I can’t.  So I go home with stacks of head shots trying to rememer what I thought about each one of them with gentle reminders from shotty notes I took on their resumes.  And they go home and wait for a call!  They are so vulnarable and I am so impressed and thankful that I get to experience their talents in such an intimate way.  Thanks to all the actors for considering being a part of what we do at the little Blue Gate Theater in Shipshewana, IN… I look forward to working with many of you in the near future.

And now… the important stuff… a big thank you to the Rendevous Restaurant in a little alley – best dry ribs on the planet… and to the Blues City Cafe… the best wet ribs and tamales… and to the Flying Fish… the most wonderful fried shrimp I’ve ever had…   Tonight I will eat Marriott pizza with friends and watch the Super Bowl between Sondheim and Shakespeare performances.  Hey Memphis, thanks for the good time!!!! Wally

A few things…

1st… Congrats to Miss Arizona Katy Bulkley for making Top 10 at Miss America in Vegas… Very proud of her!

2nd… American Idol has begun!  Whether you like the show or not there is good, good news… Jennifer Lopez is on every week… enough said!

3rd… I begin audition season for The Confession Musical this month.  The Confession will run in Shipshewana, Indiana at the Blue Gate Theater from June 1 – December 10th, 2011.  We also have several other theaters looking at performing the musical.  Very exciting.  (www.TheConfessionMusical.com)  I will travel to Columbus, St. Louis, Atlanta, and Memphis over the next couple months listening to thousands of actors/singers do 90 second auditions.
The process is tiresome to say the least, but lots of fun.

4th… Puckett’s Rising Star Songwriting Competition started Jan. 18 – I get to host and judge lots of great writers every Tuesday night in downtown Franklin.  If you are in town, Puckett’s Grocery/Restaurant is the place to be on Tuesday nights!  Come join us.  www.PuckettsGrocery.com

5th… Continued prayers to my birth city and desert land that I love – TUCSON – after this months tragedy.

1) Met Kelly Clarkson… she came to my Rising Star songwriting competition at Puckett’s Grocery in Franklin, TN.  I love her voice… I sent my wife a text to tell her she was there and she replied, ‘don’t embarrass me.’  Hmmm…
Kelly was very gracious…no one even knew she was there until the very end and then she stood out on the street corner and signed autographs for all the little girls, teenage girls, and me… she signed my hat…  Also, Rising Star has been incredible.  Wonderful writers and great, great songs.  Check out www.PuckettsGrocery.com

2) Hollywood’s Jesus spoke at our church a few weeks ago… Jim Caviezel.  He was very intense… very passionate about living a holy life.  Really very cool.  And Michael W. Smith came out at the end and sang ABOVE ALL…
Jim had this song on his ipod when he was very sick and freezing and hanging on the cross during the filming of Passion of the Christ… very cool service

3)  Still working with some great artists! 

www.ChrisFilerMusic.com - Chris has a great new single out- John Deere, John 3:16 at country music stations all over.

www.AmyBerna.com - Amy is a kickin’ Christian/R&B artist with a single at Black Gospel radio right now called Hold On…

www.FrancesDrost.com – Frances is not only a great artist but a great piano player, author, and speaker as well.  She is finishing a new devotional right now…

www.ResurrectionRabbitt.com - Debbie Dewart is the creative force behind this children’s music and book ministry.  Preschoolers love this stuff!!!

4) My first ever musical, The Rock, The Redeemer and the Resurrection Morning just closed after a great 2 1/2 month run at the Blue Gate Theatre in Shipshewana, Indiana.  This is the second year they have had the musical.

5)  I am working on another musical based on the New York Times Bestseller, THE CONFESSION, by Beverly Lewis.  I have been working with a wonderful team to put this together… check out the website… www.TheConfessionMusical.com.

6) Spent a couple weeks in Phoenix producing Miss Arizona… tons of fun with all our Miss Arizona friends… then ran off to Las Vegas with the family… stayed at Circus Circus … Went to Hoover Dam, Hard Rock, the pool, amusement park, Bellagio Fountains, New York New York roller coaster, and lots of other things…had a blast.

7)  Have seen a bunch of musicals – been in the mode since I’m writing…
Grease – Belmont University
Into The Woods – Franklin High School
Lion King – Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Nine – Boiler Room Theatre, Franklin, TN
Love’s Labor’s Lost – Nashville Shakespeare Festival
42^nd Street – Round Barn Theatre, Indiana
Plain and Fancy – Round Barn Theatre
Wicked – New York City

Tons of fun…

Will be writing again soon… thanks!!!

Wally

#1 – I was struck this morning sitting at my favorite Meat&3 in Franklin, TN – Puckett’s Grocery, at their new fancy shmancy electronic menus on the wall.  If you are not from the south, let me explain.  A Meat & 3 is a restaurant that basically features a few kinds of meats and a few kinds of vegetables.  You pick a meat and 3 vegetables for your meal…hence the name – Meat & 3.   Puckett’s is kind of a higher class of meat and three.  They feature a few special meats every day and a ‘vegetable’ of the day.  Of course, they also have top sirloins, blackened salmon, and grilled chicken salads.. but the fancy sign lists their meats for the day and vegetable.  Why is this newsworthy?  Well… the board says this today…

SOUP – Loaded Potato

MEAT – Pulled Pork, Country Smoked Ribs, and Chicken N’ Dressing

DESSERTS – Bread Pudding, Peanut Butter Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie

VEGETABLES – Macaroni & Cheese

That’s right people.. only in the south does ‘macaroni and cheese’ count as a vegetable.  Not a side item – not a starch – not a kid’s meal – but a VEGETABLE!  And we wonder why there is an obesity problem in the country. 

But here I sit… just finishing my healthy Meat & 3 breakfast…

Country Ham, Eggs, Fried Potatoes, and Biscuit and Gravy!  My meat and three ‘vegetables’.  Gotta love it!!!

If ever in the Nashville area… gotta visit Puckett’s Grocery in downtown Franklin, TN – just south of downtown Music City… great place!

#2  My youngest daughter, Quinli, is a vegetable.  Fortunately, not in the tragic medical sense but rather in the hugely popular, oh-so-cool Veggie Tales sense of the work.  That’s right… our family has finally made it to the national stage and our little Chineses Princess, Quinli, is a star.  Check her out in the new Veggie Tale Valentines Video – ‘SILLY LITTLE THING CALLED LOVE’  – she is a little black haired veggie sitting at the table drawing.  She mentions something about love being helping to clean the house when company is coming over.  If you get it, you can see her live in the “meet the veggie kids” section.  We are so proud!  Really… a Nason in the Veggie Tale world…watch out Oscars!

Much love,

Wally

I host a songwriting competition in downtown Franklin, TN on Tuesday nights.  It’s really a lot of fun. We do 7 weeks of preliminary rounds where songwriters come to share one song…usually just them and a guitar/piano.  I bring in some industry folks who pick their favorite tune of the night and then the audience gets to vote on one.  After seven weeks of prelims, we bring those 14 writers back to share 2 songs.  Again, judges pick their top 3 writers and the audience gets to pick one.  Then, on the last week, we bring those 4 hit makers back and pick a grand prize winner… they get $500 and are invited to play a round on a Friday or Saturday night with some big time established writers.  It’s really a lot of fun and I get to work with some super talented people.  I love the good ones, love the bad ones, and love their stories.  You can check out the Puckett’ website… (also…the best food in the county is at Puckett’s)… www.PuckettsGrocery.com

Then, of course, is American Idol.  I am not ashamed to say that my family doesn’t miss an episode.  What I am ashamed to admit is that while I am at Puckett’s on Tuesdays, my family tapes it for me…that’s right, I said it – they TAPE it – on a good ol’ fashioned VHS tape.  We don’t have TIVO or any other super device… just a good ol’ VCR.  Anyway… we love it!  Love the good ones, love the bad ones, and I love their stories.  OH..and the judges.   ESPECIALLY SIMON!  As a general rule…I agree with him.  And really just want to be him when I grow up.

Well this week… I caught a show on Public Television I hadn’t seen before.  After AI, I was flicking through the channels and came across a documentary on the Metropolitan Opera Company’s competition for new, up-and-coming opera singers.  It was fascinating.  Just a side note.. I love Opera-studied it for several years while earning my Master’s degree at the University of Arizona.  These young (22-30 yr old) singers were tremendous.  It was so funny to watch… I loved the good ones, loved the bad ones, and I loved their stories.  (OK>>there weren’t really any bad ones… just less great) But it was the same as AI and Puckett’s… same stories, same personalities, same struggles, same insecurities…etc.!  Some were really nice and others, not so much.  Some talked non stop while others didn’t say a word.  Some had studied their whole life and others where just getting back into it after years of life got in the way.  I was shocked….

Artists are Artists… no matter the genre.  Country songwriters at a grocery store in Franklin, super pop wanna be idols at an arena in Chicago, or French speaking, high ‘C’ singing, vocal divas in New York City – they are all the same!
What a great week of talent… I love Tuesdays…

Now… if you want to read a super cool article… do a google search for Simon Cowell’s 50th birthday letter to himself.

It was awesome… Simon wrote a letter to younger Simon… he talked about failures and insecurities and bad times and good times and things that are really important.. loved this letter…

Did I mention… I really want to be him when I grow up?  Have a great week!

Wally

I also like the poker… won’t lie, I like it a lot. I love poker. I love the slow speed of the game. My life is very busy with work and church and softball and baseball and student council and gymnastics, etc.. When I’m playing poker…all of that slows down. Poker is a game of playing people…not cards. Sure, there are cards – but the people are what makes it interesting. Are the other players new? Seasoned pros? Aggressive? Tired? European? Redneck? Businessman? Rich? So many options that all play into how I play. It’s fascinating really! If you’ve never played – send me a plane ticket to Vegas and meet me there with a few bucks – I’ll teach you!

Then there are the spas. A great massage and 30,000 square feet of hot tubs, cold plunges, steam rooms, dry saunas, fresh fruit, exotic teas and NO CELL PHONES! A shout out to the Caesar’s Palace spa – QUA! It is so relaxing and one of my favorite places.

The music. Live music is everywhere. We actually saw Gloriana on the streets Wednesday night. They just won the American Music Award for Breakout Artist of the Year and they are playing a free concert in downtown Vegas. And they are great!!! Great singers and performers! Congrats!

Also… Vegas is 24 hours! Enough said!

I was there for a convention… work… and I worked hard in the midst of the fun. The International Association of Fairs and Expos. Decision makers in the State Fair, County Fair, and every possible festival (strawberry, popcorn, etc.) world were there. They learn about new ticket procedures, parking lot flags, ice cream booths, and entertainment. That’s why I was there. I work with a country artist, Chris Filer, and we were there meeting entertainment buyers. Very successful trip! You can check out Chris and get a FREE DOWNLOAD on his site… www.ChrisFilerMusic.com

But we had competition… let’s just talk about the type of folks who do fairs for a living… blond woman in bikini on stilts – giant talking robot – woman who is chained in a pool of water and escapes – Mexican wrestling – guy with monkey in diaper (the monkey, not the guy) – jugglers – and of course, Elvis!
And in all areas… some are better than others! Just sayin’….

Anyway… had a lot of fun. Made a lot of great contacts. And after 4 days there… I was ready for pre-school and basketball again!

Thank you, thank you very much!
Wally

Christmas for Kids is an organization in Nashville that provides clothing, food, toys, etc. for over 400 local children at Christmas. They do this concert as well as a really cool event where all the busses for all the super stars in Nashille meet at a big parking lot and for a small fee you can tour them. Then the busses do a convoy sort of thing to a local Walmart and all the kids get to go shopping… it’s really a cool organization. My friend, Ken, runs a bus company – is a huge supporter of the organization – and got free tickets to the concert… and I got to go. So did my friend, Mike Bell of HobNobNashville… Thanks Ken…that was nice!

Concert started with Chris Young… he has a huge single right now.. Gettin’ You Home (The Black dress song). Gotta tell you… as a performer, he was kind of boring… but he did donate his time and sang his hugely popular tune. A local radio personality came out on stage with a black dress. The bottom half fell off to reveal him in boxers.. and the place roared with laughter… thanks for your time guys… nice!

Then came Gretchen Wilson – OK.. I know her music and reputation… not the kind of good girl I’m used to hanging with (nod to my wife, Lori) and I wasn’t sure if I would like her or just be offended all night. Well… Gretchen- You have a new fan! She was great!! She can flat out saaannggg!!! not an off note all night. Very genuine, very fun, very surprising but I loved her! Besides the obvious best moment – Red Neck Woman! she did a Christmas song.. I’m sure this tune is one of your favorites – you know, the one you play over and over and over again… the one you hum when you go to see Santa at the mall and buy that perfect gift for your loved one! That wonderful Christmas standard – “I want a hippopotamus for Christmas.” She invited her young daughter and several of her young friends and it was a super success. By the way, you can download the tune on ITunes now… Gretchen was great! Thanks for donating your time… that was nice!

Then came Phil Vassar… holy stinking cow! He was tremendous… great voice, great performer, great piano player.. super nice guy (at least on stage, didn’t meet him) and lots of fun. I really enjoyed his set.

Then the concert closed with Charlie Daniels and friends. He had a group called the Grascals come out and do a song and a very special guest – Brad Arnold – drummer/lead singer for the huge rock group Three Doors Down! It is so cool when rock and roll meets redneck… (see my previous Kid Rock post) Charlie is incredible… a legend… and a super great perfomer. And then to have Brad join him was really a rare treat. Brad sang a good ol’ redneck song from the south and then the concert closed with Brad and Charlie doing the Devil Went Down To Georgia…. Wow!!! What a great night.. thanks to all the organizers and artists who donated your time and talents… that was nice!!!

OH… and one last thing… sometimes be careful what you wish for this holiday season! My car… in the close spot…you know, by the entrance because i was in a hurry… It sat there all night… because the garage closed at 11:00 – oops… missed that sign…. we went to eat after the concert and didn’t make it back until 11:24 – fortunately we have cell phones.. Ken came and got me and took me home… Mike drove me back downtown the next morning to get my car…. thanks guys! That was nice!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!

Wally

SORRY I HAVEN’T WRITTEN IN A COUPLE WEEKS – MY BAD – WON’T HAPPEN AGAIN – EXPECT SOMETHING NEW EVERY WEDNESDAY!!!

Fun week here in Music City USA… in case you don’t know, Nashville is the Country Music Capital of the World.  And this week is just one of the weeks that prove it.  The super popular CMA (Country Music Assoc.) awards were this week.  I had a great time… here was my evening… didn’t actually go to the awards but had a lot of fun!

Drove to downtown Nashville – started at The Standard – great old house downtown that has been converted to a restaurant with a private club on the top two floors.  Senators, judges, executives, business owners, etc. are members.  There is a hefty fee for belonging to this very exclusive club where the maitre de knows you by name and the bartender knows you by drink… You need a code to get through the door but the atmosphere is very friendly – Northern sophistication meets good ‘ol southern hospitality. Why was I there, you ask?  I have friends.  Josh Smith, the owner, is a friend and great guy.  And I have brought him members. So I get to take advantage of the club at times – between baseball, softball, gymnastics, and basketball games and practices – that is.

So on this night I was with my buddy, Mike Bell, president of HobNobNashville – an online resource for everything going on in Nashville – he is a member of the The Standard…

Anyway… we stopped by there – arguably the nicest place in TN… Then we walked over to the Sommet Center – Nashville’s downtown arena and host of the awards. Mike used to work for the Sherriff’s Dept.  – so he knows a bunch of security guards and officers – thought we’d say hey to some of his buddies. Behind the arena were red carpets, tents, trailers, and lots of wires for lights, cameras, and all-day action. So.. we walked around the first corner to the back of the venue and before we saw anyone Mike knew, we ran into Kid Rock…literally… came around the corner talking and nearly ran him over… he had come out the back of the building with an entourage of folks who quickly wisked him away into a golf cart and off to who knows where. So the evening begins…

While The Standard is probably the nicest establishment in TN – when downtown, I like to eat at Paradise Park, one of the many hole-in-the-wall dumps in Nashville serving great food – we sat in the front of the restaraunt – right on Broadway, and ate the best club sandwiches on the planet with styro cups full of diet coke and sides of homemade greasy fries.  We watched the first half of the CMA awards (200 yards from where they were actually taking place) on the small TV with about 12 other people while listening to some female vocalist wail on covers of Carrie Underwood, Wynonna, Taylor Swift, etc. with the band in the bar next door. We finished up the food, wiped our mouths, and then headed back to The Standard.

We finished watching Taylor Swift kick some country music bootie, listened to Martina sing a Barbara Mandrell song better then Barbara herself, marveled at how Barbara looks exactly like she did in 1985 (good clean living or medical intervention?), and agreed we all wanted to be Darius Rucker when we grow up. It was all over but the drinking!

So, we left the Standard and walked over the the convention center for the CMA after party. WOW! More food than you have ever seen. Mounds of big peeled shrimp – my favorite! Sushi, hummus, lamb, chocolate, shrimp, bread, free booze, shrimp, and lots of really dressed up people who love country music! It was really wonderful. And so was the music. They had a house band who seemed to know every song on the planet. They had several guests come up and sing – Joe Nichols, Trent Tomlison, and others. We acted like we owned the place and went and stood backstage by the mix engineer. Nobody asked us to leave, so we stayed! Joe was super nice and Trent told me how he was just sitting at home watching the awards when his manager called and said ‘ hey, come on over and sing a couple songs’ and he did. Great guy. He is married with a 22 month old. He spoke highly of his wife and talked about how much he missed her and his daughter when out on the road. “Sucks to miss Halloween for a radio visit in Seattle…but “It’s what I do!” Enjoyed them both a ton.

Josh sent us a text saying a bunch of members were going to this dance club called MAI… said to meet him back at Paradise Park and a limo would pick us up. And so we did. Took a limo to this warehouse type place with guys hired to do the coolest “hip-hop, I’m a robot, watch me spin on my head” dancers you have ever seen. Very young, hip, cool crowd. Glad I was with a bunch of people I knew ’cause this crowd was not my scene. Not that I didn’t really like the place…I really did… but I honestly don’t think I’ve been that cool in a couple decades. Met and chatted with Tye Hernden (county artist) and Diana DeGarmo (American Idol 1st runner up) … nice people as well. OK..so now, it’s 2:15 am… yes, that’s right, I’m out until 2:15… but the fun is just starting.

Josh said to load up…we were going to The Spot – John Rich’s (from Big and Rich) private club. A couple guys in our ‘oh so cool’ entourage are members and can bring friends… so we did. This is the desired place to be on the Broadway strip. Doorman. Private entrances. Great band playing. And stars. So we hung out there for a couple hours and our evening ended (or morning started) with Kid Rock! Again. When we first arrived, Kid Rock was in an intense conversation (possible argument) with another famous guy whose name I can’t divulge…top secret country music stuff.. you know. So we waited. I can’t say I’m an enormous fan and I don’t consider him a role model for my three young children, but it is Kid Rock for goodness sake! Eventually he finished up that engagement and Mike and I cornered him at the bar. He could not have been nicer. He was with a beautiful girl and was very polite. Another guy sitting at the bar (a possible intruder into OUR conversation) asked him if he ever got tired of the cameras, autographs, surface conversations, etc. Mr. Rock said that he had actually had a conversation earlier this evening a guy who had recently lost his job in Detroit – real life stuff. He said that that happens more than you might think but a lot of his time out in public is spent with the other stuff… but he said “I signed up for that. I wanted to be the big star that everyone knows and listens to… so the cameras and other sh*& are just part of it. I can’t complain. It’s just part of it. It’s what I do!”

Now.. he didn’t say it exactly like that… I’m pretty certain I remember a few additional adjectives that I don’t need to repeat… but I liked what the heart of the answer was either way. It’s the whole – “be careful what you wish for” sort of thing.

I enjoyed our brief conversation. I really did want a picture for some reason… just didn’t seem like the place. My son would like it. But is it OK to ask? There were no other cameras. Maybe there is a rule. You know, what happens in THE SPOT stays in THE SPOT. I started thinking… I can’t get a picture.. it would make me look like a FAN – I’m NOT a fan. I’m a VIP at a really cool club who works in the music industry. I thought all the people there at this “really cool, everyone wants to get it” club would think I was a dork for getting my pic with Kid. NO ONE else was taking pictures. And then I started to change my mind. For a moment I thought… “I don’t care what all these people think of me! I want a pic! Who are these people anyway… I don’t care what they think! I’m a grown man… If I want a picture, I’m going to get one.”
And so I got my camera ready. Rehearsed the question in my head – “Can I get a pic? It’s for my son!” – and there we went… in a flash—-

We left… I didn’t get a picture… apparently, I really do care what all those people think. It’s just what I do!!!
Blessings!
Wally

1) Memphis, TN – Graceland (home of Elvis)

2) Atlanta, Georgia - big city, lots to do

3) Destin, FL – huge beach destination, very popular in TN

4) Shipshewana, IN – Tiny little Amish town in Northern IN

That’s right – Shipshe (that’s what the locals call it).

And now, the question is why?!?!

I wrote a musical.  A two hour musical based on the life and ministry of Simon Peter.  And this little town of horses and buggies and homeade bread and big homes with no electricity boasts a 300+ seat theater. My musical, The Rock, The Redeemer and The Resurrection Morning has been playing there for a couple months and closes this weekend.  I took the family to check out a performance.

  The BlueGate Restaurant and Theater serves hundreds and sometimes thousands of people from all over the country each week.   Homestyle food served by women in aprons and caps create an atmosphere of a much more simple life than most of us live.  The owners have a vision to bring professional, bible-based musicals to the area and through a series of relationships I got asked to write a musical for the theater.  I wish thousands were coming to Shipshewana to see my show…but most come for a local flea market that is just enormous.  Really… it goes on forever and ever!  And the people come to town in busses to check it out along with the dozens of local storefronts selling all kinds of stuff.  Our hope is that they will eventually get into the habit of seeing a musical after they purchase their favorite purse, t-shirt, sock puppet, or Amish inspired quilt made in China.  We’ll see!

Many thanks to the great cast of the musical…thanks for working so hard to see my vision come to reality…thanks for using your talents to encourage others…thanks for being so darned talented and so easy to work with…and thanks for your very kind words of encoruagement to me!!! I am very grateful.