The Making of a Musical

The concept of the story came together after taking a "Critical Thinking," course at Granite State College in 2002. The concept was a cumulative collaboration of events in my life. I grew up in the 60's and 70's on a large dose of musicals and would have moments of imagining just breaking into song in the middle of a grocery store or some random place. Life was like a series of musicals and stories for me, I would live in my imagination of lavish fantasy. There is no wonder I would tote a random grin for no apparent reason. Little did my companions know what was going on in my mind.
I would be shopping and see a small group of little old ladies standing around a display of cantaloupes; with canes in one hand and a cantaloupe in another, they would first sniff the navel of the cantaloupe to tell if it is ripe, then suddenly (in my mind) they would break out in song, singing and dancing around the display, I would then burst into a grin, and usually one of them would see this and smile back. I'd hope that they were just thinking I was being friendly!
This was all before the internet, digital cameras and light weight video cameras were invented. This was back in the days when we wrote letters, sometimes adding photos, through what is now known as, "snail mail." Photos were the ones you had to buy and develop the film, sometimes waiting days to see the results of your moments captured in time. Video cameras were primitive and boxlike. Most films in the early 60's were in black & white and so were the photos. Remember those days?
Anyway back to the concepts of a musical. So the collaboration of ideas came from those moments in my life, combined with watching "Cider House Rules," by John Irving and not liking the way the migrant workers were depicted.
Having worked in a commercial apple orchard for 3 years in my early 30's, I had my own experiences with Jamaican migrant workers and in this day, when here in the USA, we are giving the migrant worker such a hard time coming here to the states to work. I wanted to share my story!
In cider house rules (granted the migrant workers were black Americans and not Jamaicans) the migrant workers were depicted as having little morality and incest overshadowed the main outlook of them.
My experience at an apple orchard working with the Jamaican men was quite the opposite. Here I was a young white woman sorting apples in the orchard store, and they were so down to Earth, spiritual, and you could tell that their lives were with their families back home. They would live off rice and chicken, and the smells that would come from their kitchen! I would ask them what they used for spices and they would say, "secret Jamaican spices, we can not tell you!" with a grin. I later found a jar of "Mrs Dash," in their cupboard!
They would buy items they needed at home mostly appliances, stereos, and TV's and would ship them back to their families; whom they would have to leave for 6 months or more at a time. They would live off very little and send their checks to their spouse to support their home & families.
I remember betting with the orchard owners son whenever a local would come to apply for a job picking apples. He would say, "I doubt this one will last a week!" I bet him just once, as he won, and so it went with each and every local who would come to pick apples. They wouldn't last a week! As the pay was too small and the work was too hard! Working out in the sun, picking apples high up on ladders with bags strapped around your body. Then the apples needed to be placed in wooden boxes, then loaded on the trailer then loaded off at the store, and stacked in the cooler. There the apples would stay until I came along, and took a box out for sorting, one box and apple at a time. Yeah I had the easier job!
I got to know each one of the workers, and once, Dennis and I were sorting apples on a busy day, and he told me of how his wife had died when he returned home last year. It was due to a complication during a simple surgery in Jamaica. He was so depressed that year and he hasn't been the same happy Dennis ever since. His wife was in her mid 40's and they had 4 children together.
So these experiences were hanging out with me, when I saw this amazing New York party hat on E-Bay and thought, you know this hat should be in a musical! I know quite random huh? Well that's me full of randomness, but let me continue! This leads me to the "Critical Thinking," course....
I was in my class doing an oral report on "Genetically Modified Food," (AKA GMO's) and I realized what an impact food has on us, and the power one would have if this power was given to one entity, one greedy entity! The problem is that this is just what is happening! I researched Monsantos and the Food Summits and found out some really disturbing things regarding all this.
I realized just how important our American based farms are, and how important the migrant worker is to our country. There is a great movie called, "A Day Without a Mexican," and the impact it has on the state of California. Well just imagine a day without any migrant workers anywhere. Our economy would be devastated!
So now onto the concept of the musical! The musical is called, "The Sympathy Hat," (AKA The Hat) and is about a rather humble looking hat, that is bought by a Jamaican worker just before leaving his family to work the farmlands of America (be thankful we still have them!) Support your local farmers and if you can help to salvage a nonworking one please do!
So as I was saying, this hat has the ability to retain the thoughts and feelings of the person who wears it, and can also pass these thoughts and feelings onto the next person who puts it on. Think of this concept, and I will be back tomorrow to continue the story of the making of a musical. I will also share with you the actual musical script, one act at a time. :)
Hopefully I will be able to add the music as well. If I can figures out how to upload them here? If not I will add a link to the songs on another site.

Blessings~

From Jenny