This podcast is devoted to the lives and experiences of instrumental musicians who play for musical theatre. Listeners can hear the stories of what goes on in "the pit" and aspiring musicians can learn what it takes to become a pit musician.
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Back in 2021, we chatted with Joe LaRocca while he was playing on the 50th anniversary tour of Jesus Christ Superstar. Since then he has found the niche of actor/musician and talks about how that has changed his perspective before we get into our main topic: his observations for the current state of hiring practices for pit orchestras and what he thinks needs to change. Joe's SubStack page can be…
In 2021, John Eldridge and I had a 2-part episode series on keyboard programming in musical theatre, and I felt it was time to check in for a 2025 update. Software like MainStage and Q-Lab are becoming more and more expected at even a community theatre and high school level. A mid-end keyboard, even with a ton of sounds, just won't cut it for an average modern musical. If you're a music director…
CORRECTED: Original post was missing the interview, and has been updated. Sachio Nang chatted with Life in the Pit in 2021 talking about his recent high school experience and getting started with theatre music directing. Since then, he has done professional work including 3 national tours! He played keyboard 2 and was associate music director for Elf and Shrek, and is currently playing bass on the…
Sachio Nang was recently a high school graduate in the Chicago area in 2021, and has since been part of 3 national tours since we originally spoke! Before we soon reconnect to talk about his very young career as a Broadway touring musician, here is an encore presentation of our interview from April 2021. Follow the podcast on Instagram or Facebook @LifeInThePitPod. Feel free to subscribe to our…
Life in the Pit had reached its end as a podcast a few months ago, but I resisted making it official. This episode was recorded and released simply because YOU the listener deserved a proper farewell, and I wanted to share just a little of why I'm not continuing here. As I mentioned in this episode, I'm very proud of the work accomplished in the episodes, and I'm determined to keep the entire…
"& Juliet" is a musical reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with a different fate for Juliet, all told with music from the legendary song writer Max Martin, whose songs have made the charts when sung by Britney Spears, Katy Perry, Bon Jovi, The Backstreet Boys, and more. Dominic Fallacaro is the music director and also the co-orchestrator (along with Bill Sherman) who was responsible for coming up…
This is a brief follow-up to Episode 77 with Jason Loffredo, where we talked about the conflict of the new show, Here Lies Love, wanting to open with only pre-recorded tracks in a union theatre that required 19 live musicians. An agreement was reached earlier today. This is a reading of the news followed by a few brief thoughts on what it means. This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online…
After a longer than intended hiatus, Life in the Pit is back for a couple of episodes this month. This was an impromptu meant to address an ongoing conflict between the Local 802 AFM (the union for Broadway musicians) and the pending opening of Here Lies Love in a Broadway house. The production has announced that it will be employing NO live musicians and have only pre-recorded tracks, while the…
LIFE IN THE PIT listeners, here is the trailer for David Lane's new podcast. If you'd like to add this to your podcasts, you can find all available apps at https://musiciantoolkit.podbean.com/ For Apple Podcasts, click here. For Spotify, click here. Please follow the show! Is it your goal to become a great musician? Are you already a working musician, but want to strengthen your craft? Are you a…
Life in the Pit is still temporarily on hiatus, but David Lane wanted to come on to thank all of you for listening, talk a little about the state of the podcast, and what's going on for 2023. This episode is sponsored by Fons, an online platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing…
