After several weeks of hardcore campaign work, Jason Gallagher & Ben Fort of Six Hours Short are finally closing in on the final days of their Kickstarter - with just a few hundred dollars left to reach their goal of $10,000. The two will use the donated funds to cover the recording of a 5-piece rock band and the Chicago cast
vocalists, as well as the mixing, mastering, and duplication of a 12
song album for their upcoming original comedy,"The Lockout: a Musical".
I had the privilege of interviewing the two Oklahoma Baptist University alum about their work on this musical, what the intensive 30-day Kickstarter process could mean to them and how chasing their dreams has revolutionized the way they think, work and play. There may also be some juicy stuff at the end... kind of. Depends on who wins the fight...what?!
Just read it, laugh till your belly hurts & then donate to the Kickstarter fund before February 22nd!
Heather Carpenter Photography: What is "The Lockout" about?
Jason Gallagher: The Lockout is about the
friendship between a basketball player and owner and their journey
through free agency and a labor dispute. There's also music.
Ben Fort: Life.
HCP: How & where did this dream originate?
JG:
For me, it started with an acapella song that I wrote in my head
called My Sources. I pulled Ben aside after church and sang it to him.
That song never made the final cut.
BF: For the record, I've also
had songs cut. Jason's original idea was a musical about NBA free
agency, which is still the narrative of Act 1.
HCP: Who all is involved in taking this crazy, genius idea & putting it to paper?
BF & JG: Ben and Jason.
HCP: What is this Kickstarter campaign you've put on?
JG: The Kickstarter is for funding a soundtrack that will help us bring more attention to the musical.
BF: And it's not one of those "$25 for a handwritten note" kind of
Kickstarters. With a $10 pledge you get the whole 12 song cast
recording.
HCP: What does reaching this Kickstarter goal mean for you? And where will this take you guys?
BF: Neither of us do video, so we're excited about creating something that
can be shared. Long term, we'll use this album to apply for the New York
Music Theater Festival, a springboard for new musical works.
JG: It would mean a lot. It makes our lives a lot easier.
HCP: You graduated from OBU with the various others involved in this
production, so naturally you have a huge following here & in Texas.
Would you ever consider having an encore production here in Oklahoma?
JG: We'd love to put the musical on in OK. That would take a ton of money and resources. Maybe we'll get there someday.
BF: And if it does happen- there's a band called Mopak that will know all the songs.
HCP: What do you want to be when you grow up/where do you see yourself in 10 years?
BF:
In 10 years, I'd like to be running a comedy theater in Texas. I'd
teach sketch comedy writing and try to give Texans the same
opportunities I had in Chicago.
JG: If you would have asked me a
year ago - it may have been different, but I see myself writing comedy
centered around sports. Beyond that - I'd hope to be able to focus on
more serious stuff, maybe even strictly producing.
HCP: What has chasing your dreams taught you about yourself? others? life?
JG: Oh boy. It's taught me that chasing your dreams is a process.
BF: It's definitely a process- we wouldn't be Kickstarting an album if we
hadn't studied at Second City, and we wouldn't have moved to Chicago if
we hadn't written at OBU.
JG: It's a very unique experience that
I'm lucky that I've had the drive to actually do this. After college -
you see so many people let their dreams die (or at least remain
something that is in their heads) while we have the opportunity to live
it out. Pursuing the dream is the dream for me, which is awesome.
HCP: What advice do you have to give the readers who want to jump in with both feet & start chasing their own dreams?
JG:
The advice I'd give is - if you are going for it - do it with
everything you have. You must learn how to keep going when confronted
by failure. Also - very important to know that this is all possible
because of God and especially in a field that is so based on human
acceptance - to always remind yourself that you are already accepted.
BF: Amen.
On a lighter, more random note...
HCP: We know what KD keeps in his backpack now, but what do you think James Harden's storing in that beard?
BF: The hope that died with Yao's foot.
JG: James Harden is storing flops and fake tears.
HCP: Do you still watch The Office? Why?!
JG: I do. JIM & PAM ARE GOING THROUGH REAL STUFF, GUYS! Seriously -
it's no longer funny but it's like building a dresser from Ikea. You've
already invested yourself into 90% of it - no point in giving up now.
BF: I'm out. The Office was a social thing for me.
HCP: What's up with your Rockets waiving Lazar Hayward?!!
JG: Ben?!
BF: Daryl Morey knows best.
HCP: Do you think Lando got jobbed at Spring Affair?
JG: Strong Yes.
BF:
For those unfamiliar, Lando was an OBU band that had one song:
Mindshackle 20. It was awesome, underrated, and it will show up with new
lyrics in The Lockout.
HCP: Ok, I'll try not to take too much offense to that as I secretly agree. #winner
HCP: Have you ever actually seen Rick Carlisle & Jim Carey at the same place, at the same time?
JG: Yes, actually. I saw them both at a T.G.I. Fridays in Grapevine.
BF: I'll take this opportunity to quote Jason: "Rick Carlisle looks like a Methodist minister."
HCP: Starving man vs. African wild dog? Go.
JG: There is a Ballerball column coming very soon where I got responses
from 4 NBA players. For the most part - they think they can take the
dogs.
BF: As the wise Dr. Litherland once said, "I would take my
shirt off, wrap it around my fist, and shove it down the dog's throat."
HCP: Last, I'm a huge Lord of The Rings fan. In reference to LOTR, what best summarizes your own journey with writing & producing "The Lockout" thus far?
BF:
Our Kickstarter is like the hobbits' trip to Rivendell- it's all we're
focused on right now, but once we get there we have even bigger work to
do.
JG: I've never watched/read LOTR. Weird, since I put on a play halfway parodying it.
HCP: Great answer, Ben. Jason, I really need to think about how I can make this friendship work. ■
