13TH GRADE: NOW ENROLLING AT THE HOLLYWOOD FRINGE
INTERVIEW: PAMELA EBERHARDT AND DAN TESTA
BY RYAN M. LUÉVANO
What do you call life after high school? Creators Dan Testa and Pamela Eberhardt call this: 13th Grade, which is the title of their new musical premiering at this year’s Hollywood Fringe Festival. This new musical is a new 90’s musical comedy in the vein of Wet Hot American Summer, Strangers With Candy, and Saved by the Bell, about a bunch of kids in community college, during the year 1998, who are struggling with finding love and growing up. Dan Testa and Pamela Eberhardt met in New York in 2008 and have not stopped laughing since. Testa’s band “Basement View” inspired an original musical comedy that Pam wrote titled “Basement View.” This collaboration was fated to reoccur with 13th Grade. In this Tin Pan L.A. exclusive Pamela Eberhardt and Dan Testa tell us about 13th Grade and what audiences can expect from this new 90’s musical comedy.
The Cast of 13th Grade.
What are each of your backgrounds in terms of theater and creating new musicals:
Pamela Eberhardt: In 2007 I wrote an original book to a musical with the help of composers Ryan Scott Oliver and Will Collyer. We workshopped that musical for years on both coasts. In 2014 I wrote “The Runaway Clone” which got into the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Then I moved back west to work on 13th Grade and some other misc. projects—13th Grade is kind of a re-vamped Basement View.
Dan Testa: I’ve been a lover of musical theatre my whole life so when Pam came to me in New York in 2010 to collaborate on Basement View, which was a musical she wrote around original comedic songs that I had written in college, it was a comedic collaboration destiny.
How would you describe 13th Grade in a nutshell?
D: Over the top at times, but with heart.
P: It’s a comedy in the vein of Wet Hot American Summer and Hot Rod about a group of kids in community college who are trying to deal with life, love, family… in the year 1998. Somewhere in there, there’s heart.
How did the idea for your musical come about . . .inspiration?
P: I always loved the concept of community college being like 13th Grade. It’s not quite college, it’s not quite high school. You feel like you’re stuck in this arrested development.
D: And I love music and inappropriateness in comedy.
How do you work together as composers, lyricist and librettist?
P: Dan and I collaborate bi-coastally so everything is done via email and text.
D: A lot of these songs were developed during Basement view in 2010, so Pam really used that as a diving board when writing the script.
What influenced the music for this show?
D: I wrote half of this music in college, so it wasn’t too far from the Rock/Pop Alternative 90’s. There’s a Britney Spears and boy band influence—it’s all over the 90’s, early millennium map!
P: And my music contribution is very acoustic driven. There’s a 3rd Eye Blind feel to some stuff.
How has the director helped you shape this show?
D: Our Director Andy Kenareki is someone who completely understands this type of humor and understands us.
P: He’s been involved with similar types of shows. Large cast musical comedies that have to be executed in a short period of time with out looking chaotic. He was the natural choice.
What is your favorite moment in the show?
P: Basically our character Josh’s relationships with both is parents. His kind sweet father whom he irrationally loathes and his dead mom.
D: She’s super dead. I like when the whole cast is on stage together. Playing and having fun.
What can audiences expect from 13th Grade?
P: Audiences can expect to laugh and escape world horrors for an hour with some mindless comedy and catchy tunes.
D: The piece is filled with nostalgia and relatable topics that are embellished for comedic purposes. It’ll be a fun night.
TICKETS ANE MORE INFORMATION:
TICKETS: www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/4507
Complex Theatres (OMR Theatre) 6468 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood CA 90038
MONDAY JUNE 05 2017, 8:30 PM
THURSDAY JUNE 08 2017, 9:30 PM
SUNDAY JUNE 11 2017, 6:00 PM
FRIDAY JUNE 16 2017, 10:30 PM
FRIDAY JUNE 23 2017, 7:30 PM
SATURDAY JUNE 24 2017, 7:00 PM
