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 history of this podcast available and archived for as long as possible.  Thank you for listening, and for taking an interest in pit musicians, the unsung heroes of a theatre production! Y ..read more

"& 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 with the arrangements for the 9-piece pit orchestra to give this Tony-nominated show (and orchestrations) a unified sound!  We talk about how this project originated, the development, and ..read more

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 platform that helps private teachers of all types (music, yoga, martial arts, academic tutoring, coaches, etc) with smooth, automated assistance such as securing timely automatic payments and sch ..read more

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 theatre has a contract with the Local 802 AFM that stipulates that no production can be held in that theatre with any fewer than 19 union musicians unless a special exception is granted.&nb ..read more

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 music student with strengths and weaknesses, and not always sure how to address that which needs improvement? Do you need to learn how to be a better sight-reader?  Do you ..read more

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 timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your free trial. Follow the podcast on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter @LifeInThePitPod.  Feel free ..read more

Whether you're in the pit or any kind of musician who has to perform to an expected standard, you may often or even occasionally struggle with stage fright or performance anxiety.  Elisa Di Napoli specializes in ways of treating this to allow you to become a confident performer.  She is the author of "Dare To Be Seen", which you can get for free for at least a limited time at https://elisadinapoli.com/pit and also has a podcast with the same name.  Check out a free masterclass with her at https://elisadinapoli.com/stage-fright-3/ and her online course at https://elisadinapoli.co ..read more

Marci Shegogue is a music director and keyboardist who has been active for decades in the Maryland/DC area. In 2018, she started the Free Theatre in Silver Spring, MD (https://www.instagram.com/thefreetheatre/) and talks about the admin side of running a theatre and how that crosses over with her life as a music director. 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 timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for m ..read more

Life in the Pit is going to go on a hiatus, hopefully a short one.  For more details, listen to this episode as David Lane talks about what's going on with the podcast and why.  Also, we do a deeper dive into the 3 keys to making it big that was touched on in the previous episode. 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 timely automatic payments and scheduling.  Click here for more information or to begin your ..read more

Dennis J. Arcano has played for several dozen shows including the national tour of Tick, Tick,...Boom! as drummer and assistant music director.  He is also frequently a sub on drums and percussion for Broadway productions such as Follies, Jagged Little Pill, Mrs. Doubtfire, and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.  We talk about all of that, the high quality work he's doing as the house drummer and contractor for A Contemporary Theatre of Connecticut, and the wealth of fun and helpful videos he's been creating at his YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com ..read more