What's an "inventure"? Come see the show and learn.
After performing the piece four times in Santa Barbara, he'll test the show one night only on the East Coast — 11 PM Sept. 15, at Dillons on West 54th Street in Manhattan. He's hoping more dates follow, and that the show will develop more.
With his family, Sayre recently moved to New York City again after 20 years in California. The goal is to have a performance career after years of teaching.
In Inventures and Life Lessons, Sayre will explore the tension of life and art, and fathers and sons, through song and imagined conversations with his deceased father. His father was an artist — a painter.
"He wanted to be a painter all along," Sayre told Playbill.com. "But first, he had to take care of his family during the Depression, and then took care of our family — and then got sick and couldn't work, so he took up painting late in life. Unlike my dad I want to [be creative] before I'm retired or before it's too late. The show is about following your dream." The show tells Sayre's story through song, beginning with Stephen Sondheim's Merrily in 1981. Sayre said, "Songs range from Merrily's 'Like It Was' and an Oliver! medley to pop tunes by Billy Joel and Don Henley."
In addition to Merrily, Sayre also performed in Oliver! on Broadway, and in the national tour of Sweeney Todd. He later taught theatre in Santa Barbara.
While in Santa Barbara, Sayre performed as often as he could, taught junior high school and high school theatre, directed, founded young playwrights festivals for several professional theatre companies. He directed the world or West Coast premieres of How To Eat Like a Child, Family Tree, Grownups and Other Complications, Alexander and the Terrible Horrible...Day, Grand Duchy and most recently a workshop of the award-winning musical Like You Like It.
Shelly Markham is musical director of Inventures and Life Lessons, and also contributed new songs with lyricist Judith Viorst.
Dillons is at 234 W. 54th St. For reservations, call (212) 307-9797 or visit dillonslounge.com.
For more information, visit http://web.mac.com/clarkandsharon.
