The Becky Shaw Mixtape

Last week, we kicked off our first rehearsal of Becky Shaw, and by all accounts it went “rad.” 

During the week, our director Tina Parker asked us each to bring in songs which should somehow connect to the characters we’re playing. Now, that connection could be really anything, as long as you could tell the others why you chose it. This exercise was a really good chance for us to start thinking about these people we’re playing on stage. It also gave us the perfect excuse to sit around a table and listen to some sweet jams.

Later, Tina asked us to start putting together a personal playlist for the show. It could be more songs connected to your character, songs that apply to the play as a whole, or just songs that, for whatever reason, get you in the right mindset to start working on the play. I thought this sounded like another great way to start doing some character work. I think music can serve as a great tool to figure a person out, so I love stuff like this. I also thought it would be another great excuse to sit around and listen to some tunes. 

Just a quick note, I play Andrew Porter—a would-be writer who loves indie rock. That kind of served as my jumping off point, but (without giving too much away) there is a sensitive side to Andrew that I thought would be worth exploring in song. So, here is my Becky Shaw Mixtape. You young folk can call it a “playlist” if you prefer. Some of the songs are character-driven; others just make me think about the show. I hope you’ll take a few minutes to look some of them up and check them out.  –Michael Federico

Side A

1.      “Sadness is a Blessing” – Lykke Li

2.      “Myth” – Beach House

3.      “All the Wine” – The National

4.      “Sim Sala Bim” – Fleet Foxes

5.       “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” – Bob Dylan

6.      “Iron Zion Lion” – Bob Marley

7.      “For Emma” – Bon Iver

8.      “How Can Love be Wrong” – Daniel Hart

Side B

9.      “Black Sheep” – Metric

10.  “She’s Got You High” – Mumm Ra

11.  “Young Blood” – The Naked and the Famous

12.  “Midnight Cowards” – Stars

13.   “Old Friend” – Sea Wolf

14.  “Down in the Valley” – The Head and the Heart