Adapted from Judith Byron Schachner’s acclaimed book of the same name, Yo, Vikings! is the mini-saga of 10-year-old Emma Katz, the fiercest Viking in Swarthmore, PA, and her quest for real adventure.

Written with lyricist Marcus Stevens (Winner of the 2003 Richard Rodgers Award for Red), Yo, Vikings! combines sweeping melodies, thrilling Viking chants and funky rock ‘n roll with a beautiful, heart-warming story to engage and excite every member of the family.

Yo, Vikings! was originally commissioned by the Upper Darby Summer Stage for their 2010 season.  It was developed in the BMI Workshop, where the song “Emma the Red” (see the Media page) was featured in the Workshop’s 2010 Winter Smoker.  Upper Darby Performing Arts Center presented the world premiere production in July, 2010.  The show was a finalist for the prestigious 2011 Richard Rodgers Award, as well as the Yale Institute for Music Theatre and the National Alliance for Musical Theatre.  In August 2011, Yo, Vikings! received a reading at the York Theatre with an all-star cast and creative team including Alyse Alan Louis, Sally Wilfert and Andrew Kober.  The show was produced by Children’s Musical Theatreworks in Fresno, CA in March of 2012, with February 28 officially declared “Yo, Vikings! Day” by Mayor Ashley Swearengin.  The Pittsburgh Playhouse will present a new production in May 2012.

Based on the cult YouTube video of the same name, this mini-musical tells the story of 15-year-old Peg Roland’s dreams of stardom which are both crushed and revived by a certain well-documented fall off a coffee table.

Alternately riotously funny and deeply emotional, Scarlet Takes a Tumble seeks to explore the stark realities of YouTube celebrity, the value of laughter, and the perils of standing on flimsy furniture.  The songs in the show draw inspiration from funk, jazz, soul, rock, and gospel music, all fused together into an exciting contemporary musical theatre sound.

Scarlet Takes a Tumble was first presented in the BMI Workshop on June 3, 2009.  It was produced in a concert version by the New York Theatre Barn at the Duplex on August 31, 2009 and had an encore performance at the Laurie Beechman Theatre on November 2.

“How delighted I was to see Standardized Testing on a NY stage this past spring! This was the first time I had heard Sam's music and it was clear to me he was a major force. His lyrics were concise and mischievous, his melodies tuneful and unpredictable... I'm still bursting with adjectives - he really can do it all.”

~ Lisa Lambert, Tony-winning lyricist of The Drowsy Chaperone

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Standardized Testing - The Musical!!!! is the hilarious and touching story of eight compulsive teenagers who, in the course of a standardized test, create and destroy friendships, learn to express their individuality, and sing and dance like maniacs. 

Through the format of musical internal monologues, the students expose their deepest concerns, aspirations, and sources of suburban teenage angst.  Following the test structure, the show progresses through three distinct portions: Multiple Choice (where the students are introduced through solos), the 15-minute break (spoken, in real time), and Free Response (where the students begin to sing overlapping duets, trios, and so on, building relationships and community, until the climactic finale).  The music is a diverse and eclectic fusion of musical theatre styles, ranging from lush ballad to sparkling jazz to sultry bossa nova to gospel to funk to everything in between.

After four years of development, Standardized Testing - The Musical!!!! received its world premiere staged reading at the TADA! Theatre in New York City on March 28 and 29, 2008.  The show won the 2009 Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival Musical Theatre Award for music and lyrics and was showcased in the Kennedy Center’s Terrace Theatre in April 2009 and again in April 2010.  In December 2010, STTM was workshopped by the Penn State NU Musicals program at Philadelphia’s Walnut Street Theatre.  STTM is currently available for licensing through Playscripts, Inc.

“I’m Sitting Next to Estella” feat. Sophia Feldman, orchestrations by

Matt Aument