His hands graced the keys of the piano at just five years old, after begging his mom for the chance to learn.
Years later, when The Great American Melodrama needed a cover for their piano player, he stepped up. What started as one performance turned into the next six years. The beginning of one of the Melodrama’s very own writers and musical directors: Jordan Richardson.
It was no coincidence that Richardson’s musical interest flourished from a young age. His family home in Salt Lake City, Utah, was filled with the sound of music.
“My family was all musical in some way,” he says. There was always a piano in the house, his siblings took lessons, and his mom played too. Everyone could sing, his brother played brass instruments, his dad played guitar, and his mom spent her life performing in theater, dance and choral groups.
Music eventually translated into the world of theater for Richardson. By 12, he was performing in community theater. “I enjoyed the experience greatly and found much more of a connection to those working in the theater than those in school,” Richardson says.
It wasn’t long until he combined his two passions, theater and music, when he filled in as a pianist for one of his mom’s local productions. Richardson’s eyes were opened to the role of music director.
“I realized what a music director is, what they do and that I accidentally was already doing it,” he recalls.
After accompanying several shows, Richardson spent a long run at Desert Star Playhouse in his home state. “I found that playing the piano for theater was really what I liked to do,” he says. “I decided to stick with that.”
Richardson pursued music education at the University of Utah for a year, until he decided “it wasn’t quite hitting the mark of what I felt most happy doing.” After being accepted as a music director intern at PCPA Pacific Conservatory Theatre in Santa Maria in the summer of 2004, it was time to pack his bags and start a career in California, moving him closer to his more enduring place at The Great American Melodrama.
Richardson had just completed two seasons at PCPA when the call came from the Melodrama as it prepared for one of its holiday shows: they needed a piano player.
“I immediately loved the Melodrama, its style, the people there and the shows they produced, so I stayed on as the music director and pianist for the next seven years,” he says.
Over time, he began playing for nearly every show, and became increasingly involved with the company. Opportunities soon arose for him to contribute creatively, starting with parody songs and small musical bits. He also began co-writing new material with several collaborators.
Before long, he was writing entire shows.
The best part is seeing it come out on stage once the director has taken it from the page and put it on stage. It’s always better than I imagine.” — Jordan Richardson
“When you’re a music director and a writer, it’s much more of a creative position,” he says. “You’re making material that the actors get. I feel much more comfortable doing that, and kind of at the point where if I’m on stage, I do get a little nervous and am not a very good actor.”
Now, with Richardson’s original musical Bonnie and Hyde marking his eighth original show for the Melodrama, Richardson continues to focus on writing in addition to music directing, working with the company to release a new play nearly every year.
For Richardson, it’s a process that starts with the source material, building off of that with characters and letting the rest of the story play out.
“The best part is seeing it come out on stage once the director has taken it from the page and put it on stage. It’s always better than I imagine,” he says. “I love putting together the characters and essentially world-building.”
Looking ahead, Richardson is already planning next fall’s show, a new version of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow—a parody of classic horror movies like Frankenstein or Dracula. He intends to stay writing and directing music with the Melodrama for as long as he can.
“It’s big enough that I have so much to do and create this year,” he says. “But it’s small enough that I just get to keep giving my community these plays and keeping the Melodrama fresh and always having something exciting.”
Editor’s Note: You can catch one of The Great American Melodrama‘s remaining performances of Jordan Richardson’s original musical Bonnie and Hyde now through November 8.