Kurt Misar

KURT MISAR
Composer – Arranger - Producer

EDUCATION
UCLA – 1980-1981
Music Orchestration
Film Scoring

PROFESSIONAL STUDY
LEMTW – Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, 1980-1990 (now the NAMI, Los Angeles, CA) Libretto (book), Lyric and Song construction and workshop

MEMBERSHIPS
Full Licensed Member
ASCAP – American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers

AWARDS
Honorable Mention Award – Jackie White Memorial National Playwriting Contest- Columbia Entertainment Company, Columbia, MO - 2012. (The Wind In The Willows)

Award for Best Play – Chameleon Theatre Circle, Minneapolis, MN - 2012. (The Wind In The Willows)

Award for Best Song – Portland (OR) Music Association – 1994. (“We’re Special” from James and the Giant Peach)

Award for Best Original Play– Portland (OR) Drama Critics Circle (A Drammy) - 1990. (All’s Fair)

Best of Fest Award (Best Original Play) – Northwest Playwrights Guild Festival, Portland, OR – 1988. (All’s Fair)

WORK EXPERIENCE
MUSICWORX 1996 - present
Self-publishing

MUSIC COMPOSER, ARRANGER-PRODUCER, 1977– present
Custom Theater Music
Custom TV and Radio Music
Custom Industrial and Promo Film Music
Custom Live Event and Parade Music

SOUND DESIGNER, 1980 – present
Performance Mix and Playback Design
Custom Sound Effects and Auralscape Design

MUSICAL DIRECTOR, 1977 – present
MUSICIAN, 1975 – present


ORIGINAL PRODUCED WORKS
A few titles listed are wholly authored by the composer, the majority with partner librettists and lyricists.

THE MOST DRAMATIC EPISODE EVER
Produced LIVE ON STAGE PRODUCTIONS for the 2018 Fertile Ground, Portland, OR – January-Feb. 2018. An original 20 minute musical comedy

PEPPERMINT BEAR AND THE GIANT ELF
Produced by LAKEWOOD THEATER, Lake Oswego, OR, Nov-Dec. 2017. A one-act, holiday family musical. (see Cinnamon Bear.)

THIRD CHAIR
Produced LIVE ON STAGE PRODUCTIONS for 2017 Fertile Ground, Portland, OR – January 2017 - An original 20 minute musical comedy

PEPPERMINT BEAR AND ELVES THAT FORGOT CHRISTMAS
Produced by LAKEWOOD THEATER, Lake Oswego, OR, Nov-Dec. 2016. A one-act, holiday family musical. (see Cinnamon Bear.)

PEPPERMINT BEAR AND THE TOY ELVES
Produced by LAKEWOOD THEATER, Lake Oswego, OR, Nov-Dec. 2014. (And again in 2021) A one-act, holiday family musical. (see Cinnamon Bear)

COUNTING SHEEP
Produced by SPECTRE PRODUCTIONS for 2014 Fertile Ground, Portland, OR – January 2014. An original ten minute musical comedy.

REINDEER PAUSE
Produced by SPECTRE PRODUCTIONS for 2014 Fertile Ground, Portland, OR – January 2014. An original ten minute musical comedy.

SEE JANE, SEE JANE DRIVE, DRIVE JANE DRIVE
Produced by LIVE ONSTAGE PRODUCTIONS for 2013 Fertile Ground, Portland, OR – January 2013. An original ten minute musical comedy.

THE DAYDREAM MEANDERINGS OF A 27th FLOOR DATA ENTRY CLERK
Produced by LIVE ONSTAGE PRODUCTIONS for 2012 Fertile Ground, Portland, OR – January 2012. An original ten minute musical comedy.

WILD SPACE A GO GO
Produced by WILD SPACE PRODUCTIONS, Portland, OR – April-May 2010. An original two-act musical farce parodying 60s sex in sci-fi movies. (For mature audiences.)

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS
Produced by CENTRAL CATHOLIC HS, Portland, OR – March 2009. A revised and expanded two-act musical play adaptation of the Kenneth Graham book. First draft produced by NW CHILDREN’S THEATRE, Portland, OR - May 1998.

ON THE INSIDE
Produced by MCDONALD’S (regional) in schools throughout OR and SW Washington, 1994-to present. A one-act industrial, musical play based upon corporate educational material

THE RIDDLE OF THE DRUM, THE LEGEND OF LUCIA ZENTANO and THE KING WHO WAS BORED
Produced by SEXTON MOUNTAIN ES, Beaverton, OR – February 1997. Three one-act musical plays adapted from various children’s books and short native stories.

JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH
Produced by OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATER, Portland, OR – April 1993 and 1999. A one-act musical play adaptation of the Roald Dahl book (from the licensed play.)

CLAUS, NOT YOUR ORDINARY CHRISTMAS EVE
Produced by OREGON CHILDREN’S THEATER, Portland, OR – Nov. - Dec. 1995 and 1996. A two-act musical play adaptation of L. Frank Baum’s Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and A Kidnapped Claus.

YOU’RE THE STAR
Produced by MCDONALD’S (regional) in schools throughout OR and SW Washington, 1994-to 2010. A one-act industrial, musical play based upon corporate educational material.

PERFECTLY SAFE
Produced by SALEM STATE COLLEGE, Salem, MA – February 1992. An original two act musical revue featuring the original music of the composer.

YOU AND ME AND ECOLOGY
Produced by MCDONALD’S (regional) in schools throughout OR and SW Washington, 1992 to 2008. A one-act industrial, musical play based upon corporate educational material.

ALL’S FAIR
Produced by PORTLAND CIVIC THEATER, Portland, OR – June 1989. Workshopped in the LEMTW. A 30s era, screwball two-act musical comedy freely adapted from Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing.

THE TAMING OF THE SHOE
CINNAMON BEAR AND THE TOY ELVES
BENNY AND THE EASTER BUNNY
CINNAMON BEAR AND THE ELVES WHO FORGOT CHRISTMAS
CINNAMON BEAR AND THE MAGIC JINGLE BELLS
CINNAMON BEAR AND THE GIANT OGRE
Produced by LITTLE PEOPLE PRODUCTIONS, Portland, OR, New York, NY and Los Angeles, CA (and elsewhere under other producers) –from 1979 to present. Original holiday one-act musical plays – industrial musical plays for production in retail stores for Fredrick and Nelson, Bambergers and Robinson’s Department stores.

THE BLUE KANGAROO
Produced by LA SALLE CATHOLIC HS, Portland, OR – March 1980. An original one-act musical play.

CLOWNS-CLOWNS-CLOWNS
Produced by ST. MARY’S ACADEMY, Portland, OR – February 1978. An original two-act children’s musical play.

I LOST ME AT THE MOVIES
Produced by LAKE OSWEGO COMMUNITY THEATRE, Lake Oswego, OR – June 1977. An original two-act musical farce.

ORIGINAL WORKS IN DEVELOPMENT / UNPRODUCED
CANTERVILLE
Public readings produced Lakewood Theater April 2022 – in 3rd draft – a two-act musical play freely adapted from THE CANTERVILLE GHOST by Oscar Wilde.

UPON A WINTER ROAD
Public readings produced Lakewood Theater for 2015 Fertile Ground January 2015 – two original one-act musical plays tied together by old English Christmas themes. (For mature audiences).

CHRISTMAS AT THE BEGGAR’S BUM
From public readings January 2015, - an original one-act holiday musical play. (see UPON A WINTER ROAD).

A SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON (working title)
Commissioned, but unproduced due to completion delays. A single draft, one-act musical play adaptation of the book by Weiss.

CHRISTMAS AT THE BISHOP’S BOTTOM
Discarded after public readings March 2002 due to myriad book problems. An original one-act musical.
(replaced with BEGGAR’S BUM.)

CHRISTMAS AT THE KING’S HEAD
From public readings January 2005 and 2015 – an original holiday one-act musical. (see UPON A WINTER ROAD).

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
Adapted without permission, workshopped in the LEMTW, this project had one LA public reading at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion - June 1984. A two-act musical play adaptation of the James Goldman movie.

THE BEST KIND OF CHRISTMAS
Public radio-play, stage performance PORTLAND CIVIC THEATER GUILD – December 2017. Workshopped at the LEMTW 1983-84. An original holiday one-act musical radio play.