Bethany Joy Galeotti CW TV One Tree Hill Promotion Photo
'One Tree Hill' star Bethany Joy Galeotti is like a jack of all trades when it comes to the entertainment industry. Since 'One Tree Hill' premiered back in September of 2003, we have seen Galeotti as an actress, a singer, songwriter, and even director. Now we will see her as a writer and producer who has transformed one of America's most beloved love stories into a live musical production.
In a new interview with the official One Tree Hill podcast, Galeotti talks about how the idea first came about of turning the Nicholas Sparks best-selling novel-turned movie 'The Notebook' into a live stage production. “I just really wanted to express the emotions that came out through that story, through the book, and through the film”, said Galeotti. “After I saw the film I read the book and I found myself for about six weeks after that just walking around the house writing songs that were inspired by these characters and finally I said I just need to put this down on paper”.
Galeotti said as she was writing the script she was not sure about what the outcome would be but knew her thoughts behind the story could not be hidden. “I thought, 'This is either going to be terrible, or it's going to be great. I don't know what it's going to be but I've gotta get this out'”, she said.
And good thing she did get it out as the original voice behind the story loved what Galeotti wrote and gave her his blessing to turn his famous novel into a musical. “He[Sparks] responded really well and really liked it”, said Galeotti.
What started out as a quiet project with record producer Ron Aniello quickly turned into a worldwide story after Galeotti mentioned her idea of the musical to a local Wilmington paper in order to inform local actors of auditions. And that's when quiet when out the window. The news on 'The Notebook Musical' went from a small-town paper to MSNBC, IMDB.com, and even made its way across the ocean to newspapers in Spain and Australia.
Galeotti said the wide-spread attention given to the musical, while great, also put extra pressure on her to succeed in a side of the arts she had never explored. “It was really intimidating at first and scary to kind of venture into that.... and I was like oh man this is really tough, what are we doing?”, she said after hearing both positive and negative reactions of the popular story being told with music.
“It was hard to process all of that and keep our focus on what the project really is; which is an amazing story, an American classic that we wanted to do something original with.”
Galeotti, who is currently directing her second episode of 'One Tree Hill', said she wanted to be sure she did not repeat anyone's way of telling the story while still maintaining its heartfelt theme. “ We wanted to create our own way of touching people's hearts with that story”.
And touch people's heart they did; Galeotti and Aniello held workshops of the production in a local black box theater in Wilmington to New York Broadway producers and investors who Galoetti told the podcast met them with positive feedback.
“Everybody loved the dialogue and they thought the story was well-crafted so I was just super super excited”, she said.
Galeotti was also thrilled about the response to that music she first wrote while walking around her home. “The producers said we love the music don't touch it, which was so encouraging because we [Ron and I] worked really hard on that music”.
The music written was not lost on Galeotti's fellow 'One Tree Hill' co-stars either. “It's amazing to think she wrote all that music”, said Austin Nichols who was in the audience for the workshop and said he truly enjoyed the production his cast member put together. “It was great", Nichols said.
Up next for the musical is more revision with more producers and a reading in New York. “It's been an inspiring and intimidating and fun and exhausting and wonderful, wonderful journey that is not even close to being over yet”, said Galeotti.
The journey that the talented actress/singer says will hopefully end with the perfect and deserved outcome for the story behind 'The Notebook'. “It's an amazingly emotional and moving story and I hope we get to bring it justice”, said Galeotti.
With the dedication and talent behind Bethany Joy Galeotti it is safe to say she will not only bring the story of 'The Notebook' justice but make it a hit musical at that.
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