Strays, the Musical

STRAYS, THE MUSICAL! explores furry foibles from the PETS’ point of view. The actors give voice to a variety of cat and dog characters in this hilarious-and often moving-musical review “drama-dy” that seeks to edu-tain audiences about normal pet behavior while honoring the bond we share with them.

This BOOK contains the script, lyrics and vocal score of all songs. A vocal-piano score is also available for rehearsal purposes. STRAYS, THE MUSICAL! is written especially with cat and dog lovers in mind. The family friendly script is appropriate for all ages audience and actors, requires minimal sets and costumes (NO dog/cat suits or pet-centric makeup!), and works well for students, community theaters or professional companies. It can be performed with as few as 8-10 but 15-20 featured actors plus a chorus is preferred. Recommended actor age range is 9-14 years to adult, all physical types. STRAYS debuted Nov. 6-8, 2014 at the Honey McGee Playhouse in Sherman, Texas. Excerpts from the opening night can be seen here: youtu.be/nru88uGiV7w The two-hour review-format offers a mix of funny to poignant scenes with and without music. Music style varies from pop-rock, boogie woogie, folk and country, to jazz, gospel and Celtic, with multiple verses offering many feature solo line opportunities. Company numbers require two- to three-part harmonies in mid-tenor/alto ranges, often written as “rounds” or combinations of previously sung solo lines for ease of learning. A full orchestration accompaniment CD is available for performance, as well as a piano score for rehearsal. STRAYS, THE MUSICAL-CAST RECORDING is also now available. Songs include:

Strays (Company)
Grazing (Bass Solo, Trio backup)
Itchy Dog (Solo)
Dream Cat (Soprano Duet)
Cuz I’m A Dawg (Solo-male or female)
Normal (Company with Rap Solos)
Dog On The Run (Tenor Solo)
Eight Lives in Heaven (Tenor Solo, Trio Backup)
The Muse (Company)
Gotcha Day (Company)
The Least of These/Perfect (Solos/Company)
Rainbow Pets (Trio, Company)
Strays-Bows (Company)

Strays is designed to be modular-that is, it can be licensed for performance using only the cat-specific, dog-specific or general (both) content that best suits the audience. The authors hope it will be widely used in pet-specific fund-raising efforts. A preview of STRAYS debuted at the Cat Writers Association 20th Anniversary Conference in Dallas, Texas on November 1, 2013. A staged reading of STRAYS was performed March 22, 2014, and a cast recording of the songs produced (now available on amazon.com). The full production was mounted November 6-7-8, 2014 also at the Honey McGee Theater in Sherman, Texas. For licensing information contact sHOJAI-STEELE-PLAYS @ shojai.com (no spaces) with STRAYS in the subject line.

Author Biography

Amy Shojai is a certified animal behavior consultant and the award winning author of 30+ nonfiction titles and Thrillers with Bite! She is also a composer, lyricist, actor and playwright working with her collaborator Frank Steele. Frank Steele is a SAG actor and retired theater teacher. He is also a composer, lyricist, actor and playwright working with his collaborator Amy Shojai.