Working together
A song might eventually have my name attached to it as composer, but that’s rarely where it actually begins.
It begins in a director’s living room, or on a Zoom call, or with someone saying, “You’ve really got to use this sometime.” I write and record something that suggests what a song might be. Then I hand it over.
And other people make it something else.
Tell me how the story feels. Together, we’ll find how it sounds.
John Lenihan
Director · A Christmas Carol with Heart, Nagoya Players, 2010
In 2010, John told me his idea for Dickens’s story: not Victorian London, but Texas. He pulled out photographs he’d taken on a trip there and talked about towns that seemed to have had the life slowly drawn out of them.
That conversation—and those photographs—gave me somewhere to go. The result was “This Town.”
Jeff Fritch
Writer, director and choreographer · Nagoya Players Junior, 2022–2024
Jeff and I go back to tap-and-guitar performances in 2006. In 2021 he asked me to write music for a children’s show he was developing, The Land of Kindness. When my first demo of “Shiny Gold Button” didn’t work, I asked him to just sing me the rhythm. That rhythm is the song.
“Home Sweet Home” also began as his idea, for a different show.
“Ben, your music compositions and lyrics still come to mind till this day. Thank you for the opportunity to work together and create music.”
Shawn Mahler
Producer · Nagoya Players Junior, 2022–
Shawn has produced every Nagoya Players Junior show I’ve written for. It was on a Zoom call with him that I first heard the brief for The Cat Who Walked by Herself: one song about the cat, and another about the First Magic. I had no idea what the First Magic meant. But I liked the idea.
“For NPJ, the music has to do several things at once. It needs to serve the story, give the performers something exciting to work with, be accessible to children with different levels of English and musical experience, and give us opportunities for movement and choreography. You’ve always done an incredible job checking all the boxes.”
Ana Valdes Lim
Director · Romeo and Juliet, Nagoya Players, 2024
When Ana and I talked about the scene in Juliet’s chamber, I remembered a song Jeff had turned down years earlier. I reworked it for Juliet and played her the demo. She agreed to go with it, for which I remain eternally grateful.
“His music has dramatic range: The dynamic drums in the fight scenes were fierce — in contrast the love song of Juliet was sweet, poignant, and moving.”
Kory Alexander Majansky
Writer, director and co-lyricist · Nagoya Players Junior, 2026–
Kory wrote and directed Emma Amazing & The Bucket Fillers and The Jar of Truth for the 2026 Showcase. The concept for “Big Blue Bucket” was theirs, and we wrote its lyrics together. We’re writing together again for Sweet Dreams, Eugene.
Before that, they were onstage in Romeo and Juliet. Kory and the backing singers took the bare bones of “Romeo’s Lament” and turned them into something much larger.
“I'm always impressed at how Ben's music can create special acting moments for the performers.”
How a project usually runs
We start with how the story feels: the colours, feelings and vibes you have in mind. I write and record demos, you tell me what works and what doesn’t, and we keep going until it sounds right. When the songs are settled, I can provide vocal guides for rehearsal, and for some shows I’ve also worked as music director.
“Ben Dorman is wonderful to work with in a creative project. He is talented, intuitive, open, and versatile. He is also organized and professional: delivering all you need on time from drafts to vocal guides.”