<em>Something Rotten! </em> writer is new CEA artist-in-residence
Lacey Klotz |
Two years after the musical comedy, Something Rotten! took Broadway by storm, Wayne Kirkpatrick, a Grammy-Award-winning songwriter and playwright for the show, is ready to share some insight with the next generation of entrepreneurial artists at Lipscomb University.
Beginning this fall, Kirkpatrick will join Lipscomb’s College of Entertainment & the Arts as its newest artist-in-residence for the Department of Theatre and the contemporary music program. 
“I love interacting with college kids; kids that are really interested in honing their craft, figuring out what they want to be, soaking it all up like a sponge and looking for encouragement as they search for where their talents lie,” said Kirkpatrick.
“I look forward to being part of their process, helping lead them where they want to go and steering them in the direction they need to go. I'm also looking forward to sharing my own experiences in hopes that I will be able to give students some practical application in the craft and/or the business so they will have a good sense of what it is really like in the Broadway world as well as the commercial music world.”
After hosting Kirkpatrick at the college’s artist-in-residence speaker series this past February, Mike Fernandez, dean of the college, saw the opportunity for theater students to work alongside an industry veteran who has recently broken into the world of theater, in a big way.
“Wayne is the type of artist that we hope to model our students after,” said Fernandez. “His artistic career is marked by excellence in his craft, superb creativity and a real dexterity in the marketplace that has allowed him to have a successful career and a profound impact on his industry.
“As we train students in the CEA today, we want them to know that if they desire a sustainable career in the entertainment industry they must model the best practices of people like Wayne. We are thrilled that he will join our stable of outstanding artist-in-residence and work with our theatre and contemporary music programs.”
Kirkpatrick has had a successful career in the Christian, country, pop and Americana music industries throughout the years, writing hit songs for artists such as Little Big Town, Amy Grant, Martina McBride, Garth Brooks, Bonnie Raitt and Eric Clapton, whose version of Kirkpatrick’s “Change the World” won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1997. He also received the producer of the year award at the 24th Annual Dove Awards.
With a love and passion for theater, Kirkpatrick always pursued the path of a professional songwriter but knew that one-day he wanted to write a musical with his brother Karey Kirkpatrick, a professional screenwriter and director.
After 15 years, the brothers developed the story line for their show, and after another four and a half years of writing and re-writing, table reads and workshops, Something Rotten! was picked up on Broadway.
In 2015, the brothers were nominated for a Tony Award for Best Original Score and for a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
“The journey was so incredibly amazing and so incredibly frightening all at the same time,” said Kirkpatrick. “What I learned from the on-the-job training of putting on a Broadway musical for the first time, was immense. I believe that sharing my experiences of every part of the process could help students get a first hand account of what they will be up against in the real world of the theater business.”
As an artist-in-residence for the CEA, Kirkpatrick will sit on its executive advisory board and help develop a new MFA in Writing for Music/Film/Television and the Stage. He will also host workshops, participate in classes and help the Theatre Department establish new relationships with current industry professionals in New York City.
“Our new partnership with Wayne Kirkpatrick will amplify the department's core mission, bringing a tremendous industry professional right into the classroom and rehearsal space with our students and faculty,” said Beki Baker, chair of the Department of Theatre. “This will also be a great opportunity for our upcoming theatre artists to study firsthand how musicals are crafted and developed.”
Kirkpatrick is currently working on a few projects that are in the developmental stages and says, “If opportunities arise, I could use some Lipscomb students for readings or demos as I am developing the music and/or characters, and I would try to bring in students who might be right for any given situation.”
Kirkpatrick will also serve alongside Charlie Peacock, program director and Grammy-Award-winning producer, as an artist-in-residence for the contemporary music program.
“There’s no limit to the help Wayne Kirkpatrick can give to our contemporary music program as its artist-in-residence,” said Peacock. “He’s a multi-genre, award-winning, songwriter and producer with decades of experience at the top of his field. Wayne mixing it up with our students in performance, songwriting and production is a big win for the School of Music.
“Wayne is exactly the kind of artist-entrepreneur we want our students to learn from. He continues to excel in several areas of the arts, is seamlessly interdisciplinary, and is a well loved, all around good guy.”