How to Play the Cello (Until You Don’t)

Full script, score, and demo tracks of all songs are available: contact me!

Is an artist still an artist if they can no longer practice their art?

How to Play the Cello (Until You Don’t) is an edgy, classical crossover one-woman one-act loosely based on the life of Jacqueline Du Pré, one of the greatest cellists of all time, whose career was cut short in her 30s by multiple sclerosis. It’s a 75-minute one-woman show, written for a performer who can sing, act and (ideally) play the cello.

Cast / Pit: 1f singer/actor, pianist, f cellist

Synopsis

Jacqueline Du Pre, the world-renowned mid-century cellist, was twenty-eight years old—at the height of her career—when she was diagnosed with an aggressive case of multiple sclerosis in 1973. This piece uses the framework of Du Pre's life to explore the journey every artist undertakes: She discovers her passion, commits her life to it, works her ass off to get good at it, and triumphs at it. When an illness takes away her ability to practice her art, the loss plunges her into a spiral of grief, a crisis of identity, and a ferocious fight to find herself again. This piece, performed by an actor/singer, a pianist and a cellist, is a seventy-five minute meditation on the harrowing, beautiful—sometimes hilarious—experience of an artist who travels through pain and heartbreak to re-make her life and reclaim her passion.

Artistic Statement

When theaters were shut down by COVID-19 in 2020, and it sank in that they wouldn’t be reopening, I felt like I had wasted my life. I had poured everything I had into musical theater, and now it was gone, possibly for a long time. In 2024, when a friend mentioned Jacqueline Du Pré to me, I started researching her and immediately saw an opportunity to channel my grief into a story about another artist who had her art taken away. My plan was simple: write a funny, heart-rending piece about a gifted cellist, compose some classical crossover songs, and maybe process a few feelings along the way. I never expected to encounter in Jackie Du Pré a person whose journey—albeit a little more exciting—so closely mirrors mine. I found a kindred fun-loving spirit, a fellow weird kid, and another musician who plays too loud and head bangs too much. Writing about Jackie has healed me and and challenged me and broken my heart in a hundred ways, and I hope spending an evening with her does the same for anyone else with a dream, shattered or otherwise.

Development History

2025 - The NEXT Festival @ Theatre Latté Da, Minneapolis