“Aging Out” follows the senior year of Misty Hardwell, a youth who has spent years in foster care. Her mother’s parental rights were terminated after she abandoned Misty and backslid into addiction, moving out-of-state with a boyfriend.
After a tumultuous start in care, Misty’s behaviors have improved, and at 17 she is faced with the prospect of aging out of the foster care system, something she has longed for since her early days in care.
The musical opens with a court hearing where Misty experiences conflicting feelings about turning 18, which begins a journey to define freedom and self-discovery. Along the way, she meets Jake Kramer, a kind and fun senior in her class. Misty shows Jake the importance of caring for others, and Jake shows Misty the value in learning to trust. Their relationship begins to worry Jake’s single-parent mother, who struggles to protect her son while learning about judgment, control and growth.
Through the musical, we meet those supporting Misty in care: Liz Friedrick, her long-time social worker, and Carolyn Munjak, her CASA (court-appointed special advocate), and her foster families.
At the show’s climax, Misty’s greatest moment of despair, an unexpected source of wisdom helps Misty see a better path forward, where she learns how to be present and what it means to be free. Read the full backstory.
Music Demonstration Videos and Excerpts
Four video demonstration videos were recorded and produced by Paul Langford Music of Chicago with solos by Chloe Langford, age 14. They are not in the exact settings of the musical but preview the musical style of the work. Watch the videos and see book and score excerpts.
Production Considerations and Terms of Use
The ensemble cast is of a reasonable size to allow communities of various dispositions to stage the musical. Adjustments can be made with permission to adapt to the abilities and constitution of the communities where the work is to be performed.
There are two lead roles and six supporting roles, all of which require solo performance ability. There are 26 minor characters who also make up the company, and many of these can be portrayed by actors cast in more than one role.
Depending on the talents of the cast, “Aging Out” could be staged by as few as 16 actors although more would be optimal.
The score consists of 15 songs and two reprises of these, one of which is a medley of several pieces. Of the 17 total pieces:
- Five are solos.
- Four are duets, a trio and a small ensemble.
- Five have solo parts with substantial ensemble/company parts.
- Three are primarily sung by the company, with one of these having minor solo parts.
The musical numbers run in length from just under three minutes with a few just less than four minutes. The entire production can be completed in 120 to 135 minutes, not counting intermission.
The score has a piano accompaniment. Simple instrumentation can be added at the discretion of the director. A score with instrumentation parts is now in development.
Terms of use: There are different terms of use for commercial and non-profit entities, and special terms for entities using the musical to promote civic awareness of or fundraising for foster care agencies and causes. Please contact Jody Johnson for more information.
A Tool for Community Awareness and Fundraising
“Aging Out” started as a single song around 2007. Jody had been volunteering for some time with Douglas County Citizen Review Board. The director, Heather Krase-Minnick, suggested he use his composing skills to submit a piece to be performed at the Governor’s Conference for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. He set to writing what he thought would be one song, maybe encased in a theatrical setting.
Then a new idea emerged: what if Jody wrote a longer work to be performed in high school or community settings as a fundraiser and/or awareness builder for foster-care-related agencies? With this new trajectory, he scaled up the project, interviewing or collaborating with social workers, the Kansas Department of Children and Families’ Youth Advisory Council (youth in, or formerly in, care), a foster care judge, foster parents, and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs). In addition to the main character being a child in foster care, two of the supporting characters are a social worker and a CASA.
Over the years, the musical still unfinished, four of the pieces were performed at the Governor’s Conference and/or in community celebrations for Citizen Review Board and Douglas County CASA. Now essentially complete, the musical is free to communities and can be adjusted in various ways for production capabilities.
Learn about the writer and composer, Jody Johnson.
Talented Jack Enterprises is the home of Jody Johnson’s creative projects — compositions, writings, and most recently, “Aging Out: A Musical.”
