
10-MINUTE MUSICAL COLLECTION
Dinosaur
Book, Music, and Lyrics by Zach Spound
A portrait of the average millennial's struggle to find dating success in the era of social media. Set in a bar, we follow a young man's various attempts to connect with strangers, until someone unexpectedly tries to connect with him.
Comedy
Overview






Cast Size
2m, 2f
Duration
10 Mins Approx.



Setting
A bar in New York City



Cautions
Alcohol Use, Mild Adult Themes, Mild Language



Subgenre
Romantic Comedy



Themes
Dating, Relationships, Connections



Target Audience
Young Adult (Age 18 - 23), Adult






Style
Contemporary Musical Theatre
Instrumentation
Piano/Vocal



Additional Resources
N/A
Synopsis
Ben is at a bar celebrating his birthday with his sister, Sara, and her Fiancé, Mark, but as of late, he’s been miserable over a recent breakup that’s turned his life upside down. When Mark discovers that Ben has been using a dating app on his phone for the whole night, he steals his phone and tells him that he’s not getting it back until he strikes up an in-person conversation with someone at the bar, just to get him out of his shell. Ben goes up to a girl, and the first thing that pops into his head is, “What’s your favorite dinosaur?” Ben rambles on, and the effort fails spectacularly. Sara then tells Ben to try again, but to actually listen. Again, the effort fails.
Ben decides to ditch his friends and sit at the bar by himself, where he is approached by Julie, a similarly neurotic and heartbroken person, who tries to strike up a conversation with him. They challenge each other at first, but then they start to bond over their surface-level insecurities and end up really connecting with each other. They decide to ditch the bar and go somewhere else. A proud yet dumbfounded Mark and Sara look on as they leave, and Mark finally throws Ben his phone back.
“Dinosaur” is a 10-minute musical sequence that also functions as one song.
Casting Information
-
BEN - Male Identifying, mid 20’s, heartbroken, neurotic, his nature is to apologize for who he is but has the ability to let go in make-or-break situations.
-
JULIE - Female Identifying, mid 20’s sincere, vulnerable, raw honesty is her default but she sees the best in everyone, her empathy is boundless.
-
SARA - Female Identifying, late 20’s, Ben's sister, caring, joyous, a people-pleaser who lives with abandon (non-singing role).
-
MARK - Male Identifying, late 20’s Sara's Fiancé, goofy, mischievous, desperately wants Ben to come out of his shell. late 20s (non-singing role).
Songs
Media
Production History
-
2015 -- Los Angeles, CA.Performed as an excerpt from the musical “Leap” as part of the A Little New Music concert Rockwell Table & Stage series.
-
2016 - Colony Theatre, Burbank, CA. Performed as an excerpt from the musical “Leap” as part of the annual "got musical?" concert.
-
2018 - Theatre Now's SOUND BITES 5.0 at the Signature Theatre, New York, NY-Performed for the first time as its own short musical, winner of Best Lyrics and the Audience Choice Award.
Author Bios

ZACH SPOUND is a New York based composer-lyricist, arranger, orchestrator, and actor. He has written two full-length musicals; Leap (NMI/Disney New Voices Award), What The Fuck Is Going On, and is currently writing and developing his third musical, In This Body. His short musical, Dinosaur, has won numerous awards including Best Lyrics and Audience Choice Best Musical at Theatre Now's SOUND BITES 5.0 Festival and the 2019 City Theatre National Award for Short Playwriting. He also participated in the 2016 Johnny Mercer Foundation Songwriters Project. He is the music supervisor, arranger, and orchestrator of Cruel Intentions: The 90s Musical, which ran Off-Broadway and completed its 1st National Tour. He is also the English lyricist of Nikola Tesla- Infinite Energy. As an actor, he has been seen Off-Broadway in The Other Josh Cohen and has performed at regional theatres such as the Cape Playhouse, South Coast Repertory, and the Geffen Playhouse.