Accompanist.com

When people think of musical theatre, they often picture bright lights, big voices, and the magic unfolding center stage. But behind every soaring note and heartfelt ballad, there's someone quietly breathing life into the score: the accompanist. Being an accompanist in musical theatre means living in two worlds at once. Sometimes you’re side-by-side with the actors, helping them discover rhythm, emotion, and character through music. Other times, you’re working directly with the music director, interpreting markings, shaping phrasing, and keeping the room grounded in musical intention.

Absurd Hero rehearsal at Regis University

And then there’s the score itself.

Most accompanists work from a piano-conductor score, which isn't just a piano part, it’s a roadmap. It’s orchestration condensed into ten busy fingers, with cues, vamps, cuts, breath marks, and tempo shifts scribbled between bar lines. Vocals float above, and we serve as the buoy, catching singers when they leap, guiding them when they falter. One of our craft’s great quiet skills is transposition. To help an actor find their sweet spot, that golden key where emotion meets ease, we shift entire pieces up or down on the fly. It’s a puzzle, a challenge, and one of the most rewarding ways we help performers shine; of course, accompaniments aren't always grand pianos and rehearsal halls. Small shows and intimate productions ask us to do a little bit of everything, play, cue, turn pages, whisper line prompts, haul chairs, and blend with the cast and crew like family. In those moments, we’re not just supporting the story we’re part of it.

Absurd Hero Leadership Team

This past season, we had the honor of accompanying the actors in the Musical "Absurd Hero" in Edinburgh. The show was directed by Kelly McAllister and he a gift for delivering, heartfelt, intelligent, productions layered with history and humanity. The composer's scores were beautifully prepared and gave the performers exactly what they need: clarity, tone, intention, and space to breathe. As an accompanist, that kind of thoughtful writing is a gift. More than that, the collaborative spirit of the team turns every rehearsal into a place of discovery. Watching the actors find their voices, quite literally, and shaping these moments from the keys has been a privilege. Being an accompanist means being invisible at times and indispensable at others. It means listening deeply, communicating gently, and celebrating every breakthrough. But most of all, it means believing in the power of performance and the people brave enough to step into the light. And for that, there’s no better seat in the house than the one at the piano.