About
The Spark
In October 2023, during a short road trip through Michigan, my superfriend, Ari, and I made a happenstance stop at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. "There's a Watergate tape recorder on display there," his daughter had told us.
At the time, Ford was, to me, a rather flat figure in the backdrop of history and my early childhood--only marginally more compelling of a visit than the mentioned tape recorder. But: Sure, why not? Arriving to find an astronaut prominently displayed outside only added to the playful nonchalance that carried us through the two-hour museum visit...and my exiting declaration of Ford’s remarkable unremarkability.
Yet seeds were planted. And in the miles that followed—through reflection and reconsideration—something deeper began to emerge. There needs to be a musical ...about Gerald Ford! Songs spilled forth and sprung into scenes, and sequence. In a spirited 76 days: I'd crafted a full libretto.
About WIN: An AmericanAmusical
WIN uses our journey to frame a revisit of the journey of America’s accidental president, staying grounded in the events and contexts of Gerald Ford’s life. Its '70s-centric, era-adherent score threads through a century of Americana—evoking an endearing celebration of American experience. Blending wit and warmth with meta-theatric flair, the piece invites audiences to reengage, through the Fords' story, the dusted-over dynamics, virtues, charms, and fallibilities within American identity.
It’s part history, part humanity, and part playful re-examination of a figure often reduced to a footnote. The work explores how we might better understand ourselves in the present by stepping into an adjacent era, one with its own challenges, complexities, and opportunities for grace.
The Creator
I’m Darren McDaniel—a sociologist, storyteller, educator, and optimologist. Here and beyond, my work lives at the intersection of ideas and lived experience, blending art, learning, systems, and social imagination.
Exploring how people connect, collaborate, and make meaning, I’ve created community hubs and theoretical frameworks, developed web platforms, written, produced, and directed a feature film, delivered talks, and designed curriculum and social lifting experiences. With WIN, I enter unfamiliar territories of storytelling within history and biography—never mind that it’s the first time I’ve been compelled to write a musical. What remains familiar is a drive to share stories through a lovingly receptive lens on humanity, even in its fallibility and often with levity; a curiosity for mining moments and illuminating nuance; and a quest to deepen understanding of the here and now through considerations of the before and beyond.
The Collaborators
While the vision for WIN may have begun with me (Darren), it is being brought to life through the invaluable, incredible contributions of an incredible team of collaborators, advisors, allies, and advocates--folks who are fundamental to this journey's spark, its fruits, and its why. I look forward to spotlighting them in the seasons and pages ahead. (Next planned website addition: our Team page.)
The Journal
This site also contains the behind-the-scenes journal for WIN—a place to share the process as it unfolds. Here, you’ll find progress updates, insider insights, glimpses into experiments, and perspectives from our collaborators.
Join the Campaign--An Invitation
Bringing a new musical to life is a hoist and a marathon. Every bit and form of lift helps. If you'd like to be part of the whimsical, wonderful ride, I encourage you to join the WIN campaign.
You can Support the Journey in a variety of ways. Subscribe for free to get key updates, or become a WINsider at a level of your choosing to gain access to behind-the-scenes content and contributor perks while helping us get closer to the stage. Additional support can take many forms:
- Financial contributions via WINsider memberships and targeted donations–such as our Music Commission--to help directly fund development, studio recordings, operations, and the many steps between here and opening night.
- Sharing the project with friends, colleagues, or on social media helps us find new champions.
- Networking connections to potential collaborators, allies, performers, or producers can open invaluable doors.
- Alerting us to resources and opportunities (just use our contact form and let us know what you have in mind)
Every subscription, share, and show of interest is a meaningful contribution. Thank you for being part of this magical story.
Note: WIN: An AmericanAmusical is a project of WIN The Musical LLC, a for-profit company. Contributions are not tax-deductible. Your support directly helps fund the creation, development, and presentation of this independent musical.