Most people expect a doctor to write charts and prescriptions, but not a musical. After years of experiencing life’s unexpected, heartbreaking and joyful moments in the emergency room, local ER physician Dr. Jeff Foy was inspired to celebrate the complexities of humanity by bringing memorable characters and music to the stage.
The dream of writing a medical musical lived in Jeff Foy’s mind until one night in 2015, when he heard his then-16-year-old son, Jacob, sitting at the piano playing a beautiful original piece. He shared his idea of collaborating with Jacob, and EMERGENCY The Musical was born. Together, they dove in headfirst, researching the process and drafting an initial script. Creating the show as a team merged their love of health care, music and theater.
While Dr. Foy was not a writer or playwright, he always thought the emergency room was a great setting for a musical.
“Every ER shift brings a variety of emotions and experiences ranging from scary or sad to sweet, dramatic and humorous. I wanted to immerse the audience in what I see every day. My wife, Jackie, and I have always loved attending musicals,” says Dr. Foy.
Medicine Meets Music and Dance
Up until high school, Jacob’s future appeared to be on the baseball field, not at a piano. That changed after he joined the show choir at Fishers High School.
“Jacob did not sing or dance. Then, out of the blue, he started playing piano to teach himself the choir vocal parts. He has grown into a talented multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and music instructor,” Dr. Foy says.
After many readings and revisions, EMERGENCY was presented to Broadway producer Ken Davenport, and Jeff and Jacob were invited to join his high-performing Inner Circle group. As part of that opportunity, the musical won a $10,000 investment contest decided by a national vote.
A full production of EMERGENCY initially opened in Bloomington in 2018 with three sold-out performances, followed by a three-show run in New York City as part of the New York Theater Festival. It received positive reviews and has since been performed at major emergency medicine conferences.
EMERGENCY returns to Indiana this summer with a five-show run Aug. 27-30 at The Tarkington Theater in Carmel. Award-winning Broadway director and choreographer Jeff Whiting will travel from New York to direct and choreograph the production. The modern American musical follows Dr. Justin Marks, a new intern whose dream is to become an emergency room physician.
Although he excels in the classroom, he fails to secure a residency position, largely because of his poor bedside manner.
Fighting for his career, Justin must defeat his medical school nemesis for the one emergency medicine residency spot left in the country. The show follows Dr. Marks through a 12-hour shift, capturing the laughter, love, joy and heartbreak that a night in the ER can bring.
Scoring the Show
EMERGENCY includes 17 original songs composed by Jacob, five of which were written after the New York production. Local professional musicians will perform the score live during the Carmel performances.
He wrote the songs in a variety of musical styles to reflect each character’s personality and the mood of every scene.
“When writing for multiple characters, it presents a delicate balance of setting them apart while keeping the score cohesive. Every song takes its own journey. I created most of them at the piano because of the versatility it offers for sketching out ideas,” Jacob says.
He adds that writing a musical presents unique challenges, so he approaches songs in several different ways. On occasion, he would wake up to find lyrics Jeff had written the night before.
“We had plenty of songs that started lyrically. My dad would write me a quick sticky note about how he imagined the feel of the song, and I would go from there,” he says.
The show remains a family affair, with Jeff’s sister serving as music director and his wife, other son and daughter participating in pre-show activities. His niece is also part of the ensemble cast. What began 11 years ago as a father-son conversation has grown into a musical celebrating some of life’s most unexpected moments.
Ticket Information
EMERGENCY The Musical will be presented at The Tarkington Theater in Carmel Aug. 27-30. Tickets, starting at $40, are available through TheCenterPresents.org.
