Since October 2024, my best friend Rob and I have been pouring our hearts into writing our very first animated musical, Out of Orbit. What started as a wild idea between friends has grown into a deeply personal, funny, and tender story about family, longing, and the courage it takes to finally step into your own life.

Our musical follows Caelum, a mildly-autistic 25-year-old who has taught himself Spanish, Thai, and Wolof—but has never once left his home state. He keeps an unmailed Peace Corps application gathering dust on his desk, a quiet symbol of the life he wants but hasn’t dared to claim.

His younger brother, Leo, is a 12-year-old emancipated minor who works as a dam technician, drinks too much, and keeps his boyfriend at arm’s length. Beneath his hardened exterior, Leo’s deepest tenderness is reserved for his bonsai trees—living things he nurtures with a care he’s rarely been shown himself.

When the brothers’ beloved grandfather, Grandpa Nash, is diagnosed with a terminal illness, Caelum and Leo set out on a road trip to gather the ingredients for a mythical elixir that might cure him. Along the way, the brothers are forced to confront their fears, resentments, and unspoken hopes as everything they’ve been holding back comes to the surface.

We’ve built a strong outline, rich characters, and a clear emotional arc. Where we’ve hit a wall is in writing the song lyrics—the very heart of a musical. We know what these characters want to say, but we need guidance to translate that into compelling, singable storytelling.

We’ve found a course taught by experienced musical theatre songwriters that would give us the structure, tools, and feedback we need to bring this animated story fully to life through music. Unfortunately, as a full-time student and with Rob currently unemployed, the cost of the course is simply out of reach for us right now.

That’s why we’re asking for help.

Your support will directly fund this course and allow us to keep moving forward with a project we truly believe in. By contributing, you’re not just helping us take a class—you’re helping a strange, heartfelt, deeply human animated musical find its voice and move closer to the screen.

Thank you for reading, for caring about new art, and for believing in two first-time musical writers chasing something meaningful. Every bit of support means more than we can say.