22. Art is Our Sanctuary

Caroline Daniels, Kaira Gula, Franklin Ferrer - 2025 LIU

Before “Her Art Breaks My Heart” existed, this song lived in that space. It began its life as a very Jason Robert Brown–coded solo piece for Theo. While working an accompanist job I casually mentioned I’d love to write an a cappella song.  A colleague working with me at the time said point blank I wouldn’t be able to because I don’t really understand the essence of what makes them work.

So, naturally, I rewrote it as an a cappella piece. Out of spite.

As it started to take shape, it became clear that this wasn’t just another song in the show…it was the culmination of Theo and Vincent’s relationship. Throughout the show, they’re never really speaking on the same plane. There’s no overt hostility. It’s more like two ships passing in the night, catching glimpses of each other but never quite aligning. This is the first moment where they meet eye to eye and speak with total, unfiltered honesty. Once that clicked, it was obvious this had to be the true 11 o’clock number.

The final modulation is lifted straight from one of my favorite Danny Elfman cues: “Ice Dance” from Edward Scissorhands. I didn’t even try to hide it. That music understands longing in a way very few things do.

I genuinely assumed this song would get cut after the workshop. Instead, it became the piece the cast struggled the most to get through without breaking. For the full production, I intentionally gave myself almost nothing to play. I wanted to watch the audience’s reaction.

They didn’t disappoint.