Musical Theater is no longer simply the province of the traditional stage. Popular music of all genres has expanded the conversation, from the hip-hop of Hamilton to the Irish pop-folk of Once.
This 10-meeting class on-campus or online will guide you through the key elements of the development process to write your original musical for the stage, film, and television. How to Write for Musical Theater will show you how to turn your concept into a fully realized musical.
Session One – The History of the American Musical
In Session One, the overview of the ten week program will be discussed. CD and video excerpts of the best and worst of American Musical Theatre (Film and Television) will then be played and Bob will cover and analyze the whys of the successes and failures thereby helping to comprehend the do’s and don’ts of the creative Musical process. Bob will also cover the evolution, musical icons and trends of this genre for the past four decades and focus on what constitutes a workable Musical concept… and what would make a concept possibly unworkable for the musical theatre. Extensive examples and discussion of same will follow… focusing specifically on the major elements of a successful musical in all genres. Members will be asked to present possible new Musical concepts, original or adaptation, at the next meeting.
Session Two – Taking the First Musical Steps
Session Two will focus on how to begin work on the musical: from optioning previously seen material for adaptations and with original or adaptations, outlining the emotional and visual arcs of the piece. Specifics about writing the musical’s book, finding collaborators and the collaborative process with book writers will also be discussed. Next up: a discussion of the specifics of the structural differences of writing for the Pop field and the musical theatre.. The purposes of creating each song will also be explored: from the “I Want” song to the 11 o’clock number. Members will then present their Musical concepts and Bob will discuss the step by step process of taking each concept to fruition. Positive aspects of the concepts will be discussed as well as possible obstacles that could be faced with each concept. The overall possible plot of teach musical concept will be discussed. Participants will then be asked to create a title and concept for a song for the next meeting.
Session Three – Characters and Song Placement
In Session Three, Bob will explore possible characters and their traits for presented concepts: how to create three dimensional characters in song, structure a storyline around their relationships, create obstacles to advance the plot, storyboarding and the vital approach of co-ordinating song placement and scenes. Most importantly, we will focus on the importance of how the song must advance the plot, deepen understanding of the characters and how the song emerges when words alone cannot capture the emotional moment… thus the song. Members will present their song concepts and a critique and discussion will follow. The assignment for Session Four shall be to write a first draft of a Theatre song – at least a verse and chorus… complete with the idea of the set-up of the scene, for presentation the following week.
Session Four – The First Song : What’s Right and Wrong
Session Four shall begin with the presentation of songs by composers and/or their singer of choice. followed by critiques and a discussion. The processes and approaches to song re-writes will be explored as well, from character development through plot analysis and message support. We will also discuss the Workshop Process: How to produce one from venue selection and director choice to casting, the impact of the staging of the workshop, rehearsal re-write process and co-ordination of the invite list and showcase night presentation. The assignment will be to re-write the song presentation for the following week.
Session Five – Re-Writes
Session Five shall be dedicated to the re-write process:: What have you learned from the presentation and how to fix it – from lyric and scene re-writes to incorrect song placement, structure and necessary additions to script and score to insure the play’s message is more impactfully communicated. CD examples shall include songs cut from famous musicals with a discussion as to why the songs didn’t work and was replaced. Re-written songs by each member shall also be presented. The assignment will then be to compose a second song for your concept for the next session.
Session Six – Moving the Musical to Production
Week Six will focus first on the business side of creating the new musical. Topics will include: Option and composer/lyricist agreements, requirements for score demos and presentation packages for producer submissions and how to pitch new projects for pitches for options and development money. The second round of songs shall be presented by composers, followed by notes. The assignmnet shall be the re-write of Song #2.
Session Seven – Preparing the Presentation &
Connecting the Dots
Following the presentation of the Rewrite of song #2, we will discuss how to mount a presentation: From casting to venue… From staging to rehearsal process. What is your goal for presentation and who should and should not be invited. From director and choreographer choice – to the decision of doing an under the radar reading to a 29 hour reading or workshop. All issues as to how to make the best decisions for the future of your musical will be discussed.
Session Eight – The Dress Rehearsal Process
The Dress Rehearsal process will be in full swing here. All composers and lyricists will present their songs (and scenes when available) … and Final notes and issues will be addressed in preparation for the Presentation in Week Ten.
Session Nine - The Presentation
We will discuss how to best approach the showcase aspect in a COVID/Zoom world. Week Nine will be industry showcases of excerpts of the new musicals, both from the program and from those already in progress, submitted in advance by members. Industry guests and members and friends can be in attendance over Zoom if the class agrees. Critiques shall be in writing or in private meetings following the showcase.
Session Ten - Conclusions and Results > Iteration and Revision
Through this program, members will learn how to create musicals for all genres, from concept to opening night. With the ever-changing state of the music industry, this is a program whose time has come – a golden opportunity for amazing talents to channel their energies in a most positive and exciting new direction.
Beyond Session Ten
Previous classes voted to continue to meet 4-6 more times. This will take us to the Winter Holidays, so the class and Bob will discuss continuing or not. No student is required to, and if students agree, class will be extended an agreed upon number of meetings at a pro-rata tuition.