Blog Filter By New Musical Development

A new musical is a tricky beast. It comes with all the challenges of a new play--the problems of dramatic build, character, denouement, economy of dialogue--plus a suite of other potential pitfalls. Is the opening number suitably energizing, and if it is, does it still adequately introduce us to the world of the show? How many ballads is too many ballads? Not to mention solos versus duets or ensemble numbers, male versus female voices, and the question of choreography...it’s enough to make a well-intentioned Lin-Manuel Miranda-wannabe throw in the towel.

A few weeks ago I took a short trip down to Oklahoma City to see the world premiere of Bernice Bobs Her Hair at the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma. Based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the new musical features music by Adam Gwon, book by Julia Jordan, and lyrics by both Gwon […]

The post New Works in the Midwest: a Q & A with Michael Baron appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Kansas City is quickly becoming a hub for new musicals. Whether it’s through private readings with nonprofit theatres, small productions through the local fringe festival, or full out-of-town try outs, Kansas City is seeing its share of new, original musicals. Most recently, the Kansas City Repertory Theatre, under the artistic direction of Eric Rosen, has […]

The post Everything’s Up to Date in Kansas City: A Look at STILLWATER appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

In the last installment of this series, I got to talk with representatives from community theaters. Community theaters are a topic that has been particularly on my mind of late because my adaptation of the novel The Giver just got authorized by author Lois Lowry for production in community theaters. And it occurred to me […]

The post Beyond Broadway: Meet The Giver appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Many of us who have come to the piano as a primary instrument did so in a variety of ways. Some have been taking dedicated lessons since age 5; others have never taken a single one. Some were classically trained and others by ear. One thing we all learned at some point is that being […]

The post Delicate Dance: The Director and Developing The New Musical appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

I’d like to step sideways from my last post to talk about something close to my mind and near to my heart at the moment, as The Chicago Musical Theatre Festival is midway through its performances. Festivals are a great place to try out producing your work. That’s a big part of why they exist. My […]

The post So You Think You Can Produce: Festival Edition appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

The desire to feel progressive and productive is a natural one that most writers feel. We want to know that our work is moving towards a satisfying goal. And sometimes that journey can seem a little bit hazy in regards to whether or not a project is going anywhere. But do not worry, I promise […]

The post Caught Up in the Labeling appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

During my History of Musical Theatre class in college, I was surprised by how few key players there were in New York theatre in the earlier half of the 20th century. It struck me how different it seems to be now, with a website like this thriving, populated by so many awesome, diverse writers who […]

The post Endless Development, No Payoff appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

A month in the rehearsal studio goes by in a flash and, at the same time, it feels like there was never a time that we weren’t rehearsing! But one day, you come up for air and discover the whole process has expanded and moved into the theatre – we’ve added lights, costumes, props, sound, […]

The post Tech – Dog and Pony: Part 4 appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

Bringing a new musical to the stage for the first time is quite a bit like launching a rocket into space for the first time. You plan, you research, you work, you create, you revise, you wait…and on and on for a period of (usually) years. But when you finally get the rocket on the […]

The post Rehearsals – Dog and Pony: Part 3 appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

In this series of blog posts, I’ve been having conversations with people involved in the development of new musicals in all different capacities. This week I spoke with Carmel Dean, the music director of If/Then, the new musical by Brian Yorkey and Tom Kitt. Ms. Dean has worked on shows including American Idiot, Hands on […]

The post It Always Starts With The Music: The Music Director appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

I’m not sure when I first met Ryan Scott Oliver in person.  But the encounter that stays with me was at a band rehearsal for Prospect Theater Company’s Annual Gala last year.  One of Ryan’s songs from JASPER IN DEADLAND was on the bill as a preview of coming attractions, since plans for a Prospect […]

The post Stroke By Stroke appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

I have a confession.  Between my first application to the Dramatists Guild Fellowship and my last, the entire Bush presidency happened.  To be more precise, a decade went by before I was invited to the table.  That’s five generations of MFAs, two and a half Summer Olympics and every episode of LOST.  Ten years ago […]

The post The Fellows, The Fund and the Future appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

In this series of posts,  I’ve been having discussions with a wide range of people who are involved in developing new musicals. This week I talked to Robert Hunt, the Executive Producer of the Village Theatre in Issaquah, Washington (in the greater Seattle area.) The theater was founded in 1979, and makes the production of […]

The post Something That Doesn’t Sound Like Everything Else: The Regional Theater appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

In this series of posts, I’ve been having conversations with people who are involved in all different facets of the development of new musicals. Joe Barros is the Artistic Director of New York Theatre Barn, which has been producing new work since its founding in 2007. He works widely as a director and choreographer: recently […]

The post Thinking In Three Dimensions: The Director/Choreographer appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.

In this series of posts, I’m talking with people who are involved in the development of new musicals in various ways. One crucial element in the writing process is finding uninterrupted time to work, especially if you’re working as part of a collaborative team. There are a few artists retreats specifically created for musical theater […]

The post Complete Freedom: The Writers Retreat appeared first on The NewMusicalTheatre.com Green Room.