Stephen Schwartz
By special arrangement with Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin, Wicked), Musicalwriters.com offers some of his commentsand tips about making musicals. These have been collected from live question/answer sessions, emails, and elsewhere. Copyright is maintained by Stephen Schwartz. Be sure to also see the new book on Schwartz's career that is full of songwriting ideas. Defying Gravity: The Creative Career of Stephen Schwartz, from Godspell to Wicked
Stephen Schwartz - Tips for writers
Starting Your Musical
Finding Material - About adaptations
Finding mentors, role models, agents - Mentors and Agents
Working with collaborators - On Collaboration
Songwriting for muscials: starting with story...
Stephen Schwartz Q and A about creativity: Creativity and Musical Writing
Writing Musicals - Book, music, lyrics
How the book, music, and lyrics fit together
Writing principles Write from your truth, introduce conflict, about using a narrator.
Writing Songs
Subpages
"I want" songs Schwartz believes "I want" songs, often the second number in a show, serve an important role in setting up a storyline.
Music Production and Orchestration Here Stephen answers questions on getting music notated and sharing it with orchestrators.
Getting Feedback
Making the best use of Feedback through Readings and Advice
Career Advice
Schwartz on songwriting career and importance of persistence
Career advice for aspiring writers
Study Stephen Schwartz's Work
Stephen Schwartz Scores and sheet music
Read his discussion forum at www.Stephenschwartz.com
Read interviews. See links on www.musicalschwartz.com/schwartz.htm
Enchanted from Disney includes lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. For notes about the songs see www.musicalschwartz.com/disney-movies-enchanted.htm
Godspell and Godspell Jr.: See www.musicalschwartz.com/godspell.htm for recordings, DVD, history and stories behind the songs, etc.
The Godspell film is available on DVD and video, however it is quite different from the show. To view a schedule of local stage productions check www.stephenschwartz.com/schedule.htm
Pippin: See www.musicalschwartz.com/pippin.htm for recordings, DVD, history, etc.
Books Mentioning Pippin:
Pippin's producer Stuart Ostrow wrote A Producer's Broadway Journey and includes an interesting chapter on Pippin. A Producer's Broadway Journey (Opens new browser window to Amazon.com [new browser window]
See Scott Miller's book From Assassins to West Side Story: The Director's Guide to Musical Theatre for a complete chapter on Pippin. Buy From Assassins to West Side Story. [new browser window]
Check the index of this Martin Gottfried's book on Fosse for Stephen Schwartz (and for Carole Schwartz). There's a few interesting tidbits. All His Jazz: The Life and Death of Bob Fosse. [new browser window]
Bob Fosse's Broadway includes some Pippin information. Buy Bob Fosse's Broadway. [new browser window]
The Fosse book Razzle Dazzle: The Life and Works of Bob... (opens new browser window to Amazon.com [new browser window]includes Pippin material, and is particularly strong on the dance aspect.
Michael Shurtleff's Audition: Everything an Actor Needs to...[new browser window] also has insights on the formation of the show.
- Wicked - music. Read articles that provide details on how Stephen Schwartz structured the score.
- The Baker's Wife
- Follow links to background information on the source material, some show history, etc. Note the list of songs and how they varied through three decades of development www.musicalschwartz.com/the-bakers-wife.htm
- Prince of Egypt
- DreamWorks, 1999
The Prince of Egypt [new browser window]
Don't miss the DVD features
The feature on "The Making of The Prince of Egypt" is videotaped or filmed spots with many of the people involved including Speilberg, Katzenberg, Val Kilmer, and all the other stars plus animators, Hans Zimmer, etc. It has a fairly long section (well, maybe 4 minutes) with Stephen Schwartz, where he makes comments on some of his original songs, plays the piano, and talks to performers. We also see a few seconds with him in Egypt during his November 1995 trip to the region with Katzenberg and about a dozen others.
This segment on him shows what I might call the "focused" Stephen, so it's only a tiny window on the guy and his work but I think it gives people who have never met him a little bit of a sense of who he is, in the context of one of his favorite projects. We also see Steve Hickner and others explaining the significance of Stephen's contribution to the film. The whole feature will really add to your awe of what is already an awe-inspiring film.--Carol de Giere, webmaster
All other Schwartz musicals
http://www.musicalschwartz.com/
BIO: Stephen Schwartz has contributed music and/or lyrics to Godspell, Pippin, The Magic Show, The Baker's Wife, Working (which he also adapted and directed), Personals, Rags, Children of Eden, and the current Broadway hit, Wicked. For children, he has written a one-act musical, Captain Louie. For films, he collaborated with Alan Menken on the scores for the Disney animated features Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Disney live action film Enchanted, and wrote the songs for the DreamWorks animated feature The Prince of Egypt.
For the story of how Stephen Schwartz got started, see our Career Advice page - at the bottom.
Complete bio at stephenschwartz.com
To send suggestions, comments, or questions write to carol@musicalschwartz.com