Writing a Musical: Tips and Resources | Page 13 of 14

Another Show, Another Opening Number!

Aug 6, 2018 | 0 |

Most writers know they have to tackle certain structural must-haves, but there is one in particular that tends to be the most elusive: The Opening Number.

EUREKA! YOU JUST HAD AN EPIPHANY!

Aug 6, 2018 | 0 |

In order to keep an audience on its toes, most writers will lead the protagonist (and the audience) toward certain assumptions and conclusions, only to turn the tables, revealing that those assumptions and conclusions are invalid or untrue or counter expectation. Such twists frequently lead to “Aha!” moments of understanding. Most of these can be thought of as epiphanies. This is no less true for musicals than for any other kind of storytelling.

Bonnie Gleicher on Developing Addy & Uno

Jun 28, 2018 | 0 |

A little over a year after writing the first song for Addy & Uno, the musical opened off-Broadway on 42nd Street. What started out in a college classroom was now in the Theater District, and this feel-good musical is in its ninth month running Off-Broadway and one of the top-rated shows in New York. Bonnie’s advice? “Write the shows that excite you so extraordinarily to write. The ones you’d go to the ends of the earth to get in front of people. The musicals you wouldn’t be okay leaving behind unseen.”

The Research Phase – Essential to Musical Writing

Jun 27, 2018 | 0 |

When David Hein and Irene Sankoff decided to write the new Broadway musical Come From Away, they realized that interviews would be key to their success. Musical writers today may be tempted to rely on Google searches and social media, but traditional research is still valuable for exploring ways to transport the audience into the world of a show.

Sweet Treatments

Jun 26, 2018 | 0 |

In this guest post, writer Steve Cuden sheds light on the early phases of writing a new musical, including writing a logline, premise, beat outline, and story treatment. When you complete these pieces of the writing puzzle, you’ll have something substantial to share with potential collaborators, as well as a good foundation for further work.