Writing Songs for Villains: An Interview with Stephen Schwartz
Sometimes we must put ourselves in the shoes of the “baddy” to create Villain songs—at least that’s what Stephen Schwartz does—and loves it!
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Tag: stephen schwartz
How Opening Numbers Reveal a World or Launch the Story
Carol de Giere and Stephen Schwartz discuss the importance (and challenge) of constructing successful opening numbers — and offer a few tips!
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How Musicals Make the Most of Time: Montage, Backstory, Memories, and Ticking Clocks
Today’s musicals journey through time with concentrated stories and employ devices like montages, backstory, and ticking clocks to keep audiences engaged.
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How Musicals Make the Most of Time – A Conversation with Stephen Schwartz
Carol de Giere and Stephen Schwartz explore how musicals convey time through backstory, memories, and compressed action.
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By the Light of Metaphor: Improving the Odds of Making Good Metaphors
In Part I, we discovered how Stephen Schwartz developed metaphorical language based on research, observation, and character inspiration. In Part II, we explore ways to enhance your own image-making abilities in order to amplify the emotional impact of your lyrics or dialogue.
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By the Light of Metaphor: Experiences of Metaphor-Maker Stephen Schwartz
From whole-song metaphors like “Meadowlark” and “Beautiful City” to the nature-inspired similes of “For Good,” Stephen Schwartz is a master of imagery-filled lyrics that represent an emotional journey.
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Summer Reading Books for Musical Writers in 2020
Catch up on relevant musical writing books this summer, including ideas for public domain material, how-to books, and books on “the making of a musical.”
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Wicked the Musical’s Groundbreaking Score – Act 2
Robert Vieira shares his analysis of the breathtaking and complex musical score of Act II of Wicked the musical by composer Stephen Schwartz.
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Wicked the Musical’s Groundbreaking Score – Act 1
The score of the musical sensation Wicked is groundbreaking because it brilliantly melds pop idioms with sophisticated musical theater song construction.
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Review: Stephen Schwartz Biography “Defying Gravity” Looks Behind the Scenes
An aspiring theater composer myself, I looked to Carol de Giere’s Defying Gravity, (2nd ed.) for insight on Schwartz’s creative process, a history of his entire career, and details on “the musical theater business.” But that is just a sampling of what awaits the reader.
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Wicked Meets Cinderella and Other Rodgers and Hammerstein Musicals – An Interview with Stephen Schwartz
Stephen Schwartz shares his appreciation of Oscar & Hammerstein musicals and speaks of their influence on his work in an interview with Carol de Giere.
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3 Writing Tips from Wicked Creators Winnie Holzman and Stephen Schwartz
The people who created the musical Wicked did many things right. They ended up with a mega-hit...
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Celebrating Wicked’s 15th Anniversary – Defying Gravity Giveaway Winner
We’re celebrating Wicked’s 15th Anniversary and the winner of DEFYING GRAVITY, the must-read biography of Stephen Schwartz by MusicalWriters founder Carol de Giere. Congratulations Patrick Burns!
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Release of Updated Edition of Defying Gravity
Just in time for Wicked’s 15th anniversary of opening on Broadway! The only book-length biography of Stephen Schwartz, covering his legendary career up through 2018, written by MusicalWriters.com founder Carol de Giere.
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I Want Songs in Context
One way writers can avoid musical muddle is to write a good I Want piece. The audience needs to know the longings of the central character by having him or her sing about what’s missing in their life. Since we tend to root for a character to get what they want, we become engaged.
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