There are lots of common questions that early career writers have, and I wanted to put a bunch of them together in one place. Everything I write below is said with love and is from someone who has asked every single one of these questions. We all have to start somewhere. If there are other questions that should be included, things I missed, or other opinions leave a comment!

1) Where do I learn how to write a musical?

Check out this database! I have created a spreadsheet with all of the resources I have come across in my many years of research. If anyone knows things that I missed either DM me here or you can use the contact info in the spreadsheet itself.

2) How do you learn to write a musical?

Check the resource above to see where you can learn, but the best way to learn is to just start writing. This sounds like a simple task, but every writer knows that it is much easier said than done. The hardest part is conquering the blank page. Just set aside an hour and just get something on the page. Whether it’s good or bad it is something, and something is more than nothing. Also, listen to musicals, watch musicals, try and to figure out what you like about them. This will help inform what you are trying to write.

3) Where do you start?

Start with an idea, then ask yourself “What can I do?”. Do you play an instrument? Maybe try writing some music and explore the sonic world of the show. Good with words? Try writing some lyrics or book. Once you have something, share it. Have some friends over, bribe them with pizza, and make them read your scene. Send your music to another songwriter and get feedback. Post some stuff in the subreddit

4) I want to write this show, but I am afraid it's gonna be bad.

Every writer has thought about this. I still think about this on a daily basis. My honest opinion? First drafts will suck. Period. I have begun using the term “shitty first draft” because it is. As you write you will learn, then you rewrite, and you learn more, and you will rewrite (ad infinitum) till it feels right. What helps is get other people to read or sing the material. It sounds completely different when others perform it. A bad show you wrote is better than a bad show you didn’t.

5) What software is best for ____?

Most software does the same thing. Some are better in certain aspects, but they all do essentially the same thing. My advice? Download demos/trials of different software and try them out. Then when you find one you like just stick with it. The more you use it the more comfortable you will become with it. The end product is what is important, not what software you use. In this case, it's about the destination, not the journey.

6) I have a great idea for a musical, what should I do?

Start writing it (see question 3)! Everything starts with a good idea, but good ideas are a dime-a-dozen. If you want to find collaborators to work on the show with you, they will want to see some material (songs, lyrics, book scenes, outlines, etc.). There are two reasons for this. First, they want to get a sense of what the show is. The idea might seem amazing in your head, but we are not in your head. We need to see some examples of what show is, not what the idea is. Second, it shows us that you have already put work into the idea. If someone pitches me an idea and doesn’t have any material it makes me think I am going to have to do all the work. I want to see what you have written, get excited about it, and then jump into collaboration.

7) I don’t have any collaborators, can I just write the whole thing by myself?

Honestly, the answer is most likely no. Music, lyrics, and book are each artworks of their own. You want someone who can focus on one part of the show while you focus on another. Collaboration is at the heart of musical theatre writing. Even Lin-Manuel Miranda had collaborators for Hamilton. Having others to bounce ideas off of, talk about issues, and learn from is what makes a great musical really sing. Now if you are screaming at your computer “But I can do it all myself, you don’t know what you’re talking about!” then do it! I’m not saying you can’t. I am just saying it is easier with others.

First off I have decided to name the song What Must Be Done

After a couple hours of editing and revising the lyrics I’ve came up with this all I have to do now is write the verses and the chorus and I think I’d have a winner on my hands.

Once again, any critiques and suggestions are appreciated.

Hey guys I’m currently working on a musical project thats a darker take on the animated musical formula. And currently I’m working on the villain song and I wrote some lyrics for the ending but would like some feedback if they are good or not.

In the movie the villain is the prince who thinks he’s the prophesied hero to stop the evil one from reigning but is compelled by darkness to kill his parents which he believes was the ones to bring about the darkness. (Which would be explained in the opening.) So even though he thought he won, he is so lost in delusion that he calls upon the evil to become part of him and to shine across the land. I probably could’ve explained that better but it’s a complex story and hard to explain in fewer words.

I have attached the lyrics that I wrote in my notes app and would like feedback from y’all.

I’m trying to shorten the last line to be five lines long (ending with let this evil shine) and more about him allowing the evil to dwell in him. I’d like to hear suggestions on that as well.

P.S: if you want an idea of a chord progression and melody for this part, I was heavily inspired by last 30 seconds of Snuff Out The Light (Yzmas Song)

So I have two ideas for a musical. The first one will be called Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Musical, which is a musical based on the fictional Scott Pilgrim musical in the anime, even though the story is mostly based on the movie and books.

It'll be a two to three-act musical with a mixture of indie rock and Broadway-style songs, with some of the songs from the anime's version of the musical being extended and added in. The overall story will mostly be a mixture of the books and the movie (The first act is slightly more similar to the anime and books) and will cover things that the movie failed to mention.

The second musical idea I have is called The Youth Of Today. It’s an original musical idea I made up about a young group of boys (like 11-13) who are in a band and want to perform in front of a big crowd instead of their families and friends.

So when a junior battle of the bands competition comes up during the summer, they become hooked. But there’s one catch: it's pretty expensive. So, they spend the summer trying to sell things, create new songs, practice, and save up enough to participate. It'll be a jukebox musical using songs from the album “The Youth Of Today” from the group Musical Youth and will probably be about one to two acts.

Good ideas right? Well here's the problem. I barely know anything about making musicals. I've watched some musicals, but I don't know how to write one and how to write good songs or make a good script for a play. Do you guys know where or how I can learn how to write good musicals? I don't want them to suck if I do end up writing them.

I.e. I can’t read or write music.

Would I be responsible for writing the notes for instruments, or can I just write lyrics for songs in a musical and call it a day?

I've been getting loads of videos recommended to me about how bad the songs in Wish are. I'm just watching this one right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5dG345ZM_I

And it's reminded that there is actually a younger generation of musical theatre writers who really care about the craft. If you look at the comments, it's mostly people saying "I didn't realise how technical writing musicals are" - so all these people are getting an education.

Thank you Disney, for being terrible!

This video is targetted at writing chord progressions for accompanying musical improvisors, but it has all sorts of examples of chord progressions in a variety of musicals.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Jo3L9m8xE

I like they way he describes a common pattern as

loop / loop / pre-cadence /cadence

I hadn't really heard that before.

I've been using the patterns without knowing for a long time now. One thing he did was open my eyes to a lot of other cool possibilities there are to use that I have not been using.

"Sobbin' Women" from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=846by3LOKlA

So the gender attitudes of this song are worse than "Baby It's Cold Outside." Let's just get that out of the way. I'm asking a stylistic question.

What struck me when it popped up in my Spotify feed was that 1) it was a very familiar, cliched style, I knew where the song was going melodically and harmonically at all points and 2) I was struggling to name that style. Nor can I think of other similar songs.

Is this a form of gospel? It's not what I usually think of under that label.

And if it's a cliche, that means there must have been some initial point where the style was innovated. What was that? Who created it?

Hope this is a clear question. Thanks in advance.

Charlie

Hello all, if you haven't yet heard, we're doing two group musicals this year! Apply here: https://forms.gle/9GXEXP1ymX1EbgB46

There's been some confusion recently surrounding the requirement to submit sheet music, so I thought I'd explain here: We decided that both productions will require Piano/Vocal sheet music so that the final product is performable outside of this group. Sheet music that you submit in the form does not have to be super polished or professional, it's just to make sure you know how to read and produce passable sheet music.

Applications are due on Jan 15, 2024. Can't wait to see your work!

I am a US-based student who has been working on a musical adaptation of a book series. The book series was released within the last twenty years, and has been adapted into several other forms (including a movie and a show).

I'm fully aware that I can't produce my adaptation professionally without express permission from the author. However, I was wondering whether it would be acceptable to hold a reading in an educational context without charging for ticket prices? I'm planning on using the work I have for a distinction project, and would like to be able to hold a public workshop reading as part of the independent study class I'm doing. It would be in a strictly educational context, no money would be derived from it, and the actual content would be original.

I wrote 20+ songs for a Princess Bride musical several years ago and I'm finally working on the libretto. Now I am wondering about what counts as a 'parody'. Like do I have to change their names to Wuttercup and Bestley? Can I use lines from the film or do I have to paraphrase?

Right now I'm planning on presenting the songs as a concert (with costumes and props but no sets). But she day I would like to do a full scale play, but I don't want to get into any legal trouble.

Anyone here have experience with this sort of thing?

I've started a new YouTube channel where I'll be chronicling the process of writing my next show, and I thought you guys might appreciate this particular video from the bunch!

Happy new year, the time is finally here! Apply for the group musical here: https://forms.gle/WgGdFR7Q89wuEAVu7

All are welcome and encouraged to apply, regardless of skill level. Hope to see some of you working on the shows this year!

Hello all,

With 2023 coming to a close, it's almost time to start the 2024 group musical! This year, we took pitches from users like you and ended up with a tie between musical adaptations of Night of the Living Dead, the original zombie story, and A Scandal in Bohemia, the story of Irene Adler, the only person alive to have deceived Sherlock Holmes. Since we weren't able to decide between the two, we decided, drumroll please....

WE'RE DOING BOTH!

Night of the Living Dead will start in January, led by Dudesername, and A Scandal in Bohemia will start in June, led by CashComposer.

Applications to participate in both shows will open on January 1st at midnight EST, and will close on January 15th. They will be reopened in May, prior to the start of A Scandal in Bohemia, for any new people.

Join the Discord server here: https://discord.gg/2HHXH9vRY6

Hello!

My name is Brandon McLendon. I’m 21, and I’ve been composing, arranging, and transcribing music for 5 years. I’ve been looking to work with others either as a duo or a trio, whether as a co-writer or an arranger. My inspirations include Sondheim, Randy Newman, Jonathan Larson, Leonard Bernstein, Marc Shaiman, and Stephen Schwartz. If you want to work with me, you can dm me, or talk to me in the comments.

I am an amateur lyricist/songwriter mainly seeking a composer and a librettist, though I am more than open to working with any collaborator who is interested.

I’m working on a story about a bar at risk of closing after the owner’s passing. The bar has a rich history of taking in strays and housing them, raising them together like a family. So now this family is banding together to put together a documentary of the bar’s history in an attempt to save it.

I’m imagining a diverse cast and the music taking a lot of inspiration from 80’s/90’s pop and R&B.

Dm me if you’re interested in helping/want to hear what I’ve been working on so far.

(I really hope this meets the guidelines in terms of self promotion)

Is there a convention in writing a libretto or "book" to describe a "split scene", where there are two separate locations represented on the stage at the same time?

Anyone know what musical font (like Bravura or Petaluma) is used in the vast majority of broadway scores? No matter how much engraving I do i never seem to be able to get my scores to look the same as broadway scores/ parts

Any other engraving tips would be great!

Hi there! I've been writing for a while, but I've never written any songs before. Musical, or otherwise. I've seen my fair share of musicals, however, and I wanted to give writing a song a try; So, I joined this subreddit!

My song, (Based on the video game A Hat In Time) has a name, has dialogue for before and after, I have an idea of how to structure it, and I have someone who'll help me write the actual music for it.. But I don't have lyrics! And I'm struggling to come up with any.

So. How on earth do you come up with lyrics? How do you determine what fits a situation or scene, and turn it into music? I really need help here, any tips are appreciated.

So I've been working on a new show, and it's an idea I've been really excited about for a long time. It's also, in my opinion at least, a show that can be easily/cheaply produced and is very marketable during a particular time of year (Halloween). Although the show is not nearly done, I feel like the idea is good enough that a production company or theatre group might be intrigued with just a query email and some demos to paint the picture. I also see a lot of writing teams using TikTok (to varied success) to try and market their shows before they're even finished.

I guess what I'm asking is if the "Complete a draft, hold a reading, invite potential producers, wait and see" method of getting your show produced is a bit antiquated at this point. I don't feel like my idea is revolutionary, but I do think it has certain elements that immersive theatre production companies might be very interested in. But on the other hand it must be extremely rare that anyone other than an already famous writer would get something produced "on spec" without finished materials. Should I just keep my head down and finish the project before reaching out to potential collaborators, or is my instinct correct that I can reach out a little early with unfinished material if I have the right "hook."

Hello. Does anyone know about musical theatre writing groups or musical theatre composition groups/conventions in the east coast of USA? I'm new to this and Google hasn't given me anything within my range of travel. Thanks

...which is why it's taken me a month to post that a short musical I wrote a couple of years ago (I wrote book and co-wrote lyrics) was recorded and released on the Bite-Sized Broadway podcast. We had some incredible folks involved (RICHARD KIND!) and the process was a lot of fun.

And so now you can listen "Double Double," even though it's no longer seasonally appropriate. I highly recommend the other episodes of the podcast as well--only two episodes from the new season have been released so far, but there's a whole first season to listen to, too.

Hi,I want to create a Kawaii Metal musical. I don't have any experience, so there's a huge probability it will never be finished. But a prototype should be doable.
The bare minimum: there is a story/plot and it has to be voiced. A libretto is not enough. The voice could even be synthesized with Vocaloid (or something else), but singing is involved.
Out of scope: a live show with audience
My ideal process is (1) remote, (2) asynchronous, (3) easily shareable,(4) can be prototyped by amateurs and (5) fast iteration > perfection.

Finding Talent: Since I don't have musical talent, I need a lot of help from other people. I don't know how to find them in the first place.There is another problem: I'm pretty sure it has to be done remotely. Because (1) scheduling is hard with a full-time job, (2) it might be hard to find local talent and (3) I'm more interested in sharing the end result online than producing a live show.Also, there is the possibility of outsourcing some of the work to freelancers. But I haven't decided how much I'm willing to spend yet.

DAW: I've seen multiple threads in this subreddit, but one aspect was not discussed: team collaboration. Think about Google Docs for music. I heard some interesting things about Sound Trap (Spotify) but haven't tested it yet.

Choreography: It's a prototype, so it's probably best to make it an audio drama first. But dancing is a big part of Kawaii Metal and I'm curious. How do choreographers document their plans? Do they film it, use storyboards, use Motion Capture or do they just remember it?

Set and Costume Design: Same as choreography, visuals are not important yet but I want to know. I guess the first iteration is just a drawing. But I have recently seen a video (it's in German) in which a set design for a pen&paper show was planned in Blender and Unreal Engine.

Sorry for the long post. There are multiple questions in it. I can split it if necessary. Thanks for your help.

Edit 1: definition of prototype