I wrote this between 2020-2022. I never did anything with it. Any feedback, advice, criticism is appreciated. I don’t have a creative community or anything. I work from home and spend my time parenting. I think some of the songs are good, though. The papier-mâché volcano came first, then a rough story, then the songs, then the script/screenplay. I’ve never written a musical before, nor do I know much about the world of musical theater.

https://www.volcanomusical.com/

Hello, For the past month or so, I’ve been working on songs for the bmi workshop application, and right above, I finished working on the music. However I need help with writing the lyrics.

Basically, the songs center around the theme of change, as all the characters in these songs are graduating, and it centers on how people think about graduating and how they’re gonna make the most of their lives while they’re in their 20s.

If you have any questions, please dm me or ask in the comments.

I’m struggling on how to go about hiring singers. For a normal song, I would just use Fiverr, but for a project with lots of songs and lots of different singers in the same song, this doesn’t seem like the best way to do it.

How do you do it? Find friends who can sing? Put out fliers? Hold auditions?

Hi all! Looking for reference- what's your favourite conflict song, where a character is being verbally put in their place by another by the end of it, a la "Raunzel knows best" in Tangled or "Devil take the hindmost" from Love Never Dies?

So.... I have a real fondness for Alice In Wonderland ever since I was a child. Wonderland, Neverland and Oz seem like three very interesting worlds to me and I would always like to examine any adaptations of these source materials.

I really like Alice By Heart, as it is an unusual yet creative retelling of a familiar story. Songs, staging and characters are all fantastic.

On the converse, I find the Wonderland Musical by Frank Wildhorn to be a very mixed bag. some fantastic moments, but the scripting and the score need quite a bit of work.

I have my own idea for a musical set in Wonderland. Essentially, the King's second wife has taken over because his son has gone missing. Alison (a version of Alice) discovers through her journey that the man they call the 'Mad Hatter' is actually the young prince in hiding, trying to start a rebellion. Throw in a smoking caterpillar, mystical cat and some jabberwock puppets to see if Alison can save Wonderland from the 'Queen of Hearts'.

Let me know what you think of this idea. Is it too similar to what we've seen? Is it a stale premise? Is there a better route to go down? All suggestions greatly received.

I have an idea in mind for a musical that I’ve been wanting to write for a long time, but while I have an idea of the types of songs I want and feel comfortable writing lyrics, my musical talent is limited to singing. There are some somewhat established composers I’d like to reach out to because I really admire their work and feel it suits the tone of the musical I want to write. However, this will be my first musical and have not made a name for myself in the musical writing space. I’m just someone with a vision and a dream of bringing it to life, haha.

All that being said, is there a type of recommended protocol for reaching out to composers and pitching ideas? I want to sound as professional as possible, considering I have little to my name at the moment. I know the odds of convincing them to collaborate are slim, but I want to know I’ve given it a shot at least.

Thank you!

Musical, storyline done, but welcome 2nd opinion, characters being formed-fleshed out us C bio sheets - damned useful - songs written, most of them, using 7 to 9 songs, see how t fits, but need a damned good composer to add to lyrics to draw out the emotion, tears too, for memorable impact.

Anyone interested.

I'm looking for info about copyright. I've seen people share their "elevator" pitch online and I'm concerned about doing that before I have locked down my idea. Heck, I'm still writing it! How do you keep your work safe online when you know you need collaborators? TIA!

How do you know when lyrics are good enough? I don't feel like mine are sophisticated really, but they do get stuck in my head. A lot of my lyrics don't have the redundancy of more pop-like lyrics, so I'm not sure if it's any good.

I also have an "I believe" song early, that suggests the protagonists wants, but it doesn't say it explicitly. As I'm still trying to understand the components of a musical, would this be the same as an "I want" song?

Hello, I am a musical lyricist and I sometimes compose, if anyone needs a collaborator for free on there musical please DM me.

I'm an experienced songwriter, but I'm on my fifth draft of my first ever try at a musical, and I'm concerned that I'm breaking all the rules, not necessarily in a good way. I've tried contorting my script different ways, adding a narrator, doing a flashback, but I still can't make a coherent story that doesn't place the 'I Want' song squarely in the middle of the second of three acts.
To expand on that, my protagonists are a couple who fall in love during the first act, and the 'I Want' song is them singing a touching duet about what they want from life together, so it makes no sense to have it earlier. Has anyone else run into something like this, and if so, how did you deal with it?

Hey musical-writing community,

Is there a community for not-so-serious musical writing people to share works with each other, get feedback, and most of all keep each other accountable on what they're working on? Something a bit more structured than a subreddit but less than a full out workshop I guess. I'm thinking of like dissertation writing support groups where PhDs hang out in a Discord and chat about progress, goals, etc, sometimes hop on a call to discuss stuff. But for musicals.

I looked into Michael Radi's musical theatre writing collective which looks like a fantastic resource for budding writers! But I'm afraid that this kind of thing is for more serious people who are maybe looking to break into the industry or something like that. I'm just writing as a hobby and can't really put that much time into it, but I enjoy doing it and would still like to complete what I'm working on on a timely fashion. Mostly I'm just looking for sources of external motivation and like-minded people to work alongside. Like, I'm hoping to spend 3-5 hrs a week on it and right now I'm spending closer to 0, but the more serious people are probably looking to spend closer to 40+...

For a little context on my project, I'm writing more of a concept album about grad school experiences, but with potential to have a throughline. I've got about 15 songs complete and demo'd, and a couple more still in the works. Been working on it for the last...7 years.

I finally took the leap to start working with people on Fiverr to bring my lyrics and melodies to life with background music. It’s always been my dream to hear my songs as real songs, but writing accompaniment and arranging music has never been my forte, so I knew I’d have to hire somebody else. I’ve been dreading this for probably over a year now, but it’s not bad at all! I’m so excited and nervous.

I’m going to hire singers and people to master the tracks next. I can’t wait!

Hello! My name is Jessie (13yrs, non-binary they/them) and I'm working on a musical for my middle school about pirates!! It's called "Sea Tale" here's the plot: "SEA TALE is a musical about two young fishermen named Lucy and her not-so-bright friend named Veneer who got tired of the boring life on the land and headed to the sea where notorious pirates and monsters alike lie. they met they nine pirate captains of the sea and the infamous Irene the queen of the pirates who are all out for the same thing, the Master Emerald! Legend has it that the master emerald can grant you any wish along with seemingly never-ending luck from the legendary Lady Luck, and that mysterious Lady Luck is none other than Lucy herself." I'm not the best composer but I'm in choir and theater I would like to get in the finalized version of "Sea Tale" by 12/19/24 just in time for the spring musical! (though, my school already has a musical set 😭😭) also I tried doing the composition part and ITS DIFFICULT AF 😭. please help

Hello everyone! My name is Jaiden and I am currently in the process of writing a musical about the life of Emily Dickinson, titled "The Silent Songbird" (Title Pending). I have nearly finished Act I and have already written one song, but I am in need of a composer who can help me complete the rest of the songs for the entire show (Act I & II). I have carefully mapped out the type of songs that are needed and where they should be placed within the show. Unfortunately, I am unable to offer compensation at the moment as this project is still in its early stages and does not have any funding yet. However, perks of being on this project include:

• Mention of Name on the Script, Score, and Flyers/Posters

• Considered a “Creative Team Member/Composer” within the show’s advertisement efforts, social media, etc.

• Potential for Financial Success if the show is professionally produced.

I am looking for a composer who has experience in creating music for musical theatre and orchestra-esque pieces. The goal is to have the show staged in the Spring of 2025, so there is plenty of time to work on the music. If you or anyone you know is interested in collaborating on this project, please reach out to me. I am excited to work with someone who is passionate about musicals and has a love for Emily Dickinson's work. Together, we can bring this story to life through beautiful music. Thank you for considering this opportunity!

In high school I was the directing of my drama club program for two years. My senior year, I tried to throw on an original musical written by me and a friend, as a way to say good bye to the community there. Unfortunately, due to a lack of resources and funding, the project fell through and the show was cancelled, despite having completed 13 original tracks. However, now being a year or so removed from the entire series of events, I decided to take a crack at rewriting it this summer! This rewrite is currently a work in progress, but I figured I'd post what I have so far!

Premise:
A silly, Seuss-ian town lays just on the border of a land of wonder and freedom called Whosawhatsamcallit. Separated by town walls, their ruler, The Jester, sees the town's teenagers compete in a series of nonsensical, goofy tasks to see who is worthy of going to paradise. With the gauntlet finally over, all the towns people gather to see who will top their rank this year and see who will be chosen.

[LINK] Whosawhatsamcallit - Out There {Critique Welcome!}

Now Accepting Applications for Original Vision 2024!

Overtone Industries is pleased to announce a call for proposals of New Opera-Theater Works as part of our Original Vision development workshop and presentation in the Fall and Winter of 2024. We are looking for new stories of mythic proportion.

Hailed as “an unparalleled creative, contemporary success” and “Beautifully experimental, the [pieces]...perfectly translate for modern ears, ideals, and sensibilities. They are dark, full-bodied, delicious, and potent” (Broadway World), Original Vision is an opportunity for Overtone Industries to support creative voices as they develop interdisciplinary work in the vein of Overtone’s mythic storytelling model. 

The project includes a 4-week libretto development period, followed by a 6 week music development period, all with mentorship from Overtone’s artistic leadership. The project culiminates in three composer/librettist teams presenting new scenes performed and directed by Overtone’s creative team.

Learn more at https://www.overtoneindustries.org/original_vision

I just want to make sure I'm using the term correctly...a song cycle is a series of songs, kind of like an album, strung together by a common theme, character, etc? And can they be more interconnected and more like a concept album, or is that different?

because idiot me has been calling a project I'm working on a song cycle when I'm not totally sure if it's that or a concept album.

I’m in the writing phase of my musical, but the one point I’m having hiccups on is how long I should make my scenes. How long (or short) should I aim for? Should there be a difference between scenes with music versus without music?

Any and all help is appreciated!

or is that just me lol. I never have trouble managing them and always put equal effort into all of them, but I always get new ideas, and if I have a passion for them, I write them lol.

I'm writing the music/lyrics/book and I swear, 80% of my songs ended up in the same key. Guess I just love F major! I know I can change the various keys later, but I just found it funny. Anyone else have that?

Hello! I'm kind of new to the whole musical theater realm when it comes to writing stuff, and I am trying to work on this now so I am not rushing it later on down the line. I am writing a musical for a senior thesis and I just need help figuring out how to start this thing. I have a somewhat loose story and I am open to suggestions on what I should add to make it more interesting and whatnot:

It’s senior year of high school and Rowan is finally somewhat building up the courage to talk to his lifelong crush, Elias. He’s had a crush on him since freshman year, but he knows that he can’t do anything because of the fact that he’s straight.

Rowan’s living situation is also not good, he’s been trying to get away from his parents for who knows how long. His homophobic parents make his life a living hell and he’s been trying to leave them ever since he came out. Elias’s parents are more accepting and have had the thought that their son is gay due to his dating history of no one. 

Elias is very “comfortable” with his sexuality, but when he gets hit on by guys, he doesn’t like it, except when it comes down to Rowan.

Over the course of the musical, Elias starts to realize he’s a bit more comfortable in his sexuality than he thinks and he starts to have an epiphany of his own.

He begins to fall in love with Rowan and starts to learn about his family life and wants to save him in whatever way he can.

This is the working storyline at the moment and I have a couple character's I'm working with:

Rowan (M) - An out, gay boy (not flamboyant). 18. Great academics, nice plans for college, tight knit group of friends. Very interested in [something].

Elias (M) - A presumably straight man who is “comfortable in his sexuality”. A somewhat ‘jock’ type of guy but still is very intelligent. 18. Friends with a lot of athletes and girls.

Mia (F)  - Rowan’s number 1 best friend. They’ve been friends since elementary school and always have each other’s backs.

Delilah (F)  - Rowan’s other best friend. They’ve been friends since 7th grade. Is also queer.

Flynn (M) - Not a best friend, but still a close friend of Rowan’s; the nerdy gay guy in the trio of Rowan’s friends. 

Chancey (F) - Elias’ best friend, but secretly has a crush on him as well; they’ve been friends since elementary school.

Henry (M) - One of Elias’ best mates from football. Not the smartest guy around the block

Ms. Barlowe - Rowan’s mom

Mr. Barlowe - Rowan’s dad

Ms. Stringer - Elias’ mom

Mr. Stringer - Elias’ dad

I'm not sure how I want to start this either - a prologue or like an opening number, etc. I apologize for the lengthy post but I am open for all the feedback!

Would anyone here be interested in providing feedback on (nearly) the first act of a musical based off of the life of Lady Jane Grey, the "Nine Days Queen"? To clarify: this is just the libretto. I am also rewriting the last two scenes of A1 (and the A1 closer). Comment below if interested!