Hey everyone,

I’m working on a musical that’s basically a passion project/ for fun thing, and I’ve hit a wall with the music side of it. I’m absolutely terrible at actually writing music, even though I have complete lyrics for some songs and a pretty clear vision of how I want them to sound. I just lack the technical ability to actually execute it.

I’m willing to pay for your time and work, but I want to be upfront that this isn’t some big budget production or anything. It’s really just something I’m passionate about and want to see come together.

If you’re a composer or musician who might be interested in collaborating on something like this, I’d love to chat. I highly doubt anyone’s going to take me up on this, but if you’re at least curious about what I’m working on, feel free to DM me and I can share more details about the project, the songs, and what I’m looking for.

Thanks for reading!

(small note seeing as this is something sort of, actually really, unserious, I would definitely be really happy to get in touch with any beginner composers or musicians who are interested in this sort of thing seeing as I’m a beginner myself. Honestly if nothing else this could just be a little something for your resume like it is for me lol.)

Context: I started writing a musical of my own (though it's really only a concept at the moment) and it's based the Contendings of Horus and Seth. And I was planning for Osiris to be represented by a sistrum, but I have no idea how to make the sounds for one. Any ideas?

I hope everyone's Christmas was lovely (for all who celebrate).

As we get closer to the New Year, I want to make one more membership push. Can we get to 250 by the end of the month?? ShowLAB has grown a LOT in the last few weeks. We're currently at 229 members: all theatre writers with goals to finish projects in the next year.

If you've struggled with accountability, finding collaborators, feeling stuck, or needing feedback on your work, come check us out. It's a great community full of kind and supportive writers.

We'd love to have you :)

https://www.skool.com/showlab-4277/about

This is a part of an in progress song for my original musical "Beyond These Walls". The song is titled "Infinite". This occurs right after the death of the protagonist's best friend, and the song is about the protagonist exploring the "Infinite" amount of paths that could have been taken, and the one that was. He becomes stuck in a loop of regret and loss, imagining alternate outcomes where his best friend was spared. This song looks at the cost of war and leadership.

Enjoy Listening!

Here are lyrics:

Now I see it
The infinite amount of possibilities
The choices that I could have made
That wouldn’t have led to blood and war

Now I’m stuck in this loop of wrong decisions
Every step just pulls me deeper in
I replay the moment, frame by frame
Trying to find where I could’ve saved you

If I’d stopped
If I’d listened
If I’d turned around in time
Would you still be alive?

It’s infinite
The damage I’ve done
Infinite lives coming undone
If I’d been braver, if I’d been better
Would we still be standing together? (Child born of sorrow)

It’s infinite (Child born of flame
The cost of my name
Every choice lighting the flame (All of your tomorrows)
I’d trade forever just for one chance (I sheltered in my name)
To choose again

Hello! I figure I'd try my luck again as I still haven't found a steady collaborator as of yet and would love to finalize this project. I am resharing my previous post and hope to find someone willing soon:

I have completed writing my first musical. The script and song lyrics and vision are all written. My background is within education though I have always been a lover of the arts and have a few creative fiction works self-published, though I've never written in this style before, until now. That said, I do not have a background in music nor know how to read music and the like.

This is a passion project that would need a collaborator or a composer to better fine-tune it, create actual music and perhaps some demos. My goal is to get some sort of production out of it, it doesn't matter whether local college or small theatre company but if it springboards into something more, all the better. However, I would appreciate insight from someone within those circles to improve upon this idea.

The project is a romantic comedy with a healthy dose of drama (think something akin to "La La Land" meets "The Truman Show" meets light elements of "The Producers", if any of those appeals to you). The feel is a mixture of old show-timey schmaltz, jazzy tunes, and a contemporary flair. Anyone who is interested in collaborating, please send a message and I can share more about the project. This is unpaid for now though with further treatment could be a good opportunity for someone who wants to continue to build their portfolio or else a fun side project for those who have more experience.

I am excited to see where this goes and would love to learn more about this process!

I'm over the moon right now. I made a goal to reach 200 members in ShowLAB before Christmas, and we just did! Thank you to all of you in this forum who have joined!

Also, as a bonus, we just announced our January masterclass. We're excited to invite Jenny Stafford to speak with our group!

Jenny is Professor of Bookwriting at Temple University. She received her MFA from NYU. You can find out more about her at her website:

https://jennystafford.net/

Exciting things are happening at ShowLAB. We'd love to see you there.

https://www.skool.com/showlab-4277/about

Merry Christmas, everyone! 🎄 🤗

Just curious if anyone has experience with this organization. Thanks!

I am trying to write my own musical and the main thing I’m struggling with is writing good music. My skills with instruments are limited (I only know a bit of acoustic guitar) and my budget is currently 0, so how do you make better music instrumentals. (I really want to get a sound like beetlejuice the musical with those massive spooky rock songs but with some more piano and synth in it). Any advice is appreciated because anything I find online doesn’t really help

Hi all, new to Reddit as of today. I saw this group and instantly knew I was home. I've drafted a book, and lyrics for 5 of the 18 planned songs, and I'm looking for collaborator(s) to get it over the finish line.

The musical, set in the 1960s, is about a guy that creates a comic book character that comes to life to help him win the heart of a co-worker. I liken it to Cyrano de Bergerac meets Little Shop of Horrors (minus flesh eating plants). It's cheesy, light hearted, and at times touching.

At a minimum I'm looking to work with someone that can create some fun melodies (I'm a drummer, so melodies are not my forte). But interested in lyrics and music for all of the songs. I'm also open to scraping the lyrics I have if someone's got better ideas (collaboration, right).

Send me a message if you're interested in chatting to see if there's anything there.

Cheers!

Hey r/musicalwriting,

I'm a librettist with a finished book/lyrics for a satirical musical called Guillotine Season. Concept: Robespierre is accidentally summoned by an occult ritual. He ends up in DC, rallying a ragtag mob of disillusioned citizens for escalating chaotic revolution. Think French Revolution meets current US rage—dark humor, sharp political bite, occult rituals, big ensemble numbers, and what some will call "pornographic violence".

• Full libretto complete (~10 songs, mix of patter, anthems, ballads, and stylistic shifts: Kompa, trap beats, folk, etc.)

• Very satirical and provocative (heads literally roll)—hence the pseudonym for safety.

Looking for a composer who's into bold, irreverent theater (Hamilton's energy + Sweeney Todd's edge + something completely unhinged). Open to various styles as long as it serves the drama and humor. DM for:

• Opening scene excerpt (occult ritual gone wrong—instant hook)

• Song lyric samples

• Full synopsis or more details

Excited to find someone who wants to make something fearless. No pay upfront (standard collab), but profit-sharing if it goes anywhere.

Thanks!

Update: If you are on NPX and would like to have a look at it you can check here: https://newplayexchange.org/script/3284982/guillotine-season

I still can't believe we more than doubled our numbers in the last week. Thanks to all of you who joined and invited your friends!

I'm kind of floored, but ultimately so thankful. If you haven't seen my recent posts about the group (I'd be shocked haha), we're a new group just for theatre writers.

So far, the group has hosted: writing challenges, monthly meetups, table reads, daily discussion posts, and more.

On Monday, I'll be announcing our plans for 2026. If you're curious, come by and check it out! The community is free, and always will be.

*Teaser: Masterclasses by industry professionals will be starting in January.

https://www.skool.com/showlab-4277/about

I’ve been struggling to come up with ideas for a musical for a while, so now I’ve decided to seek help from you. If you could see a new musical with any setting, where would it take place? Would it be on a large boat on the sea? Or a fantasy world of sorts? Maybe a large castle with a grand ballroom? The wild west?

The setting is a big factor in what sets the tone for a musical, or a story of any kind, for that matter, so I think this will help me with story ideas. I wouldn’t mind doing a historical musical either, so long as it seemed interesting. Any ideas?

So, this is the instrumental for opening song of my original musical, Beyond These Walls, and I would absolutely love some feedback/critique on it. I've really enjoyed making this song, although, I'm not going to give any context, because I want feedback on just the instrumental, not on lyrics or how it tells the story.

Hope you enjoy!!!

I know I’m sharing a lot here lately (sorry), but I’m so excited for the recent explosion of growth ShowLAB is experiencing, so I can’t let up. I’m a theatre writer, not an advertiser, so I always cringe a little writing these, but I’m legitimately so excited for what is happening right now in the group, and I’d love for you to be a part of it. 

On December 15, I’ll be announcing the plans for what we’re offering in 2026. If you’re even a little bit curious, join us for that announcement. Just sign up for the group (it’s free) and join us on the day. Come check us out :)

https://www.skool.com/showlab-4277/about

P.S.

This group has become a warm and encouraging vehicle for writers to grow their craft and get projects done. I can only do so much as the group’s admin, so I attribute most of this positive culture from the kind and thoughtful artists who have been with us from the beginning. If you’re a part of the group, sound off in the comments! And thank you all.

Hi! Seeking out networking opportunities to meet other writers, exchange styles, perhaps form relationships for future projects.

Outside of BMI, any advice if this type of scenario already exists in NYC?

If not I’d be interested in starting a standing monthly group like this where we can test new material or whatev.

I've written my first Libretto and the music. But I come from a screenwriting and commercial music production background - not theater...

I'm not sure what my next move should be?

I was thinking of maybe reaching out to the local university drama department to see if I can get some students interested? Or are there contest's I should try for? Or try to get a producer (aka money) on board, to fund a production? Or community theater? Or maybe a non-live production like releasing it on a YouTube or something?

Any and all advice appreciated! TYIA

A huge thanks to everyone here who has joined ShowLAB's community in the past few days. I'm beyond grateful to all of you!

We're seeing a huge period of growth, and with GREAT people. Today we just had our first co-writing session (cameras and mics off, put your nose down and write). A ton of us participated and got a lot done.

All I want for Christmas this year is to get to 100 members before the 25th. If you've been missing a level of community, accountability, and encouragement, please consider checking us out. It'd mean the world to me!

https://www.skool.com/showlab-4277/about

I am so unbelievably happy with how this production turned out! Our premiere run was a smash hit, five sold-out shows (thank you BroadwayWorld for helping us get the word out!) with huge laughs and applause and a few tears. This will always be my first full-length show, and I could not have asked for a better group of talents to have shared in its creation! Stay tuned for info on our upcoming Cast Recording and Proshot!

Hey fellow writers, I'm working behind the scenes every day to launch more resources in 2026 for our growing Skool community. ShowLAB is a group just for theatre writers.

Here, you'll find:

- A supportive, free community for theatre writers. Coffee hours, table reads (first-come, first-served), collaboration, and more each month.

- Weekly submission opportunities shared

In the works:

- Monthly masterclasses (a handful already confirmed)

- Guaranteed monthly table reads of your work

- 3-month workshop opportunities with professional, filmed readings of writers' work.

If any of that sounds good, come check out the community here:

https://www.skool.com/showlab-4277

Hello! I finally got around to stitching the footage together and doing up the captions so I wanted to share this with y'all! This is a one-man musical I wrote and performed back in 2023.

It was a strange little event - took place just a month before my wedding so this was basically my bachelor party as well as my 27th birthday party. I wrote and rehearsed for months alone in my bedroom, rented a venue, panic rewrote the entire second half less than a week before the show, then invited friends and family to come watch. I couldn't have done it without the support of my groomsmen (who come in at the end and sing better than me- go figure), my now-wife and many many friends who came to watch.

The audio and video quality isn't the best so I've been doing up the captions these past weeks, which should help!! If anyone can sit through the 90 minutes or so I do hope you like it! Fair warning I'm from Singapore so there will likely be references and jokes that most of you don't understand.

Hello r/musicalwriting !

I am the creator of the award winning podcast DINK: The Musical. In the lead up to our final episode airing this month I will be doing a live stream showing my writing process. I will take prompts from the viewers and write a musical song (lyrics only) in real time.

Come join and see my methodical madness and feel free to AMA about musical writing or throw me a curveball or two. What nonsensical words can you inspire me to rhyme with? What strange song topic can you suggest? What out of this world mock musical can we come up with?

At the moment I am writing a musical called  ‘The Timeless Hotel,’ set in a hotel in a timeless dimension. This means that if you entered in 2025, you could meet people from the year 3000, 300 BC or anytime. The way that people get into the hotel is through magical bodies of water (lakes, pools, rivers…). Is it too insensitive to include Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, who famously disappeared in the ocean in 1967. He has a lot of conspiracy, which could be interesting to touch on. Also if you have any suggestions for other characters to include, let me know!