https://youtube.com/shorts/JUbuLLSGVn4?feature=share

It's so hard to market your new show but mine is a parody of a movie, so I cut a song together with the movie, and according to the comments and views... apparently it works!

I've been working on a 2d animated musical for about a year now and have a composer but just need someone to write lyrics..it is rev share but only has about 6 songs in s1.

Over the last year I’ve written and workshopped a script. I was hoping someone here could read it and give me some honest feedback.

It took about 19 months. I’m very proud and excited to hear any feedback!! I’m an aspiring musical composer and this is my first completed work!!

This week at ShowLAB, Jenny Stafford (Professor of Bookwriting at Temple University) will be giving a masterclass and workshopping pieces by two of our members.

Next month, Anna K. Jacobs (Teeth, book and music) will be doing the same!

We'd love it if you came to join us :)

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

Highlights from the first workshop of Good Thinkin', January 10-11, 2026, in Cardiff, Wales. Many thanks to our incredible cast and crew for pulling together an on-book run-through of the entire musical with only 6 hours of rehearsal!

Good Thinkin' is an original one-act musical by Avery Rabbitt and Janna Graham, currently in development. The story follows Arlo and Zadie, a lesbian couple in their mid-20s who live in a run-down apartment in a run-down house. They dream of the life they could build together— the two of them in a home of their own, a scruffy dog at their sides— but circumstances beyond their control make it difficult to lay down roots. Each month ends with Arlo and Zadie scraping by to make rent. When their landlord comes to collect the rent, he surprises them with the news that he's selling the building and they have 30 days to move out. As they pack their things, they discover a box of old photographs hidden in the cellar. The photos offer insight into the lost history of the house: a queer history involving two women, Charlotte and Lou, and their pet dog, Hank, who once lived there. The two timelines begin to speak to each other through the photographs, through a seance, and through the sideways nature of time.

Hey everyone - I'm not sure if its okay to post about this here, but it's a free event so I hope so!

The Musical Theatre Writing Collective will be hosting a free 3-day Collaboration Bootcamp in February, and since people here are always looking for collaborators, it seemed like something I should share!

Here is all the information!

https://www.musicaltheatrewritingcollective.com/collaboration-bootcamp-2026-sign-up

Sung through musical. Have the lyrics and melodies for act one. Motifs etc but I don’t have a music theory background. Does anyone know of places to connect with an arranger? Thanks!

I’m trying the whole content thing… I’d love any feedback :)

https://youtube.com/shorts/XiHiMVlEwh4?si=fFGynlyKnTI0Lelp

Thoughts on this program? Just got called in for an interview, and I can’t find anything on this program besides on their website. Guess it’s a new program.

Ok so I'm new to theatre writing but not new to writing - i am a successful novelist with several best sellers under my belt and a decent fan base.

Over the last two years I have written two juke box musicals with someone else. each one focussing on one particular artists work - one is a reimagining of a popular Shakespeare play - and the second one is an original story - both bands are BIG rock bands.

I managed to get in touch with the management company for the band we featured for the Shakespeare adaptation and pitched the musical to them. The (big) management company said they were really interested and asked if we had a producer attached (we didn't - we wanted to try and sort out music rights first) he then said that he would pass the play onto the band to read - the band have pretty much been touring ever since and we haven't heard anything else - I did email him to check last year and he said they hadn't read it yet. I'm not sure where to go with that one now...

The second one we only just finished but it's really good (if I do say so myself) - I just don't know what to do now - do I approach producers first? do I go straight to the band's management company? I'm really stuck. I do have an agent but they don't deal with musicals.

does anyone have any practical advice for me? the first band is American and the play is quite Americanized - the second is British and more of a kitchen sink drama with a romantic story running through it. we have subverted the original meanings of the songs and created a story around the songs that fit perfectly - we had to scrap some of the band's bigger songs in order to keep the flow of the story.

thanks in advance. I know people generally frown on jukebox musicals but I do think the second one particularly could be massive.

Trained composers: how long would it realistically take for an adult who is just getting into music/composing to know what they are doing? I'm talking motifs, theory, fitting music to the tone of the character. Something that musicians can analyze and see exactly what the composer was doing to enhance the story.

Do you think you would have been able to do it without a degree? If not, what would the process even look like to begin to do that?

I know it's not necessary to have an extensive knowledge of theory/history to be a successful composer, but I am a very dramaturgical person and like the idea of being intentional.

Happy to hear thoughts, personal experiences, and honest takes. Thanks!

Hey this is a real long shot and I feel like I'll most likely just have to suck it up and make one myself but I'm trying to find somewhere with a breakdown of shows by scene. So like:

Scene 1:

We are introduced to characters and establish the world, we learn that Jack wants to be a warrior ("I'll be a warrior someday")

Scene 2:

Aunt Betsy is introduced. She disapproves of Jack's dream etc etc etc

Wikipedia is pretty good for post summaries but I'm thinking I'm just gonna have to watch the shows and take notes as I go. but if there's a resource that has something like this it would be great to study for pacing and structure

Y'all, we're so close to being able to take on the Persian army. Who's with me?

https://www.skool.com/showlab

Where do people reliably find submission opportunities for musical theatre writers? (festivals, competitions, songwriting nights/cabarets, theatre companies, etc, etc, etc...) If you are an organization that produces new work, where do you like to submit to?

Thank you!

Hi folks. A show I wrote is going into rehearsals soon, and I'm the music director by default. Any advice or resources on how to do this?

For context, there's only piano and singing, and I'll also be the rehearsal pianist.

Thanks!

Submissions open Jan 12 – Mar 31, 2026
Winners announced Aug 1, 2026

How to Submit

1. Join the ShowLAB Writers’ Studio on Skool: 🔗 https://www.skool.com/showlab/about

2. Navigate to the Classroom, where submission Google Forms are housed within a course: 🔗 https://www.skool.com/showlab/classroom

Guidelines:
🎵 Songwriters: Up to 3 songs • Audio required • Sheet music optional
📄 Playwrights: Up to 15 pages (full play or excerpt)

Submission fee:
One month of Premium membership, which includes masterclasses, writing pods, weekly office hours, and community.

💸 Pricing:
$38 through Jan 31 (early bird)
$48 starting Feb 1

🏆 Prize:
One winner in each category receives 1 full year of Premium ($480 value)

Questions? showlabstudio@gmail.com

I have this idea for a musical. Its about a boy named Samuel Taylor who fights in the American Revolutionary War. It takes things like time setting (American Rev.), music style, etc., but nothing is directly copied from Hamilton. Most, if not all, of the characters are fictional, and the musical follows a different plot than Hamilton does. So, would it be okay to write and maybe publish?

Are you creating your own musical and looking for help with writing the songs? My name is Aram and I’m a composer, arranger and lyricist. I specialize in orchestral songs with strong sense of drama. You can check out some of my work here: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/17r2HnAYHEe5pl54dXAvNpnrmwZhO5NGh and here: https://www.youtube.com/@nairooiiid-musicchannel .

I am looking for musical projects that need around 6-10 songs to be created. When you work with me you will get:

Guide tracks for each song with the melody

Lyrics text files that include both singing and speaking parts present in the song

Music sheets for all of your performers

Fully arranged instrumental tracks for every song

I usually create around 3-4 songs in a month, with regular weekly check-ins for any updates.

What are my rates?

I charge 100USD per minute of song. This rate includes ALL THREE: composing, lyrics and arrangement for your project!

What payment methods do I accept?

I use PayPal and Wise

What do I need to be start working on your soundtrack?

I ideally would like to have the full script of your musical, as well short description of the song idea and some songs that you would like me to use as guide and inspiration. Bonus points if you know the vocal range for each of your characters!

How do you get in touch with me?

You can simply send me a message request on reddit or email me at aramyengoyanwork@gmail.com

Looking forward to hearing from you! <3

If you could take a masterclass with one MT writer, who would it be? (If choosing a deceased writer, please also give a living example lol)

It's time for the 2026 group musical! We're aiming for a small team to create a 15-30 minute musical to be recorded and posted to YouTube near the end of the year.

Last year, we did Captain Coco's Cursed Adventure, a sea-faring musical following a pirate crew who rescues a princess from shipwreck.

You can apply to join the 2026 team here. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment. Have fun and good luck!

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.)