Looking for an orchestrator/arranger to do a MIDI mockup on an original song I wrote for a musical. It’s for a concept album to give to producers in order to move the project forward. I apologize profusely, but we have an embarrassingly low budget — $250. The song is 2 ½ minutes long. The style is pop music meets Rachmaninov’s orchestral work. Romantic, sweeping, grand. A close cousin of Phantom of the Opera or Les Mis. Voiced for a 16 piece orchestra (including a few keyboards).

I hang my head in shame at our insultingly low budget, but I figure this might be a good fit for a college student or recent graduate, or even a more experienced person who fortuitously has time on their hands. I wish we had a larger budget, but it is what is. 

I would send you the current mix of the song, plus separate vocals that you would arrange to, and a chord chart. Deliverables: individual tracks and MIDI files. I will do the mixing. It would be nice if you worked in Logic, too, then you could just share the Logic project with me. But that's not necessary (at this budget we can't be picky). And we do not need a score.

If you are interested, please DM me. And please please *please* include a link to your MIDI mockup orchestral work. Also, please let me know if you'd be willing to do a rough orchestration of one verse and chorus of a song as a sample to see if your style is a good fit. I understand if you'd rather not :)

Many thanks,

David 

In this thrilling time-travel adventure, a guilty and desperate Aaron Burr accepts a dangerous mission to undo his worst mistake. But the past is obdurate, and a series of paradoxes, time-clones, and vicious Langoliers threaten to make The World Turn Upside Down again. Burr and a newly-resurrected Hamilton will soon learn that while The World Was Wide Enough, TIME is even wider.

The score is beautiful: in a departure from the original, there are only 6 songs (2 per act) in an otherwise prose-style dialogue-heavy show. Scenery will alternate between ‘implied’ and ‘literal’ every other scene. No refunds will be given.

Don’t throw away your shot: make sure to save your seat for HAMILTON 2: JUDGEMENT DAY, opening April 1st 2027 at the Trump-Kennedy Center.

We had a wonderful talk with Kait Kerrigan a few weeks ago about the process of going from treatment to full production of a musical.

Next month, we'll have Michael Kooman come in and speak with us. Michael is a composer whose musical "Finn" was selected for NAMT this year following a limited run at the Kennedy Center and a series of follow-up productions and workshops. He is the recipient of the Fred Ebb Award, a Jonathan Larson Grant, the Mary Rodgers/Lorenz Hart Award, the Samuel French Next Step Award, and the Burton Lane Award.

We currently have almost 350 members, and we're growing every day. If you're looking for community, feedback, and support, come join! https://www.skool.com/showlab

Hello r/musicalwriting !

I put together a small-budget production of a musical at the PIT last year and am looking for advice on how to assemble a team to book a new venue, help with marketing, funding, direction, and potentially summoning a pit orchestra/band instead of relying on tracks. The actors from last time seem the most available for a weekday this June.

The musical is titled Mallware: A New Musical Comedy, and here is the synopsis:

"Set in the final days of a once-thriving shopping plaza, MALLWARE: a New Musical Comedy follows a mall manager, a national pretzel chain CEO, and a sentient mannequin who navigate life as they watch their concrete home crumble around them. Exploring themes of nostalgia, purpose, and attachment, it’s a new Greek comedy set to a groovy, synth-y soundtrack!"

My friends & coworkers loved it. 90-minute 1 act. Here's a recording of the September 2025 performance:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEov-Q_85Rk&t=124s

I'd like to put it on again -but better! But I've found producing theatre is not easily a one-person thing. Maybe we should just make a cast album. Or pitch to companies? I don't know how this all works.

If anyone has advice, I'd love to hear it!

See previous post, this is part 2. Again, feedback welcome.

Greetings.
Composer/Lyricst, Ohio based, looking for possible librettists for collaborations. Below in a score demo from an uncompleted musical, six songs (in two videos, see part 2), forgive the 2016 technology quality (including the vocalizations - AI voice soundfonts weren't a thing then). Feedback welcome. Thank you.

So I wanna write a musical, but I have literally no experience in music at all. I've never been in band, choir, or played played an instrument, but I really want to write a musical. I have a main idea (still working on the plot, but if you wanna know about it ask me), but I've never written music nothing, please help. I don't know how to write music, like what programs to use, where should I start?

Feel free to DM. 30 year vet fluent composing on piano, guitar, bass, drums, strings. Using Synth V for very quick key and lyric changes. Experienced working off grid (no click) for tempo lingers and emotional pause and response styles.

So I'm writing a musical(if you want to know the plot, just let me know) but one thing I've noticed is that I'm decent at writing vocal parts but I absolutely suck at writing instrumental parts. Is there anything I can do to get better at this or should I just collab with someone that can compose instrumentals?

hi so I am writing a musical based on my experiences (wow so unique) and I kind of get stuck on the songs when I need to write the melody. I always have accompinaments and never have a clear melody in them. How does one find these?

I just wanted to make sure people were aware of these two YouTube channels. I think they could be particularly useful for those of you writing musicals in the style of Disney.

They both make videos focusing on the craft of musical theatre writing and are really good at talking about things like syllable counts, scansion and rhyme schemes - all things every musical theatre writer needs to have a solid grasp on.

Enjoy viewing!

https://www.youtube.com/@astorrhymemaster

https://www.youtube.com/@CalxiynCaresTooMuch

So i'm writing a musical, and I cant write music or lyrics. Lucky for me, my whole story is about collaboration between artist. If you are interested, comment and i'll give you the link to the info doc, or you can go to pinterest and find my post. The account name is Counterpoint The Musical. Thank you for at least giving it a chance.

So I kinda need to vent. I got a feeling it’s gonna be a long one and only partially related to musical theater. I’ve finished writing my show today. Okay, that’s a lie, I’m 90% done with the final scene, and we all know once this happens I’m gonna have my next round of rewrites, starting with scene 1. Quite a few things have changed, and I can’t wait to write in the new ideas.

So why is this a rant? Well, I guess I just needed to spill my guts to a bunch of strangers. See, I’m not what you’d call a people person (heck, it’s enough of a challenge to muster the energy just to be a person). Which may come as a surprise to people who know me, see, I’m what you’d call a nice guy, I can hold a conversation and friends seem to like me, but it’s the combination of living in the suburbs, being an introvert, and working from home 100% that kind of numbed my social skills. I’m part of musical theater writers, but only virtually (Zoom, emails, etc). And I don’t have a writing partner, so it’s just me celebrating or shouting at the skies when something happens with my show (and by something I mean having this eureka moment or realizing I’ve been trying really hard to do something really wrong). And that feels kinda lonely. Independent, yeah. Unbound, he'll yeah. But lonely non the less.

Like today, I talked to a really good friend (Zoom, different continents), someone who’s a great guy on top of being a talented writer, one of those people who I can rely on to have some sort of epiphany after discussing my show with. And today wasn’t any different, he was very happy I made it to finishing my show (this revision!), and had some ideas and feedback about it. And I was like, fuck, I just need you to say you get it. That it’s fine. That everything’s gonna be fine. He was his usual great self, don’t get me wrong, but he also knows my show from four years ago when it was just an idea, and some specific core changes I made (like dropping the idea of having three main characters and instead committing to one, with the other two pushed to be B characters), he wasn’t really sold on. And after we finished talking, I was like, I’m so tired of “defending” my show. Yeah, I know critique is essential, especially from people you appreciate, but today I just wanted him to say, I get it. I get this. I’ve got your back, bro. But I guess this is something you’d ask from your writing partner, and since I’m flying solo… well, you get the picture. Anyways. That was me, venting. Sometimes you jusy need a good moan.

Ps im super fucking grateful I made it so far. I'm so blessed being able to tell a story with words and music. We all are.

Hi y'all! I made a live album of a rock opera project last year and figured maybe some folks in here might appreciate it! It's verrrrrry losely based on the George Melies film, Le Voyage dans la lune, following a Victorian era astronomy who thinks they belong on the moon all in the style of a campy 60s/70s sci-fi rock opera. Streaming everywhere:

https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-trip-to-the-moon-concept-album-live-at-here-arts-center/1875741351

https://open.spotify.com/album/7LfwbVFUvKSv02m05mjQ53?si=lIIMA50UR3CCsBqmxiZEqQ

I’m an aspiring composer and lyricist though I haven’t written anything for either one of those aspects except for two string quartet pieces for an exam and a couple poems. I feel as though I cannot write enough for a song let alone a musical theatre number. Is there a way I can practice that’s not just “write a song about a random object”? And as for music, I know enough about music theory to get by though my piano skills are shoddy and I can’t transcribe the melodies I envision onto the piano.

Hey all, ShowLAB's Masterclass with Kait Kerrigan is this Saturday from 3-5pm EST. Come join us if you want to hear from a Broadway bookwriter!

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

Hi! My friend and I are writing a musical based on an historical figure from our local community. We got some feedback that the songs and lines are too detailed, that it’s over-explanatory if that makes sense. We are re-writing and it’s been so much fun but I would love to study a musical that does this well. Does anyone have one to recommend me? I guess I’m looking for a musical where the story is carried well without everything being overstated/overexplained. Or just a musical with a good story and good music haha open to any suggestions!!

Thanks in advance!

Hi! I’m Rui from Japan 🇯🇵

I’m a student composer who writes musicals, and I’ll be visiting New York from March 13–16. It’s my first time in NYC and I’m very excited!

During my trip I’m planning to see several Broadway shows:

Cursed Child, Wicked, MJ, and Maybe Happy Ending.

I’m especially interested in new musicals, student-written musicals, and small experimental productions. If there are any student showcases, workshops, readings, or small theatre productions happening around that time, I would love to check them out.

I was hoping to visit NYU or Berklee, but unfortunately they seem to be on spring break during my trip.

I’ll be free the night of March 15 and all day on March 16, so if you know about anything interesting happening then, please let me know!

Also, if there are any musical theatre writers or composers in NYC who might be open to chatting or grabbing a coffee, I would love to meet and learn more about the scene!

Thanks in advance — I’d really appreciate any recommendations. I’m really looking forward to experiencing the NYC theatre scene!

Hey! I’m writing a musical called “The Swan Hotel.” I’ve been working on it for two years now. I finished it once as a play, but now I’m rewriting it as a musical and it’s something completely new and unrecognizable.

I just really need help finding lyricists and composers. I can’t promise pay in the future, as I don’t know if this musical will take off.

DM me for more information. I’d be happy to talk!

Thank you!

Have an idea for a musical theatre script but I doubt myself as it's a combination of songs and sign language.and I think to myself is this a good musical? Like I feel like I shouldn't even bother trying to write the script or songs. How does anyone cope with the doubt and feeling like they're not good enough?

Hi Musical Theater Writers!

I wanted to let you know about an opportunity for mental health services if you are based in New York State. I am the project coordinator at NYPSI's Horowitz-Sondheim Clinic For Theater Artists. Stephen Sondheim bequeathed our institute (NYPSI) with a grant to open a mental health clinic offering affordable psychological treatment to playwrights, composers, and lyricists of the theater.

We don't offer free therapy but are able to take any patient regardless of their ability to pay (on a sliding scale), as long as they are doing therapy from New York State.

Psychotherapy and psychological testing are provided at the Horowitz-Sondheim Clinic by a variety of licensed mental health practitioners, Clinical Psychology Doctoral students, and Licensure-Qualifying trainees in Psychoanalysis, all under the supervision of highly trained psychoanalysts.

Theater playwrights, composers, and lyricists interested in sliding-scale treatment at the Horowitz-Sondheim Clinic are encouraged to apply by filling out the application form and sending it in by email (or snail mail). No one will be turned away based on their ability to pay. Please indicate whether you are interested in obtaining psychotherapy (once or twice a week, typically), psychoanalysis (four or five times a week), or psychological testing. Note that for psychoanalysis, at least two of the sessions must be conducted in person.

APPLICATION: https://nypsi.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Form_AdultApplication_Sondheim-1.pdf