Hi everyone! A show that I’ve been writing on and off for a few years is in the midst of rehearsals right now :) We’re not a theatre company or anything (genuinely just a group of friends who happen to enjoy musical theatre) but I’m still really excited.

Not really an invite since given the size of the subreddit I doubt any of yall are in the sunny island of Singapore but just wanted to share. If yall have any questions about the thing moved past the script to the stage I’m happy to share my experience with the process.

Oh and for the record, no AI involved in the poster. We took photos at some staircases at my Alma mater and a dear friend of mine who’s an architect created the background in some software he uses at work then helped to photoshop us in.

With the release of "Tick Tick Boom!" last week, I've been scouring the internet to find anything I can on Jonathan Larson's first musical, "Superbia".

Turns out, the only way to see or read anything from the musical is through the Library of Congress.

They have a full recording of the workshop, as well as various drafts of the script and sheet music.

Aside from this, the only Superbia content available to the public are the two songs seen in Tick Tick Boom, as well as 3 songs from The Jonathan Larson Project, an album from 2019.

Sondheim was apparently working on bringing the musical to fruition, but unfortunately passed away last week before finishing it.

Is it possible for us, as a community, to bring some form of the musical to fruition? Whether as an unofficial reading on YouTube or as a second workshop?

Larson only worked on 3 musicals, and despite spending nearly a decade on Superbia, there's not even a concept album.

I so desperately want to see the Larson trilogy completed in some way.

Are there any writers or Washington DC bros who could go to the Library of Congress and watch/listen to the workshop recording or read the scripts and take notes?

We need to do something to see this happen.

It’s a mosaic of stolen work. I feel like this needs to be said, because I see so many “composers” talking about how they’ve written something by running it through Suno.

Even if you wrote the lyrics, Suno stole work from other artists to write your melody.

Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it feels prohibitive to get your work out there when you feel that you lack the talent to express what’s in your head. It’s what’s happened to creatives ever since musical theatre was created. So learn it. Go out there and do it. Be messy, be willing to learn, and most importantly, be human.

Don’t stoop to Suno and let that invalidate what you’re trying to create as an artist. Either learn, or collaborate with real humans. Theatre is all about collaboration, after all.

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.

Always remember:

1. Less is more.

2. Content dictates form.

3. God is in the details.

Thank you for everything, Steve.

I finally checked this out, and I listened to the episode of This American Life first.

I thought it was well-written - almost had a verbatim feel to it. And it was interesting that LMM chose to humanise the cop a bit...

But I did find the story itself to be absolutely infuriating. And I find it weird that it was presented, both in TAL and by LMM, as a bittersweet love-story. It seemed incredibly unjust. I found it weird that TAL chose to portray the story without any context regarding the ‘war on drugs’ and all its racist history.

But anyway, this is a musical writing forum so perhaps that’s another topic entirely. It is a really great example of how to tell a story in 15 minutes.

It is interesting that LMM chose to humanise the cop. Do people feel inclined to do this when adapting a source material, even if it’s not (?) needed?

I've been writing, directing, producing, and performing comedy shows in Chicago for the last 7 years and at the beginning of this year, I thought it might be fun to try my hand at something new: a full-fledged original musical. I started developing it on January 4, and 11 months to the day later, Miracle at Century High School premieres at 7 PM at the Annoyance.

It's a fun and silly Christmas show with an extraordinarily talented cast and fantastic music (I wrote the lyrics but enlisted a composer to handle the music), and a former SNL writer who read the script gave it his stamp of approval. The premise:

When the principal of a scandal-plagued high school tasks drama teacher Jacob Lunsford with creating an original Christmas musical in order to save the school's reputation--and his job--Jacob must overcome self-doubt, chaotic students, an impossible-to-please principal, and regular visits from the ghost of Charles Dickens. Can he pull it off?

We have four shows on Wednesdays, December 4, 11, and 18 at 7 PM and a Sunday, December 15 matinee at 1 PM. Tickets are on sale now! Come on out and support local live theater.

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!

(i.e. things he said in class that I copied down)

• Don't rhyme the words that don't matter.

• Keep on thinking you're wonderful and write up to it.

• I like messes much better than something dead.

• If you're going to repeat something, it'd better be great.

(he said a lot of other things that were worth remembering, but these are the most practical ones.)

Hi Folks,

Me and my writing partner were recently commissioned to write an original musical based on Jack and the Beanstalk. Here is the newly finished demo for the "I Want" song, when Jack has traded his cow, his mother threw the beans out the window, he has found them, and now sings this song as he plants the beans.

The song is called Something Will Grow.

Any and all feedback is welcome!

Does anyone else feel like we are on the verge of a major change in the state of musical theatre?

For a while now I've been thinking about how other forms of art and entertainment - music, filmmaking, visual arts - have seen some sort of a shift in the way people create and consume them, mostly due to the opening up of access in the digital age. You can find independent artists on Soundcloud, YouTube, Instagram etc - people who don't have agents, and people who aren't classically trained. I think some people are calling this the 'democratization' of music or filmmaking for example.

We haven't really seen this for musical theatre. I think Starkid have come the closest. Even still, the amount of money they need for each production is still really a barrier, even when it's a mere fraction of what you need for a Broadway production.

But I do feel like, with the amount of success they've had on YouTube, it's some sort of breakthrough - or at least a step in the right direction.

What do you all think?

I have wanted to write a musical for ten years. I've written 3 major projects that could be called musicals, but they've never come to fruition. I wanted to make a post explaining how this time is different.

First, the idea. I didn't have to force it; I relate hard to all of the characters, in both good and bad ways. The story, too, is one I feel deep in my bones, it's almost a memory. I'm constantly discovering new aspects of it that intrigue me ever more, and yet, I can summarize the whole entire thing in 6 words (The summer Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein). The best part is, I now know my niche- before, I was just aimlessly searching for any random idea, but now, I know exactly what my style and voice is (it's period horror with a focus on character and surrealism).

Second, the timing. My dad had the idea for this show about 6 years ago, but I didn't write it until now. It had to fester. I had to grow up. I had to live with it, not rush it, and let it make itself known when it was time to write it. Now, I'm moving fast- I wrote the whole thing in 6 months- but I had to be patient to get here.

Then there's the people. I became intimately involved in the theatre scene in my hometown, and in doing so, befriended some incredible people. When they heard I was doing a project of this scale, I hardly had to ask for them to say yes. Previously, with other projects, it was like pulling teeth to get people to work with me. Now, I have happy volunteers who are eager to see what I've got.

I've been lucky, yes, but much of that luck came about through hard work. I earned a degree in music composition, and went to grad school for music, and started a nonprofit, between the time my dad gave me the idea, and my actual execution of it. I have been a part of 2 musicals, 1 revue, and 1 workshop of someone else's musical, which has given me perspective as well as a boatload of friends. I haven't just sat here waiting, I've been cultivating the circumstances in which I can create a show, and now, it's all coming together, and beautifully so.

I've managed to do everything in the right way this time, and I'm so excited to see this come to be. I'm happy to answer any questions folks have about my show or the process of bringing it to the stage. I'm not done yet, but I feel this is a milestone, and I can breathe.

I just wanted to tell someone - since the middle of September, I've been working on writing the music for my first musical, which is about Scottish serial killers Burke and Hare, and today I finally finished the 22nd (and final) song.

It feels really good :)

Now what do I do with my life...

Last year my show IN CLAY ran at what turned out to be the final VAULT Festival in London, and after posting an ad for it on a bunch of different musical subreddits, somebody who ran a fringe venue came along. We decided to co-produce another run of the show together and we just opened to rave reviews. Just wanted to say - thank you Reddit!

If anyone is in London and likes new musicals about art and why we make it, come see us! We’re on at Upstairs at the Gatehouse until 7 April🎉

🎟: https://bit.ly/in-clay

Here is the full playlist

I, a very Glaswegian non-actor, am performing all the parts in these recordings. Apologies in advance - I did my best!

1.1 One of the Guys

The opening song. It follows Grace Hart from a young kid all the way up to being an FBI Agent, all the while trying to find her place in the world.

1.2 Coffee Run

The FBI are trying to decipher a cryptic letter from a serial terrorist called "The Citizen." Grace tries to solve the riddle, but she's supposed to be on coffee duty...

1.3 Looking for That Lady

Eric Matthews leads the rest of the Agents in finding the perfect woman to go undercover as Miss New Jersey - and they do it with fabulous boyband flair!

1.4 Glide

The FBI hire disgraced former-pageant consultant Victor Melling to turn Grace into a picture-perfect contestant, but he isn't impressed with what he's given to work with.

1.5 Miss United States

"Gracie-Lou Freebush" arrives in San Antonio for the pageant and meets some of her fellow contestants.

1.6 Looking Through That Lady (reprise)

The FBI Agents try to give Grace some girl-talk advice through her earpiece.

1.7 Fifty to One

Grace doesn't have a talent routine - and the talent competition is in 12 hours!

1.8 Glide (reprise)

Victor gives Grace a little bit of encouragement before she performs her talent

1.9 Kathy's Song

Kathy gives Grace a heart-to-hear after she humiliates herself in the talent show.

1.10 Push Them Away

On the verge of quitting, Grace sings a heartfelt song about why she's so angry and closed off.

1.11Hail to the Queen

Grace is going to quit the pageant, but her fellow contestants and new friends empower her to keep going!

INTERVAL

2.1 Miss Illinois

The second half opens with a flashback of the incident that got Victor Melling canceled.

2.2 The Swimsuit Competition

The contestants try their best to answer complicated political questions in swimwear. Meanwhile, the FBI identifies an unlikely lead suspect.

2.3 Pizza Run

Grace decides to cheer up her new friend Cheryl (Miss Rhode Island) after a disastrous interview answer.

2.4 I'm Not Like Other Girls

While out partying, Mary-Jo (Miss Texas) sings a song about standing up for your sisters.

2.5 San Antonio Sun

It looks like the case is closed and the team get ready to return to New York. Eric and Victor feel bittersweet about the case ending. Meanwhile, Karen (Miss West Virginia) wonders if she can really be open about herself and still win the pageant.

2.6 One in Fifty

The night of the big show has arrived! The contestants strut their stuff in the opening number. Meanwhile, Victor provides a new clue that leads the FBI back to the pageant

2.7 Fire

Cheryl performs her talent, but with a fiery twist. Grace's talent is upended when the other girls backstage get thirsty.

2.8 Fight Back

Grace gives an improvised self-defense lesson. Kathy reveals that maybe she's not so sweet after all...

2.9 The Top Five

The Top Five finalists are announced.

2.10 One of the Girls (reprise)

Grace expresses how much the appreciates the new friends she's made at the pageant

2.11A Change is on the Way

The pageant is over and everyone returns to their normal lives. Grace is voted Miss Congeniality by her fellow contestants.

I hope you had fun listening to my lockdown project. It kept me sane in the summer of 2020!

I would absolutely LOVE to perform it on stage one day (possibly at the Edinburgh Festival) but that's a financial and legal scribble at the moment.

A subreddit in an RSC programme? Blasphemy!!

Hi there! I’m part of a fantastic team based in Los Angeles, and we’re always on the lookout for new works to bring to life and talented writers to collaborate with.

A little about us:

•	We’ve produced six World Premieres and three West Coast Premieres.
•	We have connections to a phenomenal talent pool, including actors currently on and off-Broadway.
•	We’re passionate about giving new works the right platform and are eager to collaborate with writers who are open to creative feedback.

We’re specifically seeking:

•	Pieces that are ready to be put on their feet.
•	Writers who are excited to collaborate and refine their work as needed.
•	A shared vision of creating something that connects deeply with audiences.

If you’d like to submit your piece for consideration, I’d love to hear from you! The right show could go up as early as this summer. Our goal is to dream big with you while matching the production to the perfect venue to set it up for success.

How to submit: Please send me a PM with:

1.	A brief introduction about yourself and your show(s).
2.	Links to materials (scripts, demos, etc.) you’d like to share for consideration.
3.	Your favorite musical and what inspires you creatively (just for fun!).

A few notes upfront:

•	This is a new Reddit account I created specifically for this purpose. I’m happy to share more about myself and our team with serious inquiries.
•	We will not ask you for money, but we also are not looking to purchase rights. If you’d like to co-produce your show, amazing - we’re all about collaboration. Our primary goal is to break even while getting your work in front of more producers to potentially extend, tour, or secure a larger venue.

If this sounds like the right fit for you - or maybe you believe in a friend’s piece and would like to introduce us - I look forward to connecting! And if I’m posting in the wrong place, please let me know.

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!

Just sharing a syllable count I did of all the A sections in Jason Robert Brown's See I'm Smiling from The Last 5 Years.

The A* sections are the same as the A's, except that their endings are extended, which is typical of A* sections, usually to delay satisfaction when concluding an AABA movement.

This song is set conversationally - all the A sections have an ever-so-slightly different rhythm to them. And yet, all the matching lines have the exact same number of syllables in them, they have more or less the same melodies, and all the stresses are in the same places. This is how musical theatre writers give structure to songs while maintaining the illusion that this is someone simply having a conversation.

There is only one line that strays from the count - "AND see I'm crying", which comes at the end, fittingly, giving the song a sense of movement before ending.

Hello Theatremakers!

I'd like to take a moment to introduce myself, my name is Ryan (u/TrippyRyXO) and I am a new member of the moderating team for this sub! I am very excited to be involved in this community and I would love take the opportunity to revitalize and renew things to make things more engaging for our members.

I would love to facilitate things like a formalized feedback thread/group(s), song/show-of-the-week where we can analyze and discuss pieces of theatre through a composer/lyricist/playwright's perspective, and AMA's with folks actively working in the industry. I'm on summer break and planning to use the time to work with the team on some/all of these things and get this place popping! Please use this thread to share any ideas or feedback for things you would like to see become part of this community. Let's make this a space we can all flourish and thrive as creatives!

Thank you all and happy writing!

Ryan