How to Write a Musical That Works: Reckoning and Resolution

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announces How To Write a Musical That Works feedback workshop #3: Reckoning and Resolution on Sunday, August 5, 2018 from 10am-6pm at Studios 150, 150 W. 46th Street, 7th floor Studio 7.5. Submission deadline is extended to July 27, 2018. Applications are available at https://truonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/TRUBeginnings-HWM3-app.pdf. Details of the workshop may be found at https://truonline.org/events/feedback-workshop-2018-3/ Submission fee is $10 for TRU Members ($20 for non-members); if accepted, additional participation fee is $80 for new TRU Member and non-member participants ($55 for returning TRU Members, $60 for returning non-members). Additional collaborators are $25, and Observer fees are $35 for TRU Member ($55 for non-members). TRU will match you with a music director for your presentation, and help with casting.

This 3-part workshop is dedicated to fostering a conversation about musical theater structure not only for writers but also for producers, directors and everyone involved in the creation and production of new works. “Part 3: Reckoning and Resolution” will focus on the last scenes of a musical and how songs help resolve the story and the characters’ journeys. Up to ten teams will present a song and scene from their shows to a professional panel of commercial producers, directors and writers, including:

• Margot Astrachan, producer (A Gentleman’s Guide…, Ghost the musical, Around the World in 80 Days, Nice Work If You Can Get It, On a Clear Day…), Vice-Chair: NYMF The New York Musical Festival;
• Cheryl Davis, Kleban and Larsen Award winning librettist and lyricist (Barnstormer), Audelco Award winning playwright (Maid’s Door);
• Peter Filichia, theater reviewer, author of six books on musicals, including Let’s Put on a Musical!;
• Skip Kennon, composer/lyricist (Herringbone, Don Juan DeMarco, Time and Again), former artistic coordinator of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and teacher for two decades

Bob Ost, executive director of Theater Resources Unlimited, and TRU Literary Manager Cate Cammarata will facilitate.

We will focus on three main aspects of a show: 1) songs that express the resolution of a character’s “want,” or the overcoming of obstacles, and how it leads to a final choice; 2) “eleven o’clock numbers,” the big dramatic show stopper that sums up the (usually) main character’s journey; 3) the finale, an effective and emotionally satisfying way of concluding your story. We will discuss the function of songs, with special attention paid to the way they move the action. In addition, we will continually explore the delicate balance between script and song.

Writers (or producers!) are invited to submit no more than 25 pages of a show you are working on. We want to see the last section of your show in which we head towards the summing up and conclusion of the plot and the resolution of the characters’ wants. Include MP3s of the songs within only those pages. Also send a concise synopsis of the preceding action of the show, and how it leads to the resolution in the section presented.

Submission deadline extended to Friday, July 27th. Download application: https://truonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/TRUBeginnings-HWM3-app.pdf, fill it out, and email to TRUPlaySubmissions@gmail.com to sign up. This workshop is scheduled to run from 10am to 5:30pm with a lunch break, and brief end-of-day reception. Submission fee is $10 for TRU members, $20 for non-members. If accepted, it will be applied to a participation fee of $100 ($90 for TRU members). Prices are discounted for those who have taken previous parts of this workshop.
The cost for non-participants to attend for the full day, to observe the presentations and be part of the discussions, is $55 ($35 for TRU members).

If accepted, you will present 10-15 minutes including one song and scene, followed by about 15 minutes of feedback. Participation fee includes 2 seats for the entire day workshop as well as your presentation slot. Because space is limited, any additional attendees from the musical team (including music director, additional collaborators and cast members) who wish to observe the entire workshop must reserve in advance and will be charged a nominal $25 per person.