HOW TO WRITE A MUSICAL THAT WORKS!

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents How to Write a Musical That Works! Feedback Workshop #3: Reckoning and Resolution on Sunday, May 17, 2015 from 10 am – 5:30 pm, at the Write Act Rep Theatre at Times Square Arts Center, 300 W. 43rd Street, 2nd floor. Deadline to apply is May 1st. See application and guidelines (http://www.truonline.org/store.html#beginnings) for instructions on emailing materials.

How to Write a Musical That Works! is a 3-part workshop for writers, directors and producers exploring the traditional structure and dynamic interplay of an effective libretto and score. The workshop examines successful musicals, discusses basic dramaturgical principals and why they work, and hears presentations of submitted new works and works-in-progress. Details are available at www.truonline.org/TRUBeginnings-Musical3.htm

“Reckoning and Resolution” will focus on: 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 showstopper that sums up the (usually) main character’s journey; 3) the finale, an effective and emotionally satisfying way of concluding your story. Submission fee is $10 for members, $20 for non-members. If accepted, it will be applied to a participation fee of $100 for non-member ($80 for TRU members).

Writers (or producers!) are invited to submit no more than 25 pages of a show you are working on. We want to see the section of your show in which we head towards the summing up and conclusion of the plot and the resolution of the characters’ wants. A panel of producers and writers will evaluate how successful the songs and scenes presented are in fulfilling their purpose: Michael Alden (Disgraced, Bat Boy, Grey Gardens, The Last Session, Disgraced, The King’s Speech on stage), producer Doug Denoff (The 39 Steps, Nice Work If You Can Get It, upcoming Peggy Sue Got Married, Just Believe), producer Tom Polum (The Toxic Avenger, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, All Shook Up); composer/lyricist Skip Kennon (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.

This 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. The cost for non-participants to attend for the full day, to observe the presentations and be part of the discussions, is $50 ($30 for TRU members). Click here (http://www.truonline.org/store.html#beginnings) to sign up.