Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) presents the third installment of the three-part workshop How to write a Musical That Works. This time the focus will be “Reckoning and Resolution,” the final part of your show leading to a satisfactory ending. The deadline to submit your musical for feedback is Saturday, July 13, 2024. There are only two spots remaining. Download the application here and email to TRUPlaySubmissions@gmail.com to sign up. Submission fee is $10 for TRU members, $20 for non-members. If accepted, it will be applied to a participation fee of $100 ($85 for TRU members). Prices are discounted for those who have taken previous parts of this workshop with the show submitted. For more information on the schedule and panelists, visit https://truonline.org/events/reckoning-and-resolution-2024/.

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. Each workshop will accept up to 10 writing teams and/or producers who will share works in progress and get feedback from a panel of expert evaluators. We will provide you with a music director and tech person at TRU’s expense; or reimburse your expenses up to $100. Audience members will also have a chance to offer their observations, and participate in discussions.

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: 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.

Up to ten teams will present a song and scene from their shows to a professional panel of commercial producers, directors, and writers, including:

• Ken Cerniglia, dramaturg (Hadestown, Peter & the Starcatcher), former dramaturg and literary manager of Disney Theatrical

• Cheryl Davis, Kleban and Larsen Award winning librettist and lyricist (Barnstormer), Audelco Award winning playwright (Maid’s Door)

• Tamra Pica, Los Angeles, off-Broadway and TV producer

• Tom Polum, producer (The Toxic Avenger musical, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels), CEO and executive producer of Streaming Musicals online platform

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

Writers (and 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.

If accepted, you will present 10-12 minutes including one song and scene, followed by about 15 minutes of feedback. There will be a participation fee of $100 ($85 for TRU members), which includes 2 seats for the entire day workshop as well as your presentation slot. 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. The cost for non-participants to attend for the full day, to observe the presentations and be part of the discussions, is $60 ($35 for TRU members).

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a thirty-one year old 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created to help producers produce, emerging theater companies to emerge healthily and all theater professionals to understand and navigate the business of the arts. Membership includes self-producing artists as well as career producers and theater companies.

TRU publishes an email community newsletter of services, opportunities and productions; presents weekly Community Gatherings; offers a Producer Development & Mentorship Program taught by prominent producers and general managers in New York theater, and also presents Producer Boot Camp workshops to help aspirants develop business skills. TRU serves writers through the TRU Voices Play Reading Series, TRUSpeak: Hear Our Voices evening of short plays, Writer-Producer Speed Date, a Practical Playwriting Workshop, How to Write a Musical That Works and a Director-Writer Communications Lab.

Programs of Theater Resources Unlimited are supported in part by the Montage Foundation, The Storyline Project and the Leibowitz Greenway Foundation; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

For more information about TRU membership and programs, visit www.truonline.org.

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