Today, Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) announced the third part in its How to Write a Musical That Works workshop series. 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 finished works or works in progress and get feedback from a panel of expert evaluators. If needed, TRU will provide participants with a music director and tech person at TRU’s expense; or reimburse expenses up to $100. Audience members will also have a chance to offer their observations, and participate in discussions. The deadline to submit is July 7 – click here for the submission form.

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

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

● Nancy Golladay, literary consultant (NY Shakespeare Festival, O’Neill Conference, more), moderator of the BMI Librettists’ Workshop;

● 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;

● Tamra Pica, network and streaming TV, film and theater producer, producer and casting director of Write Act Repertory;

● John Sparks, founder/co-director of the Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, former artistic director of ANMT/NMI, founder WritersWorkshop at Theatre Building Chicago.

Bob Ost, executive director of Theater Resources Unlimited, and TRU Literary Manager Owen Cahillwill 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.

Submission deadline: Monday, 7/07. Download application: TRUBeginnings-HWM3-app, fill it out, 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.

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).

**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 including 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 $35 per person.

SCHEDULE

Noon to 12:15 p.m. – check in.

12:15 to 1 p.m. – Discussion: How do you bring the action of your show to an effective dramatic (and musical) conclusion? Is resolution better served by song or by dialogue? Do all shows need a big “eleven o’clock” number, or are there other ways to leave an audience emotionally satisfied?

1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Five writing teams will explain their work’s overall concept (in 30 seconds or less) and present 10-12 minutes of a song and scene that demonstrates a resolution of the show’s major conflict or a coming to terms for one of the characters, the resolution of their ongoing “want.” After each presentation, panelists will provide feedback.

LUNCH BREAK (Zoom break, leg stretch)

3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. – Discussion: The dramatic journey of characters: how wants and goals may evolve over the course of a show. Panelists will comment and invite audience feedback.

4:15 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. – Five writing teams will explain their work’s overall concept (in 30 seconds or less) and present 10-12 minutes of a song and scene that musicalizes the action leading to the resolution or leads up to (and includes) a satisfying finale that leaves the audience with a sense of completion.

Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) is the leading network for developing theater professionals, a thirty-two-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 about the arts and monthly Town Halls about current social issues; 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 about social issues, 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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