HOW TO WRITE A MUSICAL THAT WORKS Workshop to Launch with TRU Feedback Series
The Zoom workshop will feature expert panelists including Cheryl Davis and Skip Kennon.
Theater Resources Unlimited (TRU) will present the first installment of the three-part workshop How to Write a Musical That Works. The focus of the first workshop will be "The World and The Want,' a dramaturgical analysis of the essential moments in the opening 20 minutes of a show, including setting the tone and the world as well as establishing the want and the journey of your central characters.
This workshop is dedicated to fostering a conversation about the structure of musicals, 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 nine writing teams and/or producers who will share works in progress and get feedback from a panel of expert evaluators. Audience members will also have a chance to offer their observations and participate in discussions. The workshop is set for Sunday, July 12, 2026, from 12-6:30PM on Zoom. Submissions are due on June 28; to apply, please visit here.
The supportive panel of musical professionals will include:
- Cate Cammarata, Off-Broadway producer, director, and dramaturg, former literary manager of TRU;
- Cheryl Davis, Kleban and Larsen Award-winning librettist and lyricist (Barnstormer), Audelco Award-winning playwright (Maid's Door), general counsel for The Author's Guild;
- 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 of WritersWorkshop at Theatre Building Chicago.
In this first feedback workshop, "Part 1: The World and the Want," we will focus on two main aspects of your show: 1) the opening number (or any number that invites the audience into the world of the show and sets the storytelling rules); and 2) the songs and scenes in which you introduce your characters and invite us to follow their journey. We will discuss "I want" songs, "I am" songs, and "I feel" songs, and the function of each, with special attention to the way they move the action. In addition, we will continually explore the delicate balance between script and song, so it is important that you present a continuous portion of scene and song from your show.
Bob Ost, executive director of Theater Resources Unlimited and composer/lyricist/librettist, will facilitate. The TRU Selection Committee will determine what song and scene from your show we want you to present, although you may tell us your preference. We will provide a Zoom room, access to a music director and editor, actor and director suggestions, panelists, and an audience.
Those selected for presentation are required to create their presentation using a music director providing a solid piano track and zoom-savvy talent. A sound engineer will be needed to help mix the separate tracks for each voice. You may have a solo number performed "live" with a track, but make sure your singer has adequate virtual tech set-up and a pre-recorded track that they can play from the location where they are performing. We will also have a tech advisor to help you.
Those not selected will be invited and encouraged to attend the workshop as observers. The price is $55 ($35 for TRU members). Your submission fee will be applied to the Observer fee. We will be promoting this to writers, directors, and producers, with the hope of generating a useful conversation to help us all develop the skills to create successful works for musical theater.
All writers are expected to be in attendance for the entire day.
Schedule
12:00-12:15 - check-in
12:15 pm to 12:45 pm - Discussion: How do you engage an audience in the world of your show? What constitutes an effective opening number? What does the audience need to know?
12:45 am to 3:15 pm - Five writing teams will explain their work's overall concept (in 30 seconds or less) and present up to 12 minutes of the opening scene and song. After each presentation, panelists will provide feedback.
LUNCH/ZOOM BREAK (Stretch, rest your eyes)
4:15 pm to 5:00 pm - Discussion: How does the audience know whose story to follow? Who is the engine of your show? Do all of your characters have "wants"? Do they need to? Panelists will comment and invite additional audience feedback.
5:15 pm to 7:15 pm - Four writing teams will explain their work's overall concept (in 30 seconds or less) and present up to 12 minutes that include the main characters' 'I Want' song or songs. After each presentation, panelists will provide feedback.
**All writers are expected to be in attendance for the entire day, or at least the full half-day session in which their work is presented.
