Makai Music Launches WIP²: A New Musical Theatre Writers Lab

Makai Music has announced the launch of WIP² (Works in Progress / Writers in Process), a momentum-driven musical theatre development studio designed for writers who want to accelerate their musicals. The inaugural program runs from April through August 2026, with two cohorts available: in-person sessions in New York City and an online cohort for writers with remote collaborators.

Applications are open now, with a deadline of March 2, 2026. The program begins April 4, 2026. Writing teams can apply at Makai Music.

"Writers enter with a draft and leave with clarity, confidence, and a show that's ready for its next step," says founder Brett Macias. "Whether that's a submission, a reading, a workshop, or dare we say... production."

Program Structure

WIP² accepts eight writing teams per cohort for bi-weekly sessions from April through July, transitioning to weekly sessions in August. Each three-hour session combines technique presentations with dedicated feedback and facilitating what direction to go next. Special guests from the non-profit and commercial theatre world will come in to facilitate and give their perspective on how these writers can fit into industry. The program culminates in professional showcases-an industry-facing evening in NYC for the in-person cohort and a curated digital salon for online participants.

The Darius Smith Writers Fund

Limited need-based tuition assistance is available for WIP² participants through The Darius Smith Writers Fund, established in memory of composer and musical director Darius Smith.

When Brett Macias met Darius Smith in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program at NYU, he was in awe of Darius's talent-though the two didn't see eye to eye at first. "We both thought the other thought a little too highly of ourselves," Macias recalls. "Then we were assigned work-study together."

Over pizza, impromptu renditions of Wicked, The Light in the Piazza, and Dreamgirls, and spirited debates about the musical theatre canon, they discovered they were both scared young writers who believed they had to put on a hard shell to protect their artistry. "There was so much we learned from each other," Macias says.

Darius and Brett went on to collaborate professionally, working together on each other's projects as well as with prominent theatres in New York. Darius passed in 2019-before the world could fully know his brilliance. At the time, they were music directing an Off-Broadway show together.

Darius was a deeply sensitive composer who appreciated every style of music and met it where it was-not where he thought it should go. His New York credits included Bob Marley's Three Little Birds Off-Broadway and his original song cycle Songs in the Key of Chocolate at 54 Below. Based in Washington, D.C., his music direction credits spanned Choir Boy and Carrie the Musical at Studio Theatre, Disney's The Little Mermaid and Once on This Island at Olney Theatre Center, Soon and Dreamgirls at Signature Theatre, and many others. As a composer and lyricist, he received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for The Snowy Day at Adventure Theatre MTC and created U.G.L.Y. at the Kennedy Center.

"Our friendship and professional relationship were major motivators for creating this workshop," Macias says. "I want to instill in our cohorts the belief that you don't have to love everything someone else writes-but if you respect other writers and meet them where they want to be, you can build a creative family for life."

Writers who would benefit from financial support may indicate their interest in the application; awards are determined based on need and available funds. To donate to the fund or for inquiries, contact info@makaimusic.net.

Program Facilitators

Brett Macias (Founder and Lead Facilitator) is a composer, orchestrator, music director, and educator with over 25 years of experience in Broadway music preparation. A graduate of NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, his mentors include the late Bill Finn, Jeanine Tesori, and Michael John LaChiusa. Brett's musicals include Pura Vida (with Jessica Carmona), Tuesday (with Caroline Murphy), and Craft Show (with Fred Sauter). He co-created Temple University's Masters Degree in Musical Theatre Collaboration and served as Director of Musical Theater Education at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, where he designed curriculum reaching over 10,000 students. He is also a guest faculty member at NYU. He is currently collaborating with Maria Alexandria Beech on the musical Bayouland.

Shoshana Greenberg (In-Person Co-Facilitator) is a lyricist, librettist, playwright, and theatre journalist. Her musicals include Lightning Man (Ars Nova ANT Fest), Days of Rage, and A Story No One Knows. Shoshana holds an MFA from NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program and writes for American Theatre Magazine. She is a Contributing Editor for Musical Theater Today and creator/host of the podcast Scene to Song.

Maria Alexandria Beech (Online Co-Facilitator) is a Venezuelan-American playwright and librettist whose work has been performed in New York, Los Angeles, and internationally. Her plays have been developed with Primary Stages, The Lark, and New York Stage and Film. She holds MFAs in Playwriting from Columbia University and Musical Theatre Writing from NYU. Her musicals in development include Bayouland (with Brett Macias) and Class (with Karl Saint Lucy).

About Makai Music

Makai Music is a creative production and education studio dedicated to developing new musical work under the M³ (Music × Motion × Momentous) programmatic framework. WIP² is the studio's flagship educational offering, designed to nurture emerging voices and accelerate the development of boundary-breaking musicals.

Application Information

Applications Open: February 16, 2026

Application Deadline: March 2, 2026

Program Dates: April 4 - August 2026

Tuition: $3,000/team (in-person) | $2,500/team (online)

Scholarships available through The Darius Smith Writers Fund.

Apply at Makai Music.