Musical Creators' Institute Will Offer Online And In-person Courses In Musical Theater Writing For The Fall Of 2023

New York City's Musical Creators' Institute has announced a diverse array of courses in musical theater writing for the fall of 2023. Built and run by award winning lyricist-librettist Sam Carner (Island Song, Unlock'd), the new intensive and highly collaborative training will be guided by a faculty including composer-lyricist Adam Gwon (Ordinary Days, Scotland PA, String), composer Zina Goldrich (Ever After, Junie B. Jones, Dear Edwina), actor/songwriter/diversity dramaturg Heath Saunders (Great Comet, Company), composer Andrea Daly (Next), musical director Andy Collopy (Lightning Thief, Oklahoma), and other Broadway professionals still being confirmed.

The Musical Creators' Institute is now accepting registrations from aspiring composers, lyricists, bookwriters, and directors with a passion for new-work development. Fall 2023 courses will include Lyric Writing; Composing for the Voice; Musical Theatre Bookwriting, Structure and Aesthetics; How Every Musical is a Jukebox Musical; Comedy Songwriting; and The Core, a collaborative workshop / master class intended to foster a community of musical theater creators.

Program alum Patrick Swailes Caldwell said of MCI, "I received the most valuable experiences of my artistic life: the constant encouragement to foster my voice, the helpful pressure to churn out work on deadlines, and the chance to practice the ever useful crucible of collaboration. The pride I feel for the work I generated during my time there is only outmatched by the pride I feel for my peers, and the relationships I fostered with faculty who I would like to think have now become lifelong peers."

Program director Sam Carner has over 25 years of musical theater writing experience. With awards to his name including the $100,000 Kleban Prize and the Richard Rodgers Award and work that is performed regularly around the world, Carner has also taught various musical-theater-related courses at Yale, NYU, and Temple University.

According to Carner, "We want to build a community of musical theater creators, providing a space for writers to find collaborators and mentors. Our curriculum will foster individual artistic expression and collaborative exploration while also providing a solid framework and technical training in the craft of musical theater creation. Above all, we'll be working to keep our students inspired and supported in achieving their artistic visions."

Marlo Hunter, director of the movie musical American Reject, who has taught in the program, said of Carner, "He is a true master, in study and practice, of the genre. As an artist he is uniquely adept at creating organically idiosyncratic characters who surprise us (and often themselves) with their layers and complexities. His facility with comedy, without sacrificing craft, is also a gift for any project. And the fact that he's not only an exceptional writer, but can then dissect and contemplate why certain choices work or don't work in the context of a particular moment or framing device makes him an invaluable teacher of the form."

Classes begin October 1 and will be held at the Dramatists Guild's Mary Rodgers Room in the heart of Times Square, with a remote / Zoom options for out-of-town students.

For more information and registration visit: www.musicalcreatorsinstitute.net

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