L.A. Musical Theatre Writers' Workshop Auditions

The Musical Theatre Writers' Workshop at New Musicals Inc. has gone global. Last year participants included writers from Australia and Canada, as well as many different cities across America. In previous seasons, writers have come from England, Spain, Shanghai, Wales, Scotland and Germany.

New Musicals Inc. is now accepting applications from musical theatre bookwriters, lyricists, and composers to take part in an open audition for the Core Curriculum - NMI's Musical Theatre Writers' Workshop in Los Angeles.

Bookwriters, lyricists, and composers interested in joining the Core Curriculum for the 2016/17 season are invited to audition by taking part in the September and October sessions. (September 17 & 18; October 15 & 16; from 2:30pm to 6:30pm PST)

"We'll put all applicants on collaborative teams in September, and give them assignments that are due in October," says Elise Dewsberry, Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., "After the October session, we will evaluate whether or not the Core Curriculum is the right place for each writer."

Successful applicants will then take part in monthly workshops through fall and winter, working with new collaborators each month. In the late spring, writers are paired one final time for a 15 minute musical, produced by NMI in a Los Angeles theatre with professional actors.

Bookwriters, lyricists and composers can apply online to reserve a space for the September auditions, or can simply show up at 5628 Vineland Avenue, North Hollywood, on Saturday, September 17th at 2:30pm.

Writers can also take part from long-distance via live video-conference on September 17 and 18 (2:30pm-6:30pm PST). (For information on how to join us via video-conference, please email admin@nmi.org)

"During the 2015/16 season, we had nearly half of the workshop joining us via video-conference." said Scott Guy, NMI's Executive Director and author of the online Lyric Lab. "Besides the group of local participants who were in the room with us every month, we also had writers taking part from New York, Atlanta, Santa Cruz, Australia and Edmonton, Canada."

The heart of the writers' workshop at NMI is the Core Curriculum, in which composers, bookwriters and lyricists are matched together in different teams each month, and each month write a song or a scene based on an assigned text. The curriculum studies both contemporary and historical musicals, giving writers and composers the chance to create traditional and cutting-edge musicals, while studying contemporary variations of timeless ballads, charm songs, comedy songs and musical scenes.

Throughout the decades, the writers workshop has trained over 400 writers, who have gone on to created hundreds of successful musicals all across the country and the world.

For more information, visit www.nmi.org and click on STUDY. The direct link is: http://www.nmi.org/study/core-curriculum/