BWW Reviews: ASCAP New Musical Theatre Workshop Comes to Nebraska

For the first the ASCAP New Musical Theatre Workshop was held outside of New York and Los Angles. The Lied Center in Lincoln, Ne and on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln held the workshop in September.

Broadway alums Michael Kerker, Karen Morrow, Chad Beguelin, and Matt Sklar, who both wrote the Broadway musicals Elf and The Wedding Singer, were all in attendance for the Grow a Show work shop and held master classes with student and local performers. They were also on hand to give feed back to the up and coming Broadway shows we got a sneak preview of.

Grow a Show kicked off with a Master Class with award winning actress Karen Morrow. Performers of all ages, students, and local actors were able to show off their signing skills and receive critique from Karen Morrow.

Following the master class, there was a twenty-five minute reading of the three up and coming Broadway shows. These three shows were picked out of hundreds of entries the workshop received. Writers and directors have ideas for these amazing shows and grow over time, eventually developing into a musical production for thousands to see.

The following day began with a Master Class with Chad Beguelin and Matt Sklar, both of who wrote the hit Broadway musicals Elf and The Wedding Singer. Similar to what students and local actors did with Karen Morrow the previous day. After the Master Class, there was a question and answer session with Chad and Matt, hosted by Michael Kerker, the director of the Musical Theatre division of ASCAP.

The second night ended with a free Broadway Cabaret, HELLO BROADWAY! This featured music from the musical productions Beguelin and Sklar have created. The show featured local singers along with several student performers. Karen Morrow also performed in the show.

Ending Grow a Show on a high note, were the fifty-minute readings of the three developing musicals picked to be in the Grow a Show workshop. After each reading, the guest panel gave the writers, directors, and actor's feedback on their performance, along with answering any questions from the audience and the performers in the musicals.

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