Great musicals are the result of great collaboration. You’ve got a lyricist writing the lyrics, a librettist writing the book, and a composer setting it all to song. And in the end, it all has to seem like it was written by a single voice. This semester, Primary Stages Einhorn School of Performing Arts (ESPA) offers two classes that are perfect for the playwright who wants to venture into the world of musical theater writing.
LIBRETTO with KAIT KERRIGAN (Librettist/Lyricist, ...Samantha Brown at Goodspeed)
A musical is only as good as its libretto, the piece that marries the plot and character development with musical composition. This 10-week class tackles the techniques of plot structure, story development, and adaptation, as well as how to write for various musical genres such as pop, rock, and musical theater. By the end of the class, you will have a solid treatment of your musical and be prepared, with or without a composer, to embark on the first draft.
Lyrics are the foundation of musical theater storytelling and, for many playwrights, the final frontier. An understanding of this discipline is essential not only for lyricists themselves, but also for their collaborators. This 10-week class will cover song structure, scansion, and rhyme, teaching you to apply your existing storytelling impulses to a lyric format.
Collaboration is at the heart of what we do here at ESPA, which is why Kait Kerrigan’s LIBRETTO class will be working closely with Adam Gwon’s LYRIC 1 class this semester.
Classes begin the last week in February. Payment plans available.