Deadline: ongoing basis
Theatre Now New York (tnny.org) is accepting submissions from across the country for its Musical Writers Lab, a community of musical writing teams that meet biweekly for feedback and developmental opportunities for both traditional and genre-bending new work. There are two chapters; the local New York Group meets in person in midtown Manhattan, and the National Group meets on zoom. Members of both groups have received readings, workshops, developmental productions, and other professional support from Theatre Now. For more information, and to submit your team to either group, visit https://www.tnny.org/musicalwriterslab
The support we will offer our lab members is varied and wide ranging based on the needs of the writing teams and may include individual and group consultations, mentoring, dramaturgical sessions, writers groups, office resources, rehearsal space, and networking. For those with musicals ready for production, we will guide you towards developmental lab productions with Theatre Now or through other theatre companies and other performance and production opportunities.
You may apply as a team (book writer, composer, lyricist or any combination with 2 or more collaborators) or as an individual (as the sole book writer/composer/lyricist).
Acceptance is through a highly selective and competitive application process. The application will require you to submit one full length musical (book and music) that is complete, at any stage of development, and has not yet received a major production, as an example of your work for evaluation. If chosen, your participation in the group encourages work at any and all levels of development. You may submit multiple applications if you’ve collaborated and wish to continue with different sets of team members.
The submission of your full-length musical is the corner-stone of your application. In other words, it is the libretto and the songs that you submit that will be used as the criteria for the quality of your work. Having said that, the full length piece you submit should be an example of your work that you are most proud of. It does not need to be fully realized or considered finished, in fact it can be at almost any stage of development. You must, however, submit at the very least a libretto (full or partial), and three songs. You may describe along with your submission, the stage of development, include an outline of the piece or any other qualifying information, and we will take all that in consideration when evaluating. We are not looking for perfection, we are looking for potential. You and your writing team for this musical, will be the members on the application. You may submit more than one musical through separate applications with different team members. Each application will be considered independently.
Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and we will contact those we’re interested in when slots become available.
Application Guidelines and Requirements
- Full length musical (book and music) that has not yet received a major production, as an example of your work for evaluation. The musical you submit may be at any stage of development.
- Bios and resumes of each writing team member
- Production history of all the applicants, individually and/or as a team
- List of current projects you are working on indicating the stage of development
- Information about any potential commitments for production, grants, applications in process, etc.
- Future projects you have thoughts and ideas about or would like to work on
- An artist statement from each applicant with future goals
- A team statement of your shared vision and aesthetics
- In addition to the submission of your full length libretto and MP3’s of at least three of the songs, you may also submit additional samples of other works-in-progress
- In person interviews will follow for those chosen at the final stage of the application process
- There is no cost to apply and no dues or fees will be required if accepted
For the NY Chapter, it is advantageous that the Lab members chosen are available to meet on a regular basis at our New York office and studio, as available. We currently meet twice per month on Sunday afternoons in a midtown studio for Lab member presentations, guest speakers and discussions. The National chapter meets online vía Zoom the alternate Sundays of the month.
Please note: You must complete and submit your application online in one sitting. You will not be able to save your application and return to it later. Therefore, we recommend you prepare your application answers off-line and have your files ready to upload.
We have included a PDF version of the application HERE for your convenience in preparing your materials.
ABOUT THEATRE NOW NEW YORK
Mission Statement:
Theatre Now is an artist service organization dedicated to the development, production, publication, and circulation of short and long-form musicals, by providing ongoing support for writers and their work in order to nurture voices and forms that push the boundaries of musical theatre.
VISION STATEMENT:
Theatre Now bridges the gap between early readings and fully-produced theatrical runs by offering staged and performed developmental productions to pieces that are ready to live on their feet. We strive for continuity and growth in our production process by collaborating with artists on story development through song and dialogue, and focusing on their prospective audience. Theatre Now furthers the visibility of our alumni writers with opportunities for networking, publication, and future production. In addition, we embrace musical properties we’ve produced as their theatrical licensor, offering them for productions in schools, colleges, communities, and other theatre venues across the country. By providing the support for rising artists and original forms to thrive, we entice unexpected audiences to experience the emerging voices of musical theatre.