577 stories from newmusicaltheatre.com
The desire to feel progressive and productive is a natural one that most writers feel. We want to know that our work is moving towards a satisfying goal. And sometimes that journey can seem …
In this series of posts, I'm taking a look at musical theater BFA programs: having conversations not only with faculty, but also with graduates of a wide range of schools. I wanted to talk t…
Since my last NMT post about the ins and outs of a good musical book, I've been thinking… where are the articles about dream pairings of composers/lyricists and amazing playwrights/book wr…
Here at NewMusicalTheatre.com, we’re all brimming with excitement over the Tony Awards this Sunday evening. We’ll be live-tweeting with the hashtag #NMTonys (join us!). To tide y…
In my last post I talked about how theatre is produced in Germany for the most part, how our government and the states and cities fund what artists to in theatres. I also mentioned that this…
The act of musical composition involves one basic activity: choosing good notes. The choice is critical. The first notes heard by the listener set the tone for the entire song or symphony. G…
Last week I was lucky enough to spend time with composer Andrew Lippa ahead of his new show The Life of the Party at the Menier Chocolate Factory in London. The production, he describes, is …
We all love a sadistic villain. We can't get enough of those delicious creatures of the night, giving so many stories a shadow to cast over our heroes as they trek through hell and high wate…
During my History of Musical Theatre class in college, I was surprised by how few key players there were in New York theatre in the earlier half of the 20th century. It struck me how differe…
The last three shows that I saw on Broadway, Violet, The Bridges of Madison County, and Hedwig and the Angry Inch, have some interesting things in common. All three were produced on Broadway…
A month in the rehearsal studio goes by in a flash and, at the same time, it feels like there was never a time that we weren't rehearsing! But one day, you come up for air and discover the w…
As I mentioned in my first post, one of the greatest things about being a theatre professional in Chicago is that you can actually produce new work. There are enough reasonably-priced venues…
Truth be told, the presence of new American writing on the UK musical theatre scene is a fairly scarce one. Although the West End is currently loaded to capacity with American imports, the g…
In this series of conversations, I'm investigating the musical theatre BFA: talking to people involved in programs at a variety of schools. This week, I talked to an old friend, Eve Himmelhe…
In my last (and first) post here I gave a short introduction on what the situation of contemporary musical theatre in Germany is like. I mostly focused on these bigger productions with lots …
Here we are. Back together again, talking about musical theatre… Last time, if you remember, we took a look at what makes a well written song cycle – a fun little animal of a mus…
Have you ever listened to a song over and over again because there was one line you just couldn't quite hear? It's happened to me more than once. Sometimes, it only takes a day or two of lis…
At a completely fundamental level, there are two kinds of participants in art: there are the artists, and there are the observers. Artists have the gift of intention, the ability to say w…
I'll keep the formal introduction brief… Hello. My name is Jamie. You can read more about me here. This post is the first in a series which I'm writing for the Green Room blog over the com…
With musicals, there's an old (and false) belief that they are impossibly cheerful, unrealistic, and frivolous. We all love a screwball comedy meant purely for entertainment, but it takes a …
If you were a musical theatre writer or a songwriter in the 1910s, you would travel to 28th Street between 6th Avenue and Broadway to sell your music at Tin Pan Alley. You would walk i…
Rob Hartmann here " composer/lyricist/bookwriter, theatre journalist and critic, and professor (at NYU's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program.) In my last series of posts, I had a number…
A few years ago I had a ticket to attend a panel discussion with Stephen Schwartz and a couple of German 'musical theatre experts' in Berlin. I had the flu and wasn't feeling all that well, …
Hello there, fellow lovers (and writers, and producers, and attendees) of musical theatre! Greetings from the City of Broad Shoulders. It is my mission, in blogging for NMT, to bring a littl…
In many creative aspects we are taught from a young age that versatility is key to success. Actors and performers spend half of their life worrying about finding their niche, and later worry…
