FEEDBACK WORKSHOP #1: THE WORLD AND THE WANT
Each workshop will accept up to 10 writing teams and/or producers who will share works in progress and get feedback from a panel of expert evaluators. Audience members will also have a chance to offer their observations, participate in discussions and network sessions and enjoy refreshments.
Click for application as a writable PDF
or Go to guidelines for application as a web page
plus instructions on emailing materials.
This workshop is dedicated to fostering a conversation about musical theater structure not only for writers but also for producers, directors and everyone involved in the creation and production of new works.
Writers or producers are invited to submit no more than the first 25 pages of a show you are working on, plus MP3s of the songs within those pages. In the workshop (part 1) we will focus on two main aspects: 1) the opening number (or any number that invites the audience into the world of the show); and 2) the songs and scenes in which you introduce your characters. We will discuss "I want" songs, "I am" songs and "I feel" songs, and the function of each, with special attention to the way they move the action. In addition, we will continually explore the delicate balance between script and song.
Our professional panel of commercial producers, directors and writers will include Jane Abramson, Creative Development Manager at Disney Theatrical Productions; composer/lyricist Skip Kennon (Herringbone, Don Juan DeMarco, Time and Again), former Artistic Coordinator of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and teacher for two decades,
Ryan Bogner, Director of Creative Development at RKO Stage, and
Tom Polum (The Toxic Avenger, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, All Shook Up).Bob Ost, executive director of Theater Resources Unlimited, and TRU Literary Manager Cate Cammarata will facilitate.
Panelists
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SKIP KENNON
was the overall Artistic Coordinator of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and the teacher of the first year there for two decades. He wrote the music for the one-man musical Herringbone (Playwrights Horizons - starring David Rounds, Hartford Stage - starring Joel Grey, Edinburgh Festival, Philadelphia's Prince Music Theater, Chicago's St. Nicholas Theater, 2007 season opener at Williamstown Theater Festival - starring B.D. Wong), the music for Here's Our Girl (workshopped at the New York Shakespeare Festival/Public Theater), and the music and lyrics for the musical version of The Last Starfighter (Storm Theatre, Village Theatre Festival of New Musicals - summer 2006, New York Musical Theatre Festival readings - fall 2006), Blanco (Goodspeed Opera House at Chester, National Alliance for Musical Theatre, National Music Theater Network), Feathertop (WPA Theater, Pennsylvania Stage Co.), and Time and Again (Manhattan Theatre Club, San Diego's Old Globe Theater, Eugene O'Neill Center National Music Theater Conference). Kennon also wrote the music and lyrics for the one-act musical Plaisir d'Amour (book by Terrence McNally), which was produced at New York's Triangle Theater and seen in workshop at Circle Rep, as well as the music for the one-act musical Afternoon Tea (book & lyrics by Eduardo Machado), which was performed at Theater Row Theaters in 2005 by Ed Harris and Amy Madigan. He was a classical music critic at the Hollywood Reporter for five years.
Producers
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JANE ABRAMSON
is a theatre producer based in New York City. By day, she is the Senior Manager of Creative Development for Disney Theatrical Productions, where she has worked on multiple Broadway musicals, including Aladdin, Newsies, The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins and The Lion King as well as the regional premieres of The Jungle Book and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Outside of office hours, Jane is the co-founder and Managing Director of Two Turns Theatre Company (TTTC), which produces intimate play revivals in unique settings with historical resonance. This Fall, TTTC will present Doug Wright's I Am My Own Wife at RePOP Vintage Furnishings in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. In addition, Jane has produced many Off- and Off-off Broadway plays and musicals that have been featured at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the New York International Fringe Festival, the Summer Play Festival, Raw Impressions Musical Theatre, 8Minute Musicals and the LARK Play Development Center. Jane is an adjunct member of The Broadway League and served on the Gala Committee for Prospect Theater Company last season. She is an active member of the Musical Theatre Factory and Theater Resources Unlimited. Originally from Dallas, Jane now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two children.
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RYAN BOGNER
serves as VP of Creative Development for Stageworks Media. Previously he was the Director of Creative Development and Production at RKO Stage Productions, where he was responsible for the theatrical development of titles taken from the RKO Pictures film library and other acquired properties, as well as management of the company’s business and producing operations. Bogner began producing theater in the Independent and not-for-profit New York scene. He has produced shows at Williamstown Theater Festival, The Ohio Theater, 42West, The Zipper Factory, The Julia Miles Theater, Dixon Place, The New York Musical Theater Festival and The New York International Fringe Festival as well as countless developmental workshops, readings and concerts. Notable productions include: Here Lies Love (Williamstown), The Orion Experience, Yeast Nation: The Triumph of Life, Hurricane. Prior to beginning his producing career, Bogner worked in the executive and theater operations departments at Jujamcyn Theaters, and in the professional licensing department at Theatrical Rights Worldwide, managing licenses of such shows as Spamalot and The Color Purple for major professional theaters domestically and internationally. Bogner is a graduate of the CTI 14 week program, holds a B.F.A. in Musical Theater and Directing from The Boston Conservatory, and an M.F.A. in Theater Management and Producing from Columbia University. He has been a guest lecturer at Pace University and is a member of the Musical Theater Factory where he co-created and adjudicates the 4x15 workshop series.
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TOM POLUM
co-founder and CEO of Streaming Musicals, producer of the films of Emma, Marry Harry, No One Called Ahead, Pride and Prejudice. www.StreamingMusicals.com. Author of Mambo Italiano which had it's world premiere at the Westchester Broadway Theatre. Outer Critic's winner Best off-Broadway musical for The Toxic Avenger; produced the Houston production of The Toxic Avenger, following the off-Broadway New York premiere of the show about the first superhero from New Jersey by Joe DiPietro (I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change) and David Bryan (keyboardist and founding member of Bon Jovi) and directed by Tony Award-winner John Rando. He also co-produced Last Call, a musical documentary by Broadway director Christopher Ashley (Xanadu, Rocky Horror Show, All Shook Up) and is developing the musical comedies Mambo Italiano (based on the Canadian film starring Paul Sorvino) and Zombie Honeymoon, as well as other musicals, including Heloise and Abelard, The Toxic Avenger Christmas Chaos and Finding Frida Kahlo. Past credits include the tour of Broadway’s Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (Tony nomination for Best Musical).
