Book Music & Lyrics is currently open for applications for its first year courses for lyricists, composers, and librettists.
Book Music & Lyrics is the UK’s only professional development programme for musical theatre. Whether you’ve written hundreds of musicals or just starting out and looking for the perfect collaborator, join and see what it’s all about.
About the workshops: Book Music & Lyrics runs weekly 2 hour workshops to develop and foster craft skills specific to musical theatre for emerging and experienced practitioners. Regular and guest facilitators include: Jason Carr, Tim Sutton, Mark Warman, David Firman, David James, George Stiles, Jeremy Sams, Sir Richard Stilgoe, Charles Hart, Sarah Travis, Susan H. Schulman, David Spencer and Anthony Drewe.
The workshop has three objectives:
- Develop and foster craft skills specific to musical theatre for emerging practitioners
- Generate a broader, more involved collaborative community of and for those practitioners
- Be led by a professional (rather than an academic) ethos
The individual workshops offer weekly forums for practitioners to use and expand their skills. They are not ‘how to’ sessions but rather laboratories where all participants can feel safe to test and re-test work. They currently run for 32 weeks per year, split between Spring and Autumn terms.
FIRST YEAR COMPOSER/LYRICIST WORKSHOP
A workshop to develop and nurture craft in the writing of songs for musical theatre. Practitioners explore what individual songs must accomplish dramatically in the story-telling of the show, and the practical and technical needs of performers in doing this. The first year consists of assignments to write various types of theatre songs, all of which are presented in the workshop. Facilitators and the group members give and receive constructive feedback in the sessions to inform rewrites and further development. Practitioners work with different collaborators on each assignment. The year’s work culminates in the writing of 10-minute musicals in collaboration with members of the librettist workshop. Practitioners complete the year with a broader set of techniques and skills with which to approach future projects. It is possible to apply as a composer or a lyricist or both.
LIBRETTIST WORKSHOP
This workshop is made up of both new and more experienced members. New participants in their first term begin by focusing on the building blocks for strong story development and the dissection of ‘classic’ musical books, followed by assignments to practice basic tenets of craft. From there, members are encouraged to initiate and develop their own projects, always beginning with a one-page pitch. Is this a good, strong idea? Has an audience (no matter how small or big) been considered? Then, the project is developed through treatment, outline, and on to a full script. All participants also work during the course of the year on two projects with the first year composers and lyricists fostering interaction and collaboration between the groups.
How to apply: Applications can be made via the application form on their website.
Deadline: 31 January 2015
Source: BML
Pingback: Opportunities Weekly Round-up: 29 January 2016 | LONDON PLAYWRIGHTS BLOG