Hello, and welcome! My name is Matt Klein. I’m an intern at the Academy for Musical Theatre, the amazing organization whose blog you are currently reading.
“So what exactly is this blog about?” you may ask. In short, it’s about musical theatre. In slightly lengthier, it’s about the development of new musical theatre, as seen through the eyes of an academy devoted to it. We’ll regale you with stories, astound you with observations, and occasionally annoy you with self-promotion. It should be a blast.
On a more serious note, I’m very excited about this blog. The Academy is a wonderful resource for aspiring writers, and as an aspiring writer, the chance to capture some of their tidbits forever online is something I look forward to.
So again, welcome, and enjoy.
-Matt
Author: Elise Dewsberry
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc., Elise has been involved in the development of new works for over forty years: as an actor/singer, as a director, as a dramaturge, and as a writer. While living in Toronto, Elise served as the Assistant Artistic Director of the Muskoka Festival; the Co-Ordinator of the festival’s annual Musical Theatre Writer’s Colony, the Associate Dramaturge of the Canadian Stage Company; the Resident Dramaturge of the Smile Theatre Company; and was the co-founder of Toronto’s Script Lab. Elise spent many years touring Canada with Nine Months – a one-woman musical which she commissioned from writers Carl Ritchie and Stephen Woodjetts. Elise and Carl also co-wrote Any Body Home?, which was produced by the Cordova Bay Theatre in Victoria, British Columbia, and published by Dramatic Publishing. Elise joined ANMT as Associate Artistic Director in 2003; joined Founding Artistic Director John Sparks as Co-Artistic Director in 2010; and became Artistic Director of New Musicals Inc. in 2013. Elise is also the author and evaluator of the Book Lab and the Outlining Lab, offered online through www.writingmusicaltheatre.com, and publishes a monthly blog on the craft of musical theatre available at https://nmi.org/elises-video-blog/.