NMI’s RESOURCE CENTER for musical theatre writers
…producers, theatres, contests, ideas, feedback, definitions, links, glossary, insider tips and advice, and free videos
Welcome to the musical theatre writers’ Resource Center.
This is a FREE page provided by New Musicals Inc. We’ve gathered in one place lots of info we think will be useful to writers of musical theatre:
- hundreds of musical theatre contests
- over 700 theatres and producers where you can submit your work
- an idea library of thousands of royalty-free public domain stories and plots
- a Writer Bank of potential musical theatre collaborators
- a glossary of musical theatre terms (with audio/video examples)
- a page of useful links to other resources for musical theatre writers
- access to short videos filled with tips and advice from NMI staff
You can see the full listings for FREE! You just need to register. Take a look at some random highlights from the feature boxes of the Resource Center below.
We also offer a paid Premium version of the Resource Center which gives you the ability to SEARCH all the listings for contests, theatres, and ideas which are relevant to you and your work; and includes a monthly e-newsletter with up-to-date listings that come straight to you.
Already a member? LOG-IN
INSIDER TIPS AND ADVICE |
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How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 40-COLLABORATION – HOW? The 40th post in the video blog from NMI Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry - How to Get NO Feedback from Elise. Part of a short series about collaboration. This month: How best to collaborate? To see more fom this series, subscribe to the vlog at http://nmi.org/nmi-resources/elises-video-blog/ December 1, 2020 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 39 -COLLABORATION – WHERE? November 2, 2020 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 38 -COLLABORATION – WHY? October 1, 2020 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 37 -RECAP September 1, 2020 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 36 -ASSIGNMENT: PRONOUNS August 2, 2020 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 35 -ASSIGNMENT: TENSE *** Visit the INSIDER TIPS page to see the full listing of insider tips and advice videos. *** |
CONTESTS |
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FREE LISTING of hundreds of contests for plays and musicals. Premium Subscribers: get the additional ability to search by keywords. Who’s running contests for ten-minute musicals or one-acts? Who’s looking just for musicals? Dramas? Comedies? Or search by special interest, or geography. |
Here are some random samples from some upcoming contests/submissions listings:
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GLOSSARY OF TERMS |
Here are some samples from our Glossary of definitions of musical theatre terms. We will be adding to this over time - as well as adding actual sample scores and sound recordings. Check back often!
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FORMAT LIKE A PRO |
Watch this FREE video to learn how to implement the FORMAT GUIDELINES specifically designed by New Musicals Inc. Make sure your script and score look professional and are ready to go into development. |
Jack Klugman and Ethel Merman in Gypsy – 1959. From the New York Public Library collections. |
WRITER BANK |
Here are the newest additions to our Writer Bank:
You may peruse the Writer Bank for potential collaborators. If you are a logged-in registered (free) user, you are also welcome to enter your own information into the Writer Bank. Not yet registered? Just look for the registration form at the bottom of this page. |
PRODUCERS & THEATRES |
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FREE LISTINGS of nearly 700 producers and theatres for potential submission of your work. Premium Subscribers: get the additional ability to search by keyword or genre to identify who’s most likely to be interested in YOUR musical. (Large/small; comedy/drama; full-length/one-act; special interest like “women” or “LGBT” or youth theatre, etc.) |
Here are some random samples from our listings of theatres and producers:
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NEW MUSICALS ONLINE |
Here is one of our featured new musical theatre videos: |
LIBRARY OF IDEAS (Royalty Free) |
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FREE ACCESS to a library of 1000+ downloadable royalty-free stories, plays, plots and other inspiring indeas we’ve found in the public domain for you. There’s a brief excerpt of every item in the library, so you can take a quick glance to see whether or not you want to read the whole text. In addition, the NMI staff has made annotations and recommendations for many of the titles in the library about their potential to become musicals. Save hundreds of hours of research and reading! Premium Subscribers: get the ability to search the library for genre (Comedy, drama, suspense, ghost story, fairy story, etc.). |
Here are some random samples from our listings of story ideas in the public domain:
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IMPROVE YOUR CRAFT |
New Musicals Inc. offers a whole series of professional online LABS for bookwriters, lyricists, and composers who are serious about improving their craft. This video is a FREE sample of one of the lecture videos from the all new Lyric Lab 1 - Fundamentals. |
LINKS |
Here are some random samples from our musical-theatre related links:
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MUSICAL THEATRE ARCHIVES |
| Here is some musical theatre trivia about events that happened during THIS month in the past: |
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January 13, 1925 Gwen Verdon, winner of four Tony Awards including three for Best Leading Actress, was born today. As she approached middle age, her sometime husband Bob Fosse created two star vehicles for her: Sweet Charity and Chicago. January 18, 1998 The musical version of Ragtime, with a score by Ahrens & Flaherty and book by Terrence McNally, opened on Broadway. January 15, 1911 Prolific producer and Hollywood composer/musical director Cy Feuer, who won four Tony Awards, was born today. Among his musical hits: Where’s Charley?, Guys and Dolls, Can-Can, Silk Stockings, and How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. January 10, 1904 Ray Bolger, star of the original productions of On Your Toes, Life Begins at 8:40, By Jupiter, and Where’s Charley? (Tony Award), was born today. Bolger readily admitted that his main legacy was his performance as the Scarecrow in the film The Wizard of Oz. January 17, 1908 Ethel Merman, perhaps the icon of Broadway musicals, was born today. |
news feed:
Stars In The House Welcomes Reunions of Star Search and Dreamgirls’ Effies
We keep hauling out the reunions on Stars In The House, and, boy, are they great money raisers. We’re now up to $370,000 raised for The Actors Fund! Last week we had a reunion of women who played the role of Effie in Dreamgirls after Jennifer Holliday. So many amazing stories about how everyone got the gig, and, hilariously, we decided that they all got cast because at some point they acted like Effie at their audition.Yvette Cason came in numerous times for the part, and at the fourth call back…Read moreVIDEO: Kelli O’Hara Visits Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge- Watch Now!
Watch as Richard chats with Broadway’s favorite soprano, Kelli O’Hara, who will soon joinSeth Rudetskyfor two very special concerts on Sunday, January 178pm and Monday, January 183pm.Interactive Bollywood Kitchen Begins January 15 at Geffen Stayhouse
Previews for Bollywood Kitchen begin January 15, the latest virtual and interactive production at Geffen Playhouse as part of its Stayhouse programming. Led by filmmaker Sri Rao, and inspired by his cookbook of the same name, the show invites audiences to partake in a culinary journey from India to America. “The two questions I get asked most often at cocktail parties are, ‘Can I get one of your mom’s recipes for homemade Indian food?’ and ‘I’ve never seen a Bollywood movie before, can you recom…Read moreVIDEO: On This Day, January 15 – Happy Birthday, Andrea Martin!
Today we’re wishing a very Happy Birthday to comedy legend, Andrea MartinLaura Osnes, CAMELOT, and More to Headline Asolo Rep 2021 Outdoor Season
The season kicks off withLaura Osnes in Concerton February 5 and 6, with music direction by Fred Lassen.In the News: Aleshea Harris Awarded Hermitage Greenfield Prize, New Honor Named in Memory of Rebecca Luker, More
Read on for some recent theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.Aleshea Harris Awarded the 2021 Hermitage Greenfield PrizeThe OBIE Award-winning playwright of Is God Is and What to Send Up When It Goes Down has been named the recipient of the 2021 Hermitage Greenfield Prize, from the Hermitage Artist Retreat in collaboration with the Greenfield Foundation. Harris will receive a six-week residency at the Hermitage and a $30,000 commission for a new work to be presented at Asolo Repe…Read moreJay Armstrong Johnson, Jonathan Burke, Jelani Remy, More Join Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale
Broadway alums Jay Armstrong Johnson, Jonathan Burke, Jelani Remy, and Adam Roberts, along with Roberto Araujo, have joined the cast of Anjou: The Musical Horror Tale, sharing the role of Henry of Anjou. The stars join a previously announced cast that includes Javier Muñoz, Eden Espinosa, and Shereen Pimentel in the streaming benefit performance. The event streams on Playbill and YouTube January 29 at 8 PM ET, and will be available to watch through February 2. While free to enjoy, donations are…Read moreVIDEO: Haley Swindal Visits Backstage LIVE with Richard Ridge- Thursday at 12pm!
Tune in Thursday, January 1412pm, as he chats with the wonderful Haley Swindal, who streams her Birdland solo show, To New York, With Love, tonight 7pm ET and later available On Demand.VIDEO: On This Day, January 11 – Happy Birthday, Max von Essen!
On this day, we’re wishing a very Happy Birthday to Broadway’s Max von EssenPlaybill Vault’s Today in Theatre History: January 11
1899 “I would rather play Ibsen than eat—and that’s often what it amounts to,” said Eva Le Gallienne, born in London today. Her determination and drive lead her to a stage debut in Monna Vanna at the Queen’s Theatre in London in 1914; her Broadway debut takes place one year later in the comedy Mrs. Boltay’s Daughters. She appears in countless shows, and in 1937 plays Hamlet with Uta Hagen as her Ophelia. In 1926 she founds the Civic Repertory Theatre with the motto “Theatre should be an instrume…Read more| new musicals ... influential |
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER |
Premium Subscribers receive a monthly email that lists upcoming contest deadlines; the newest members of the Writer Bank, some sample public domain ideas; as well as some fun musical theatre trivia like random lyric quotes, pictures from the archives, and listings of things that happened in the musical theatre world during this same month in the past. We know that it's not always easy to remember to come back to the Resource Center to remind yourself of what contest deadlines are coming up soon - so this newsletter will come to YOU. |
FREE ACCESS right now; just register with us and pay no fees. But for $50 a year, Premium Subscribers get all the extra stuff listed on this page. Here’s a summary of the additional perks for Premium Subscribers:
Free v. Subscription?
| Free | Subscribers | |
| Insider Tips | √ | |
| Contests | √ | Custom search |
| Producers/Theatres | √ | Custom search |
| Idea Library | √ | Custom search; recommended titles |
| Links/resources | √ | √ |
| Writer Bank | √ | √ |
| Glossary of Terms | √ | √ |
| Monthly Newsletter | – | √ |
| Format Guidelines | $15 | FREE |
| Creative Services | – | $50-$400 off |
| Advice | – | $50 off |
CREATIVE SERVICES
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| The Resource Center is a very powerful clearinghouse of information and source material. But what it does NOT include are workshops, feedback, or advice on how to get produced, all of which have some fees involved. However, premium subscribers to the Resource Center get discounts on our services, ranging from $50-$400. Here are some links to pages describing how New Musicals Inc. supports writers and composers of new musical theatre: |
| New Musicals Inc. Creative Services — Script Analysis, workshops, table readings, concerts. You’ll also find here some options about developing your musical. (Hint: look at “The Sandbox” — and create your own pathway according to your budget and timetable.) PREMIUM Subscribers get up to $400 off. |
| Consulting/Advice — We’re known for our supportive, practical consultations on producing, raising money, putting together budgets, as well as artistic issues like music notation, script doctoring, etc. PREMIUM Subscribers get $50 off. |
| Format Guidelines — Want your script and score to look as professional as possible when making submissions? PREMIUM Subscribers get our infamous GUIDELINES FOR PROFESSIONAL SCRIPT AND SCORE FORMATTING - ILLUSTRATED & EXPLAINED (a $15 value) for FREE. |
REGISTER FOR FREE!OR become a PREMIUM SUBSCRIBER!Already registered? Please login below.
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I knew the time had to come --Bert Kalmar and Harry Ruby |
Free v. Subscription?
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FREE to Registered Users |
| Insider Tips |
| Contests (Subscribers get access to custom SEARCH options) |
| Producers/Theatres (Subscribers get access to custom SEARCH option) |
| Idea Library (Subscribers get access to custom SEARCH and recommended titles options) |
| Links/resources |
| Writer Bank |
| Glossary of Terms |
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PERKS for PREMIUM Subscribers |
| Custom search/filtering options |
| Monthly Newsletter |
| Format Guidelines for FREE |
| DISCOUNTS on Creative Services (from $50 to $400) |