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 43 – TELLING AN ENSEMBLE STORY The 43rd post in the video blog from NMI Artistic Director Elise Dewsberry - How to Get NO Feedback from Elise. A discussion of telling an ENSEMBLE story in musical form. To see more fom this series, subscribe to the vlog at http://nmi.org/nmi-resources/elises-video-blog/ March 1, 2021 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 42-COLLABORATION – COLLABORATION AGREEMENTS February 1, 2021 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 41-COLLABORATION – SOLVING PROBLEMS January 1, 2021 How to Get NO Feedback from Elise: Vlog 40-COLLABORATION – HOW? 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? *** 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. |
Midtown Theater exterior, Broadway (West 99th Street – West 100th Street) east side . 1933. Photographer: Wurts Brothers Source: [Collection of photographs of New York City.] / [Wurts Brothers, photographer] / Sherman Building / Irma and Paul Milstein Division of United States History, Local History and Genealogy |
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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April 16, 1927 Edith ‘Edie’ Adams was born today. Adams won a Tony for Best Featured Actress as Daisy Mae in L’il Abner. Then, she played Julie Andrew’s Fairy Godmother in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s television version of Cinderella. April 7, 1949 Some Enchanted Evening…South Pacific opened on Broadway today. April 25, 1996 Rent opened the door for a new era in contemporary musicals, which opened today. April 14, 1960 Bye, Bye Birdie, perhaps the first stage musical to acknowledge the ‘rock and roll’ sound permeating American music, opened on Broadway today. April 11, 1991 Miss Saigon opened on Broadway today. |
news feed:
VIDEO: Watch Inspirational New Video from the Actors Fund
It’s no secret that The Actors Fund has stepped up this year and every year in helping to keep unemployed artists afloat. You can still give to the organization that has already given so much. Watch an inspiration video from the Fund, narrated by Broadway favorite Colin Donnell.Back on the Road: National Tours Begin to Schedule 2021-2022 Stops Across the Country
With the vaccine rollout now well underway and the U.S. economy moving towards reopening, national touring venues across the country are beginning to plan dates for traveling productions of Broadway titles. Below is a list of planned national tour dates and venues for the 2021–2022 season, organized by region.Playbill will add to this story as more stops and itineraries are announced. This article was last updated April 16.Atlanta, GeorgiaThe Fox Theatre is set to reopen August 25 with Hamilton,…Read moreCheck Out These New Re-Imagined Broadway Marquees With The Ensemblist
In celebration of Broadway during the COVID-era shutdown, photographer Rebecca J. Michelson and graphic designer Tiffany Holt continue their series giving theatre classics a contemporary twist with The Ensemblist. The artists welcomed DeMarius Copes (Mean Girls), Nina Lafarga (Frozen), Mars Rucker (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical), and Jane Bruce (Jagged Little Pill) for a photo shoot using current theatre performers to reinvent cherished Broadway musicals from the past.“For this third round of th…Read morePhotos/Video: All New Portraits of the West End Cast of FROZEN; Samantha Barks, Stephanie McKeon, and More!
The West End production of Frozenis back on sale to the public, opening at the newly refurbished Theatre Royal Drury Lane on 8 September 2021, with previews from 27 August, and is now booking until 3 April 2022.VIDEO: On This Day, April 14- IT SHOULDA BEEN YOU Opens On Broadway
On this day in 2015, the new musical It Shoulda Been You, from Brian HargroveandBarbara Anselmiopened on Broadway featuring an all-star cast includingLisa Howard,Tyne Daly,Harriet Harris, andSierra Boggess, and directed by David Hyde Pierce.Celebrate the 61st Anniversary of Bye Bye Birdie on Broadway
The original Broadway production of Bye Bye Birdie opened at the Martin Beck Theatre April 14, 1960. The production, directed and choreographed by Gower Champion, played 607 performances before closing October 7, 1961. The musical would garner eight Tony Award nominations, winning four including Best Musical.Bye Bye Birdie tells the story of the MacAfee family and the residents of Sweet Apple, Ohio, who go topsy-turvy when teen idol Conrad Birdie comes to town to serenade one lucky fan before he…Read moreIn the News: Amanda Green Elected First Woman President of Dramatists Guild, Idina Menzel’s Back in Her Treehouse
Read on for more theatre headlines you may have missed in today’s news.Newly Elected Dramatists Guild Officers Make HistoryTony-nominated lyricist-composer Amanda Green (Hands on a Hardbody, Bring It On, High Fidelity) has been elected the first woman president in the 100 year history of The Dramatists Guild alongside the newly-elected, most inclusive board yet, including Branden Jacobs-Jenkins (An Octoroon) as vice president, Kristoffer Diaz (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity) as secretary,…Read moreRita Moreno, Regina King, Bryan Cranston & More Will Present at THE OSCARS
Show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher and Steven Soderberghtoday announced the ensemble cast to present at the 93rd Oscars,which airs live onABC, Sunday, April 25, at 8 p.n. EDT5 p.m. PDT.VIDEO: On This Day, April 11- MATILDA Opens On Broadway
On this day in 2013, the acclaimed musical adaptation of Roald Dahl’s Matilda opened at Broadway’s Shubert Theatre.A Look Back at Miss Saigon at 30
Following its London debut, Claude-Michel Schönberg, Richard Maltby, Jr., and Alain Boubil’s Miss Saigon opened at the Broadway Theatre April 11, 1991. The production played 19 previews and 4,092 performances before closing January 28, 2001. The musical earned 11 Tony Award nominations and won three, most notably with Lea Salonga becoming the first Asian performer to win a Tony for Best Actress in a Musical.Inspired by the opera Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon tells the story of the relationship b…Read more| new musicals ... impressive |
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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Missed the Saturday dance, --Bob Russell |
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) |