The Business of Writing Musicals
- Master Collaboration Agreements
- Navigate Copyright & Rights Issues
- Learn How to Pitch Producers Effectively
- Avoid the 5 Costly Mistakes Most Musicals Make
Based on the accumulated knowledge from eight national writers’ conferences on the business of musical theatre. Includes “A Guide to Producing Stage Readings” and guidelines for approaching agents. This textbook is a must-have for those who are serious about their musical theatre careers.
Table of Contents (click to open)
Folks who bought this book also bought one of our three other essential textbooks. Begin your journey with A Crash Course in Musical Theatre. Deep-dive into writing and composition with The Craft of Writing Musicals. Expand your writing toolkit with Format Guidelines to Musical Theatre, a priceless resource to help you make your submissions look like the pros! All in one indispensable collection. Master the art, business, and craft of musical theatre with this quartet, ensuring you’re well-prepared for a successful journey into the heart of the musical world.
The Craft of Writing Musical Theatre
The ultimate deep dive into writing book, music, and lyrics. Twenty years in the making, this comprehensive 500-page textbook covers dramatic structure, character development, song progressions, lyric techniques, music theory essentials, and advanced masterclass topics. An indispensable reference for serious students, educators, and developing writers aiming for professional mastery.
Format Guidelines for Musical Theatre
Ensure your work meets professional standards. This detailed technical manual provides industry-standard formatting rules and examples for scripts, scores, lead sheets, and lyrics. Make your musical readable, producible, and submission-ready with clear templates and best practices crucial for collaboration and evaluation.
A Crash Course in Writing Musicals
Your fast track from idea to stage essentials. This compact guide offers a quick, engaging overview of the core concepts—from outlining and song spotting to basic formatting and business steps. Perfect for writers with deadlines, collaborators needing a quick study, or anyone seeking a foundational understanding in just a few hours. (Pairs ideally with NMI’s online video course of the same name!)
About the author.
SCOTT GUY
Scott has been actively involved as a writer and producer in both theatre and television. He has six Emmy nominations, and over 100 produced television scripts for Warner Bros., FOX-TV, Disney, Discovery Channel, PBS, etc. Scott is the Executive Director of New Musicals Inc. where he supervises the development of musicals for live and digital platforms. He created the Lyric Lab over fifteen years ago and has supervised the development of hundreds of musicals. He has been Winner/Finalist for the Richard Rodgers Award, Eugene O’Neill Musical Theatre Award, four-time winner for Stages Musical Theatre Festival, and many other accolades. His theatre scripts, including The Fish Whisperer, The Maltese Falcon Musical Nightmare, Just-So Stories, Der Strunkenwhitenlieder, and Rootabaga Stories have had multiple productions throughout the United States.
THE ACADEMY FOR NEW MUSICAL THEATRE
ANMT was founded over 40 years ago. Under its parent organization, New Musicals Inc., The Academy continues to offer a comprehensive, multi-year musical theatre curriculum for bookwriters, lyricists and composers (the Core Curriculum), as well as an on-going writers’ workshop. ANMT develops several dozen musicals each year for producers and writers all around the country through table readings, workshops, concerts, and occasional productions.
Scott Guy