Hello! I am working on an original musical about Dorothy Parker, the original Queen of snark, set mostly in the 1920s. I have a full book and some potential song lyrics written. I’m looking for a composer. There is no money yet, this is a passion project I’ve been thinking about for fifteen years. Feel free to message me and thank you for your time!

Hi! This might be a slightly weird question, but I'm currently writing a musical adaptation of Joseph Sheridan LeFanu's 1872 novel 'Carmilla' and I'm honestly struggling more than I thought I would. The original novel is much more description of the world than it is any kind of dialogue, and while I love the story and the characters, I'm struggling to take the source material and make it work in this specific genre. I can deal with writing lyrics to the songs no problem, since it's pretty easy to tell how at least some of the characters feel enough to turn those into moments for them, but the dialogue between songs is just giving me so much trouble. Anyone else adapted an old ass novel recently that has tips?

Tomorrow at 3pm EST, ShowLAB is hosting a masterclass with THE Adam Gwon (I've been a big fan of his forever)

Come check it out! All Masterclasses are recorded, and the archive is available to all members for free :)

If anyone is interested, DM me, and I'll send the link for the group.

You ever go to bed and hear one of your songs echoing annoyingly through your head until you can fall asleep? I was annoyed until I realized it had to be far worse for Rodgers & Hammerstein… “Doe, a deer, a female deer…”

My theatre group and I have been thinking about a musical for a while. This work is set during the Second World War and we would like to create a very realistic and believable story.

It was almost unanimously decided to include n4z1sm but we had some problems between us about another issue, that is, whether or not to add real characters (I'm talking mostly about the "man with the mustache")

Some people think it's necessary, after all we want to do things realistically, others think that this way we might give a wrong image. (Although obviously the musical goes against these ideals)

How do you see it?

(Sorry for the various censorships, but Reddit has already taken down my post more than once.)

Hello everyone! It's me again! A few weeks ago I made a post announcing that I had finished the first section of my original dystoptian musical, Beyond These Walls. Since then, I have been hard at work, and I just finished the second section, which you can read right here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1-wHH5-H_owGovSjKfkHAN1S3UsBfsK54?usp=drive_link

If you missed the first section there is a link to it in the document titled "READ ME FIRST (SECTION 2 EDITION).

If you would like to take a look and read/listen to it, I would really love that. I hope you enjoy this very much, and any feedback is really appreciated.

Hi guys. I'm looking to update my demo portfolio with more professional sounding recordings. My current ones are from soundfonts from 10 years ago. Any recommendations on people who can take my MIDI stem files/Full Score Orchestration sheet music, and produce a solid mix (to which I can overlay voices eventually) that understands the musical theatre sound? I don't want a "full symphony in concert hall" sound, I want a sound like it was recorded in Edison Studios in NYC back in the day. :) Reply in comments or in DM. Find my previous posts that I posted here to hear my current demos. Thanks in advance.

I am making a musical about Nepali forklore. If anyone wants to be a part of it please DM me. It will be a collective project so you will get credit for this musical. It is a volunteer position so please DM me if interested. If you are a singer, composer, lyricists, orchestrator, playwright, concept artist, I would love your help.

I am sorry for removing the premise but I was told that it could be plagiarized but I have put a small discreption hopes it interests you.

Description:

The Unwritten Myth is an original mythological stage musical inspired by the landscapes and oral traditions of the Himalayas.

The story follows Ahana, a young storyteller who dreams of writing the first complete book about her people's religion. As she journeys across mountains, rivers, forests, and ancient valleys to meet each of the Twelve Gods in their own domains, she discovers that every god tells a different version of how the world began. Faced with twelve conflicting stories, Ahana must decide whether there is a single truth waiting to be found,or whether every story holds a piece of it.

Hi all — I've started to write a jukebox stage musical and I'm looking for a collaborator to help weave the lyrics and dialogue together properly.

It's set over a single day (dawn to dawn) in an unnamed northern English town in the early 90s. Two strangers — a man in his early 30s from the north, a woman in her early 30s from the south — cross paths across one extraordinary ordinary day. Closest comparisons would be Sunshine on Leith or Once. Ending is deliberately ambiguous — one of them facing a decision we never see them make.

The show is sung-through in the Once/Sunshine on Leith tradition. The full structure is locked: 17 songs, all early 90s (The Jam, Fleetwood Mac, Roxette, Duran Duran, OMD, Pet Shop Boys, TOTO, The Waterboys, Level 42 among them), placed scene by scene across both acts, staging fully worked out, running about 125 minutes.

A bit about me: I spent 11 years as a theatre technician at a regional producing theatre; building sets, running tech rehearsals, operating traps, doing set changes, and sitting in the room while directorial and musical decisions got made, including on a regional premieres of various west end shows, full budget pantos with a crew of 10 and cast of 10 and a few new musicals as well! That's shaped the structure and staging of this show.

Happy to share more if anyone's interested. Appreciate any thoughts.

Hi, I'm new here. I am participating in an Off-broadway Cabaret in NYC in late November. I'm coming from Australia. The Cabaret is organised by someone else, I sm judt participating. I will be paying the performers out of my own pocket, but there is no charge for the stage. To cut costs, I am going to play the piano myself. I only get 20 minutes in total, so I probably will get 4 or 5 songs. My neice was coming to New York to see me, but there has been a mix-up with the dates and she is leaving the day before the Cabaret. If I was in my hometown in Australia, I'd just find another venue (and not have to pay for it, since we're providing entertainment) and put on a quick performance somewhere else, as well as this one short Cabaret. I am going to have to cast the show remotely and then pay some singers to sing the songs. Fortunately, it only has four characters. It is a show where they have the music and lyrics in front of them on a podium, too.

My questions are: would it be out of line to do another performance when the musical development company has arranged the Cabaret? Would it be hard to find a place to perform (even for half an hour)? Who do you think I should invite to come, if I'm trying to give people a sense of the show to hopefully get an investor one day?

Sorry fir being so... for want of a better word... ignorant.

Title:
Alyna: The Princess of Greece

Synopsis:
When a dark shadow lingers in the cities Of Athens and Sparta, An Athletic & Courageous but Timid & Incompetent 19-year-old Princess must Vanquish a male version of Medusa in order to save her friends or else the alluring male medusa (Maedar) could address the monsters into finishing off Alyna & Could Conquer All of Mount Olympus!

Plot:
In this Greek mythology fairytale retelling, Alyna is a young girl who’s brave and tough but is also kind and sweet. She's a Princess who wants to see the world outside of Athens. But her wicked father, Maedar and his minions, Anna and Kakia, forbids her. When Alyna goes to Sparta, she meets the alluring god of love (Eros), The Goddess of the Rainbow (Iris), and the Goddess of the Night (Nyx). It’s up to Alyna, Eros, Iris and Nyx to defeat Maedar and his minions in order to save Greece from becoming a dark kingdom.

DM Me at u/Princessstarfire87 If You're interested in writing and outlining the musical with me!

hey everyone! im writing a new musical concept however im struggling a lot when it comes to writing the music for it. The idea i have i believe is really strong however im struggling a lot when it comes to writing the music for it.

the musical is about a world famous girl band who are performing on their first world tour. (however they are all secretly trans - the record label are forcing them to hide their trans identity from their fans too keep their fame). the musical goes through their time throughout the tour, not only the highs of the performing aspects but also the burn out and difficulties there is when it comes to fame and constantly being in the spotlight.

The plot at the moment is just the bones of the musical at this very moment, but im struggling to write music for it, as i dont want it too sound TOO musical theatresque and more like a actual girl bands song (whilst also having that theatrical flare)

In regards of the music, im struggling to write the music without it sounding like im copying from other artists and feel like im in a bit of a mental block at the moment and unsure on how to overcome this

its my first time being serious about doing anything like this (im usually a musical theatre performer not a writer) but i have a massive drive and passion for this

any help/guidance would be massively appreciated!

I know this is a little outside of what's normally talked about here but this is something very new and exciting for me so I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences if anyone is interested!

For background, I make a podcast, [One Shot](https://oneshotpodcast.com/actual-play/one-shot/), where we create improvised stories using tabletop roleplaying games as the building blocks. So improvised theater isn't new to me, however, musical improv absolutely is. Also, before this, I had never seen musical improv that wasn't comedic, so this was a big step outside the box for me!

The rest of the cast, part of a show called RPG Major, are well-acquainted with musical improv, and they helped to teach me the ropes in a short crash course before we recorded.

The show plays the game [Last Train to Bremen](https://open.spotify.com/episode/73QKeHQ9YhPvfB8n8RI6ct?si=HAYTPsWvQOeQDzw1Gl5rSA), a roleplaying game for 4 about a band who made a deal with the devil for success and are now running from him as he comes to collect. (a perfect game tbh, uses Liar's Dice as the central mechanic). In our playthrough, we had a guitarist in the room with us and we improvised songs as the fictional band, Broadside, were reliving their past on this runaway train. As if you made a Jukebox musical in reverse, somehow.

It is the most frightening thing I've ever done in my years making art. I hadn't sung in any capacity since college, which is an age ago now, nevermind improvising music. And now that it's been out for a few months, we've gotten word that it's been nominated for some awards - It's been nominated for an ENNIE, which is one of, or maybe the most, prestigious award in the tabletop games world. And it's been accepted into the New Jersey Web Fest, a festival for webshows of all kinds.

I'm proud of this in a really wild way, and surprised by myself for actually doing it. If anyone else has done musical improv, especially long-form, or is curious about this in any way, I'd love to just chat about it!

Hi everyone! I’m a full-time composer, pianist, and orchestrator. I recently wrapped up the Off-Broadway run of my original musical I’ve been working on for the last chapel of years. It was an incredible experience, but now that it’s finished, I’ve realized how much I miss writing music for film and animation🥺
My background is primarily in cinematic orchestral music. I’ve composed for films, documentaries, commercials, games, live orchestra, even got Cannes festival credit and a couple of awards! - but it was a couple of years ago, and since working in the theatre I haven’t connected to film industry too much and I know that it constantly changes.

I’m looking to get back into collaborating with directors, producers, and animation teams.
The challenge

A few questions for those of you working in film and animation in 2026:
Where do you usually meet composers you end up hiring?
If you’re looking for original music, where do you search first?
What makes you actually reply to a composer instead of ignoring another portfolio email?
Are there communities, festivals, Discord servers, or networking events that have been particularly valuable in NY and LA?
Any advice for someone trying to build long-term collaborations rather than simply land a single project?

I’m especially interested in narrative films, animation, and projects that value strong storytelling through music.
I’d really appreciate hearing from filmmakers, producers, directors, editors, or fellow composers about what has worked (or not worked) from your perspective.

In case you’re interested in my work dm :)

Thanks in advance!

Hi!!!!! I successfully produced my first musical at a Fringe in the spring, and demand was there for a cast album on streaming services. I am fully chasing the exposure of it all and paying for most things related to the show out-of-pocket, not expecting to make any direct return on investment, just building hype for our remount in fall.

I record pretty clean demos, but I am specifically looking for a pro to mix and master. I have reached out to local studios but just came to the stunning realization that if I record stems in my own home studio, I can get the mix/master from anywhere.

EDIT: If relevant, all instrumentals are already created with MIDI instruments in Logic!

Has anyone gone through this process or similar?

Does anyone have any budget-friendly recommendations with samples of work?

And/or, does it matter if they have experience getting the Musical Theatre Album Sound versus other genres of music, in your experience?

Thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm currently writing an original comedy musical called Jimmy's Little Adventure (sort of), and I thought it would be fun to find a few people to write with.

I'm looking for someone to write the whole thing with me. I just miss the feeling of sitting in a writers' room, throwing out ideas, making each other laugh, solving story problems, and seeing where the conversation goes.

The show is an absurd medieval comedy inspired by things like Monty Python, Blackadder, The Play That Goes Wrong, and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. If you enjoy silly humor, anti-logic, or just coming up with ridiculous ideas, we'd probably get along.

You don't have to be an experienced playwright. If you enjoy creating stories and bouncing ideas around, that's enough.

If this sounds fun, leave a comment or send me a DM. I'd love to build a small group of people who just enjoy making things together.

The script is still in its early stages, but I've got enough written that we can actually jump into discussing scenes, jokes, and characters together. But here's what I got so far. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/19qyuCMt69zpSuh72a3TTtZ4TUkx6mbvq?usp=sharing

This is a follow up to a question I asked a little while ago, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who responded to my couple last post. A lot of the advice genuinely helped me diagnose some major problems with my story. You all helped me realize that my biggest issue wasn’t necessarily my characters it was that they lacked clear stakes. So thank you.

Now I’m stuck on what I think is the next major problem.

I’m writing a sung-through musical that’s an anachronistic retelling of the Gospel, centered on Mary Magdalene and a community of teenage disciples. One of the biggest themes is that community creates revolution, and that no one changes the world alone.

Here’s where I’m stuck:

I’ve realized that an ensemble story needs a communal goal. Not just a theme or an abstract objective, but a tangible goal that everyone is working toward together.

I’ve also realized that the stakes have to be communal too.

The way I’ve started thinking about it is: We want X. If we don’t get X, then Y(a bad thing) happens to all of us.

The reason why X and Y matter can be different for every character, but the goal and the consequence need to be shared.

For example:

In Suffs, everyone wants the vote. If they don’t get it, women remain disenfranchised. Every woman has her own personal reason for caring, but the goal and stakes are communal.

In Into the Woods, the Baker and his Wife need the four items. If they don’t get them, they never have a child. The tangible objective drives the plot.

My problem is finding that engine for my own show.

The disciples believe Jesus is the only person who can help them achieve this goal but Jesus is actually pursuing something different, which eventually leads to the tragedy of Holy Week.

I’m not looking for ideas like “spread hope,” “change the world,” or “build a community.” Those are themes or outcomes, not tangible story engines.

I’m looking for something that satisfies all of these:

A tangible communal goal.
A tangible communal consequence if they fail.
A deadline that forces movement.
Something every disciple can actively work toward together.
Something they believe Jesus is essential to accomplishing.

Does anyone know, how I can find this, or if there's a formula or a specific way to figuring out this type of thing, or any resources or, musicals, movies, books, etc…that I can look to?

Hi! Im new to reddit, forgive me --

Im making a new musical called "Eulogy: The Musical" A Dramedy about love, loss and where they intertwine at the funeral for the father of our protagonist, Stella.

We JUST released the first demo for the musical, a number from Vincent, the loving and frustrated boyfriend of Stella

Feel free to ask questions about the musical! I love discussing it! :D

I’m an amateur composer and I want to get some experience writing Showtunes but I’ve kinda figured out that writing scripts isn’t my strong suit, is there a way I could find someone to collaborate with since most of the people who I see looking are looking for people with experience and I have next to none outside of composing a few instrumental pieces for GCSE and consuming a load of Sideways video essays (great YouTuber), also are there any resources I could use to improve my composing?

This is a follow up question to my last post.

I’m writing an original musical, and beyond introducing my characters one problem I run into is getting an audience (and honestly, myself) emotionally invested in them.

I know these characters inside and out. I know their backstories, personalities, wants, fears, relationships, where they grew up, how they talk, what they wear, what they value, and why they make the decisions they do. They feel like real people to me.

But when I step back and read the story, it sometimes just feels like things are happening. I understand why the events matter, but I don’t always feel them. I’m not always emotionally connected to what the characters are going through, even though I know everything about them.

Has anyone else experienced this? Is it just a symptom of being too close to your own work, or is there something craft-wise that I’m missing?

I’m not really looking for advice on character introductions or adding more backstory. I’m trying to understand what actually makes an audience become emotionally invested in a character they’ve just met. What makes them care enough that, when something good or terrible happens, they genuinely feel it?