The musical is done, now what?

Question

I have finally finished a musical that I have been writing for three years. I am using the music of another artist that inspired me to tell this story. Aside from getting a US copyright for the dialogue and the permission from the artist to use their music. I need to know what else I should do or whom to see. I am from the nyc area and am hoping to know what to do next. What is the process for doing this, how can I really make this happen, what will get my foot in the door. Would a power point presentation be something to add on to musical to sway the labels that own the music, to let them know where this idea came from. Or should I hope the writing it self will be enough to win them over? Any advice is appreciated, thanks.

Answer 1

This is tough. I think your largest stumbling block may be getting permission to use the artist's music. You sound as if you're not worried -- but what if someone used your words to tell their story -- and their story had nothing to do with what you were trying to say? I should start over: CONGRATULATIONS! I myself have written a musical and had it produced by a local theater. It is a long journey -- and that first production was only the beginning. Your FIRST step is to get permission, and, uh... if you don't get it -- you said you worked three years on this (I took two, I understand) it sounds like you know the story well enough -- could you write your own lyrics and look for a composer? And if you've already written your own lyrics, then all you have to do is find a composer. No power point needed: Put the script in three different composer's hands and see who seems the most enthusiastic. Then, be prepared: you work as a team. (But you'd have to split it with the original artist anyway, so...) I am wishing you so much luck -- I know that if you get the music thing settled, you won't have any problem getting the musical workshopped and produced at a NYC theatre -- New Musicals are all the rage! Remember that at this point you have to put away some ego and roll up your sleeves for a whole new step in the game. I believe in you -- keep going.

Answer 2

First of all, I think you need a producer. If the producer likes your work, then he/she might help you to get the rights for the music.

Answer 3

Now you gotta find backers.

You have to package it.

I watched the late Stephen Stucker try and put one out on Dracula.

Stucker, of course, was a long time member of Kentucky Fried Theater and was in both Airplane movies and long time friends of Abrahams and Zuckers, who were also in Kentucky Fried Theater.

Stucker played all the music on keyboards and had a drummer I think working with him. He wrote all the songs.

He was able to get backers who were able to get money and they put this on under Equity Wavier at a 99 seater and got a lot of SAG/Equity talent, including the bar tender from Three's Company and that character actor that looks exactly like Bella Lugosi.

They put it on in back street theater and as far as I know they did two versions and neither attracted any big backers.

I also so a backstreet theater production based on the life of rock promoter Bill Graham, starring Ron Silver.

I don't think it ever made it to Broadway. It wasn't a music, it was a drama. SLice of life.

You can take it to small theater companies and see if they will try it out.

You can take it to college students and see if you can try it there.

When Claudia Weil was working out her script for Girlfriends, she took it to Juliard and had the acting students there put it on as a stage play in a class room or very small theater.

Several of the students got parts when she started filming, including one of the leads.

Those are your starting point. Video it as good as you can, made DVDs and use it as presentation to hit promoters.

See if you get any critical reviews from small papers.

It's about putting a package together and getting nibbles from professionals.

Weber and Rice wrote a Cantana as part of their College MAsters Thesis, I believe. It was based on the Biblical story of Joseph and his brothers.

They put it on at the college with a local top 40 band playing the music, Weber's father Sr. Lloyd Weber playing pipe organ and some high school kids singing the choir parts.

They even made a recording of it.

I guess they took it around town. They also wrote a few "tin pan alley" tunes that made a few ripples on the Charts and eventually got Bee Gees manager Robert Stigwood (who started out as the manager of Brian Epstein's London record store, Nems and then handled all of Brians' talent except for the Beatles) to back a recording of their opera JC Superstar. That put them on the map, the recording of Joseph and the Technicolored Dreamcoaat they made at the school get released and sold well, I had a copy. I was interested in doing it for TV, but Peter Brown of the Stigwood company told me they were trying to put it on Broadway. That took them 7 years to do from the time I wrote them about licensing the music.

I don't even know if it went Broaday. Might have just been Off Broadway. When I saw it in Los Angeles it was at the Aquarius theater, not at the Music Center like Evita and Phantom were.

You got a tough road if it takes Robert Stigwood 7 + years to get Joseph on stage. The first production of Joseph was probably in the mid 1960s. Probably 1966 in England at the school and I think I saw Joseph at the Aquarius in the 1980s.

Taht's like 15 - 20 years to go from school presentation to Los Angeles commercial showing.

And Robert Stigwood was a consumate showman and producer who had the likes of Bee Gee, Eric Clapton, Weber and Rice and a firm distribution deal with Germany's Polygram

Answer 4

Watch it and enjoy.








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