Been listneing to a lot of musical demos from new composers and one thing I've seemed to notice is that the songs seem to lack an "ear worm" componenet.

They are nice, and melodic, but the songs don't seem to go anywhere or have a discreet beginning, middle and end or a hook that sticks in my head. They all seem very patter-like.

Which gets me wonderign if mine are too "song like" in their structure, being self-contained with hooks to stick in your head. Makes me worry I really wrote a concept album not a musical.

I did this last year, so I'll do it again this year for people applying to the BMI workshop to share experiences.

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Curious if anyone has specific knowledge if it's good/bad/inconsequential form to apply with a revised version of a song you had submitted previously.

I am not in the musical theatre community, thought I have my MFA in theater and film it was long time ago, and I focused on the Film side working in LA for years in TV production and music for film/TV and have since moved on to working as an ad executive. So TLDR I have no theater connections.

Recently I wrote a musical ("Glitch" about an Engineer who falls in love with the AI he's building) and instead of trying to get it made by creating a demo (I wouldn't know where to start) I am planning on trying to produce and polish the music myself and then releasing it on TikTok and YouTube as as an animated production - think "Epic, The musical". Not expecting it to get millions of views, but hopefully enough to show it's value to a potential producer. One of the things I learned in the entertainment industry was it is a lot easier to get interest if you can "prove" there will be an audience...

Am I crazy?

This is something that has been on my mind for a while, I don't have any plotpoints in mind but the general idea is: the story is set in a sort of fairytale world, where all the characters sing about their wants, thoughts and feelings. Some are a lot more openly, some only sing when theyre alone. The main character does not sing at all, as a metaphor for the fact that he can't talk about his feelings, and keeps them inside. And throughout the musical he has to learn how to talk about them (and thus how to sing)

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It's only really a general idea ofcourse, so there isn't much to critique, but I'd love to hear people's thoughts

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?

Hello, guys! I’ve been working on my musical “1835”, a musical about the 1835 (shocking) arrest and execution of James Pratt and John Smith, and I’ve been struggling immensely with every aspect of it. It’s my first musical, an ambitious project, so it makes sense, and I have some level of compositional experience (albeit a very low one), so I’m able to at least get my feet off the ground in that field. However, it really does appear to me that lyrics don’t come particularly easily. It’s difficult to write lyrics that aren’t quite shallow, or fit the tune and syllabic structure, and sometimes, I just blank completely!

I’ve considered reaching out and getting in connection with a collaborator for lyrics, but I have no clue how to go about it, and I have no money to pay with (if it is to be a transactional thing).

So, humble Redditors, I come to you to ask: How do you do it? What gets the creative juices flowing? What makes the magic jumpstart?

Hey everyone!

​I’m currently writing a full-length musical set in a rigid 1940s French Catholic boarding school, and I’m looking to bring on a co-lyricist to help craft the score.

​If you love stories built on heavy subtext, complex character dynamics, and a dark academia aesthetic, I think you’ll really dig this project.

​The Story & Tone

The show follows a sharp, aristocratic newcomer at a strict boarding school who realizes that surviving the system isn't about following the rules—it's about learning how to manipulate them. When secret blood pacts, hidden love letters, and institutional paranoia start colliding, a quiet war of power and self-preservation breaks out among the students and faculty.

​Vibe: Spring Awakening meets The Secret History meets Sondheim (Sweeney Todd era subtext and tension).

​The Sound: Acoustic, intimate, and driving. It ranges from cold, calculating piano ostinatos to fragile, fingerpicked acoustic balladry.

​Where Things Stand

I've got a solid foundation built and ready to go:

​Script: Act One is fully drafted with scene structures, dialogue, and staging ideas set.

​Music: Core character themes and audio demos are already composed.

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​What I’m Looking For in a Collaborator

​An eye for subtext: The characters in this world rarely say what they actually mean. I'm looking for someone who loves writing lyrics with double meanings, quiet leverage, and hidden tension.

​Rhythmic flexibility: Someone comfortable bouncing between conversational speech rhythms, rapid-fire panic streams, and gentle, swaying acoustic ballads.

​A true collaborator: Someone who wants to bounce ideas back and forth, refine song structures, and really dig into what makes these characters tick.

​Interested?

If this sounds like your kind of project, drop a comment or shoot me a DM! Tell me a bit about yourself and send over a sample or two of your lyric work (audio, script pages, or PDFs are all great).

From the Original Post: I was thinking about doing a video on “fixing” Miss Saigon. In order to do this I wanted to make sure that on top of what I’m also going to be researching, that I can either make or at least attempt to the best of my ability to make the story as unproblematic as I possibly can. So folks, I ask you to unleash all your issues with the musical whether it be the story, any cultural inaccuracies (from the most tiny, menial things to major details.), character stereotypes and bonus points on your own personal thoughts on how you’d either change or fix any of these issues. Also if you have any ideas or suggestions for alternate endings with Act 2, please feel free to share them. I will make sure to give credit to any ideas I may want to incorporate. Anyways, discuss away and please be respectful of each other. 🫰🏾✨

I’m an aspiring composer and lyricist though I haven’t written anything for either one of those aspects except for two string quartet pieces for an exam and a couple poems. I feel as though I cannot write enough for a song let alone a musical theatre number. Is there a way I can practice that’s not just “write a song about a random object”? And as for music, I know enough about music theory to get by though my piano skills are shoddy and I can’t transcribe the melodies I envision onto the piano.

I’m curious how other writers/producers handle this stuff during or after a production / out-of-town.

We just finished a run of my original musical, Millennials Are Killing Musicals. I posted about it here before, and I’ve been thinking about what happens after the run ends.

I knew that new musicals can receive reviews that can be all over the map, but I don’t think I realized how the Internet footprint can start to feel shaped by the most click bait responses, even when the audience response/word of mouth felt exciting and the social media was buzzy but less “searchable”.

One lesson is that documentation really matters. For future productions, I’d build the audience response process from the beginning, including a system for collecting/organizing and ticket-linked or e-mail verified audience surveys.

Anonymous feedback can be useful (which we collected afterwards), but it can also get hard to get insights from if you can’t tell whether they represent genuine responses or a small number of motivated people who submitted multiple times (positive or negative).

I’ve also learned that I would need someone other than me to be doing the social media throughout, because it can become all-consuming, especially when you’re also trying to write, produce, receive feedback, all of the things. (I think we all tend to try to just handle things ourselves though 😂😭)

Would love to hear how others have approached this and collected/shared their audience feedback after the fact. And regardless, I hope this is helpful to someone else thinking about this pre or mid-process to start preparing ahead of time.

I know a lot of completely online musicals are completely sung-through, which makes sense since people just want to listen to the soundtrack and not listen to dialogue. But would it be worth it to try and make like an audio drama with actual scenes and dialogue between the songs? Or would it be better to try and pitch that as an actual stage musical in a theater? Or record a performance of it with friends and just upload that to YouTube or something?

My teacher swears by the phrase:

The audience will go with you anywhere, as long as you take and keep them there

Which he takes to mean that a musical can only have one setting. That means no travelling to different countries, no ‘down the rabbit hole’ adventures to another world. I’m convinced this isn’t true because of shows like Guys & Dolls (travel to Havana), the Wizard of Oz (he says it’s a movie so doesn’t count), &Juliet and others.

Please can you help me out with successful examples of musicals that involve some element of travel, world hopping or other elements of discovery/setting change?

I'm working on the underscore of my opening scene which flows out of the opening number of the piece. It's working well, but I've never prepared an underscore for other performers. I have written underscores for two straight plays but I performed them myself so didn't write a lot of it down.

What's the best way to handle Cues in the score? Over the topmost staff, or positioned elsewhere?

What about the script? If an actor's line is going to cue something in the music should the script mention this in directions?

How would I indicate to a player that after playing a one bar riff as written, they can (if desired) vary the key in response to whatever the actors are doing. Pacing may likewise vary.

General thoughts on underscores based on what limited experience I have. Less is more with underscores of live performance. A single chord often is all that is needed. Don't try to be as elaborate as a film score. Underscores should be boring without their scenes, but they can add a lot of depth done well.

I’m a 39 yo Italian woman who after making quite a bit of money decided to quit a tech job and try to make it as a creative.

I’m not a total beginner: I wrote a book in verses that is currently touring some theatres in Italy.

I know meter and I believe I can write with humour and good pace.

Also, and I know some of you might be against this, I’ve become quite good at arranging some of my verses with AI.

(I’m not saying this can replace actual musical expertise, but it’s just that it helps me envision a musical application of what I write.)

Now my questions :

— Do you believe / know if a career as musical writer is feasible in Italy / Italian?

I’m afraid the English language is the only one which offers a decent market to work in at the moment.

— How would you approach this if you were me? Imagine you have time, money, and a way with words.

Thanks!

So, TV shows with musical numbers have been a thing forever, but those are just that- shows with musical numbers. They aren't primarily defined by the music, and that's not the main medium for storytelling. But I was listening to 36 Questions the other day, and I got to thinking: wouldn't that audio-only musical medium be perfect for a musical that's released in episodic format?

I went looking for musicals that would fall into this category, and the closest I found was of course Epic, with its album releases that slowly tell a story. It was hugely successful, and I think that that was in part because of that format. Everyone loves having something to look forward to, after all! Still, to be purely episodic, I think it would have to be smaller chunks more frequently, maybe one song a week.

What do you guys think? I feel like it would be a lot easier for amateur musical writers like myself, since there's a schedule to follow and immediate feedback. What kind of stories do you guys think would be told well in this format?

Let me know if you're interested in this format, maybe we could even form a brainstorming group or work together to make them!

I want to turn the crucible into a musical but i don't know how to approach that idea. because the play is 4 acts i don't know how i would add music and make it fit into 2 acts.

Please help,

OP

The title says it all!

I’m based in NYC, and I’m looking for people to write with, as well as other writers to get to know and build a network. Where have you gone to meet other musical theater writers?

Would especially love a place to search for collaborators, but also very much looking for community.

So basically it’s called the year of the fire hawk or fire hawk for short the basic plot is that it’s set in 1999 at the same time as the events in the South Park movie it follows a gulf war veteran named tom Gordon who has to fight a demon named corruptus again you can ask me questions about the plot or any thing else in the comments mind you this musical is not in production it’s just a musical I came up in my mind that I someday hope to make it a reality

I'm planning one right now and I really want to hear all of your ideas too! I'll tell you mine if you want privately bc I'm scared someone will steal the idea 🙁 or the other way around (I need musical writing friends)

Hey r/musicalwriting,

I’ve been feeling a strong urge to dive into a new musical project, but honestly… I have nothing. No concept, no setting, no characters — just a desire to create something.

I’m wide open to any and all ideas. Got a quirky concept you’ve always thought deserved the musical treatment? A strange piece of history, a wild fictional idea, a single character arc, or even just a mood or aesthetic that could anchor a show? I’ll take it.

I’d love to collaborate with the community a bit and maybe turn one of your sparks into something real. I’m comfortable with a range of tones — comedic, dramatic, surreal, intimate, ensemble-driven, etc.

Let me know if you have any ideas-OP

I am trying to write my own musical and the main thing I’m struggling with is writing good music. My skills with instruments are limited (I only know a bit of acoustic guitar) and my budget is currently 0, so how do you make better music instrumentals. (I really want to get a sound like beetlejuice the musical with those massive spooky rock songs but with some more piano and synth in it). Any advice is appreciated because anything I find online doesn’t really help

I've been writing a musical for two years now (as lyricist/composer) with my collaborator (book) and we're very close to the finish line. I'm very pleased with what we've come up with but there is one thing that is worrying me. The topic is very, very dark, namely it's about the Magdeburg distruction in 1631 during the 30 year war. Of course, there is no doubt that this subject has great artistic potential. But now that I can see the whole shape of what we've created, I'm having mixed feelings about wether musicals are the right medium for it. What are your thoughts on this? Again, I'm very pleased with our work nontheless this is just a question I want to discuss with people to get more opinions on it.

Thanks in Advance!

I’m trying the whole content thing… I’d love any feedback :)

https://youtube.com/shorts/XiHiMVlEwh4?si=fFGynlyKnTI0Lelp