Chapter 13Developing New Musicals and Operas

The proliferation of Readings is not limited to straight plays. With increasing frequency, new musicals and operas travel through a number of developmental steps before production, from In-house Readings of the book or libretto to partially or fully staged Workshops. While many of the same guidelines for Play Reading apply, because of all the components—and the expense—developing musicals and operas impose additional demands.

The York Theatre Company, Prospect Theater Company, The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, and Walt Disney Imagineering, among many other organizations, are committed to the development of new musicals. Many theatres develop both musicals and plays. New opera development ...

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