NOMTI NEW OPERA AND MUSICAL THEATER INITIATIVE
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On Quality

These are some of the questions we ask ourselves in the Advanced Writers Lab:
General:
  • What kind of theater company might want to do this piece? 
  • Do the authors have a clear idea of their intended audience?
  • Are the authors open to feedback and significant, even radical, revision? 
Book:
  • Is the proposed project theatrical? In what way?
  • Is there a clear story line (spine)? 
  • Does it have distinct characters with clear objectives and power to achieve them? 
  • Are the stakes high enough for the audience to care about the outcome?
  • Is the story developed so that each scene has a turn? 
  • Is each scene truly about the characters on stage and not some third party?
  • How does the story lend itself to heightened song moments?  
Music:
  • Do we understand characters through their music as well as through their words? 
  • Is the music melodically and harmonically coherent? 
  • Is there variety in tempo, mood and ensemble from song to song? 
  • Is song structure (including standard structure) used to forward the story?
  • Is the word setting natural and intelligible? 
  • Do the vocal lines show a knowledge of singing technique and vocal ranges?
  • Is the style of the music appropriate to the subject matter? 

Lyrics and Dialog:
  • Does the choice of words reveal character and motivation? Are the words and
    way of speaking specific to the character?
  • Do the lyrics forward the story? Are they appropriate for the dramatic moment?
  • Do the lyrics and dialog show rather than tell? Do they employ subtext?
  • Do the lyrics contain imagery appropriate to the character and environment?
  • Do the lyrics use rhyme and rhyme scheme effectively and creatively? 
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  • Writers Lab
  • Resources
    • On Collaboration
    • On Feedback
    • On Developing New Work
    • On Quality
    • Story-writing notes
  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • AWL Past Participants
  • Contact