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?