Resources
RECOMMENDED BOOKS FOR WRITERS OF MUSICAL THEATER
General:
The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide, by David Spencer.
Full of experienced and practical advice. If you are serious about writing for the musical theater, you need to understand and master the principles discussed in this book.
Writing The Broadway Musical , by Aaron Frankel.
A very useful, compact, and well-written how-to guide. Lots of quotes and examples, including detailed analysis throughout of "Company" and "My Fair Lady".
Making Musicals, by Tom Jones.
A brief history of the American Musical, followed by an overview of the work involved in writing one, in which he draws on his own experience writing The Fantasticks and other works. Of particular interest is his discussion of how to "open out" a play to make it more presentational, and thus more suitable for musical theater.
The Musical as Drama, by Scott McMillin.
This study of the form suggests that songs do not so much "advance the plot" as replace book time (marked by cause and effect) with lyric time (marked by repetition). It also proposes an explanation of how the numbers actually function, and the effect of one or more "omniscient" elements (usually the orchestra).
The Musical From the Inside Out, by Stephen Citron.
Describes the process of writing a musical, from finding the property to production. A very good introduction to the process, with plenty of practical advice.
The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater, by Richard Kislan. The first half presents a good historical overview from "The Beggar's Opera" to Sondheim. The second half discusses musicals in terms of book, lyrics, score, dance, and design, with an epilogue on the problems and issues in recent musical theater at the end.
Writing Book:
Story, by Robert McKee.
If you're a book writer and you have to read just one "how-to" book, this is it. Written by the "most wanted Hollywood guru", it is an amazing distillation of his famous workshop, starting with storytelling fundamentals and covering plotting, act & scene design, character vs. characterization, and problem solving. A gripping read itself and no less applicable to musicals than film.
The Audience and the Playwright, by Mayo Simon.
The necessary complement to McKee, because it explains exactly what a playwright does to keep the interest of a live audience.
CREATIVITY RULES! A Writer’s Handbook, by John Vorhaus
Good chapters about developing story presented very clearly and concisely. The underlying principles are similar to McKee but without the detail that sometimes makes McKee hard to absorb and use quickly. This book also includes exercises to get you writing and building story-telling technique without worrying about perfection.
The Dramatist's Toolkit and Solving Your Script, by Jeffrey Sweet.
Targeted for playwrights and screenwriters, these tools are equally valuable to musical book writers. Discusses such concepts as high- vs. low-context dialogue, negotiation over objects, violation of rituals, and roles in conflict. The first book is more theory. The second book is organized as 14 scene-writing exercises, with student examples and his commentary. Very practical and specific, never pedantic.
Backwards and Forwards by David Ball.
Shows how a good playwright creates a tight and logical plot without detours and dropped threads.
Writing The Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit.
Most musicals have at least some romantic comedy elements; this book lays out plot and character conventions specific to this genre. Includes a nice historical overview of how RomComs have morphed through the decades, and half-a-dozen "case studies" of landmark RomCom films.
Writing Lyrics:
Lyrics, by Oscar Hammerstein III.
Sondheim says the introduction by Hammerstein "says more of value about the craft of lyric writing for the stage... than anything else I have read on the subject."
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming, by Pat Pattison.
Longtime Berklee prof (and first to develop a college songwriting curriculum), Pattison will get your lyrics out of moon/spoon/June rhyming ruts with some eye-and ear-opening techniques.
The Craft of Lyric Writing, by Sheila Davis.
"Now I know what to say to young lyricists who come to me for advice: Buy The Craft Of Lyric Writing. It's all there." Sheldon Harnick, Pulitzer Prize Lyricist, Fiddler On The Roof.
The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, by Clement Wood.
"Not only does this rhyming dictionary list all of the rhyming sounds and syllables imaginable, but there are phonetic rules (rhyme and reason!) stated, which make the entire matter completely logical."
Writing Music:
Melody In Songwriting, by Jack Perricone.
Not specific to musical theater, but a fantastic primer on how to write great melodies and songs.
Orchestration and Arranging:
The Study of Orchestration, by Samuel Adler.
The classic orchestration primer. Also available are workbook and CDs (extra) with recordings of all musical examples.
The Broadway Sound: The Autobiography and Selected Essays of Robert Russell Bennett.
Orchestrator of all or part of 300 Broadway musicals between 1920 and 1970, Bennett produced much of what defined the style of American musical theater. Paperback version due December 2001.
Instrumentation And Orchestration, by Alfred Blatter.
Another orchestration book, highly recommended by one of our NOMTI members.
General:
The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide, by David Spencer.
Full of experienced and practical advice. If you are serious about writing for the musical theater, you need to understand and master the principles discussed in this book.
Writing The Broadway Musical , by Aaron Frankel.
A very useful, compact, and well-written how-to guide. Lots of quotes and examples, including detailed analysis throughout of "Company" and "My Fair Lady".
Making Musicals, by Tom Jones.
A brief history of the American Musical, followed by an overview of the work involved in writing one, in which he draws on his own experience writing The Fantasticks and other works. Of particular interest is his discussion of how to "open out" a play to make it more presentational, and thus more suitable for musical theater.
The Musical as Drama, by Scott McMillin.
This study of the form suggests that songs do not so much "advance the plot" as replace book time (marked by cause and effect) with lyric time (marked by repetition). It also proposes an explanation of how the numbers actually function, and the effect of one or more "omniscient" elements (usually the orchestra).
The Musical From the Inside Out, by Stephen Citron.
Describes the process of writing a musical, from finding the property to production. A very good introduction to the process, with plenty of practical advice.
The Musical: A Look at the American Musical Theater, by Richard Kislan. The first half presents a good historical overview from "The Beggar's Opera" to Sondheim. The second half discusses musicals in terms of book, lyrics, score, dance, and design, with an epilogue on the problems and issues in recent musical theater at the end.
Writing Book:
Story, by Robert McKee.
If you're a book writer and you have to read just one "how-to" book, this is it. Written by the "most wanted Hollywood guru", it is an amazing distillation of his famous workshop, starting with storytelling fundamentals and covering plotting, act & scene design, character vs. characterization, and problem solving. A gripping read itself and no less applicable to musicals than film.
The Audience and the Playwright, by Mayo Simon.
The necessary complement to McKee, because it explains exactly what a playwright does to keep the interest of a live audience.
CREATIVITY RULES! A Writer’s Handbook, by John Vorhaus
Good chapters about developing story presented very clearly and concisely. The underlying principles are similar to McKee but without the detail that sometimes makes McKee hard to absorb and use quickly. This book also includes exercises to get you writing and building story-telling technique without worrying about perfection.
The Dramatist's Toolkit and Solving Your Script, by Jeffrey Sweet.
Targeted for playwrights and screenwriters, these tools are equally valuable to musical book writers. Discusses such concepts as high- vs. low-context dialogue, negotiation over objects, violation of rituals, and roles in conflict. The first book is more theory. The second book is organized as 14 scene-writing exercises, with student examples and his commentary. Very practical and specific, never pedantic.
Backwards and Forwards by David Ball.
Shows how a good playwright creates a tight and logical plot without detours and dropped threads.
Writing The Romantic Comedy, by Billy Mernit.
Most musicals have at least some romantic comedy elements; this book lays out plot and character conventions specific to this genre. Includes a nice historical overview of how RomComs have morphed through the decades, and half-a-dozen "case studies" of landmark RomCom films.
Writing Lyrics:
Lyrics, by Oscar Hammerstein III.
Sondheim says the introduction by Hammerstein "says more of value about the craft of lyric writing for the stage... than anything else I have read on the subject."
Songwriting: Essential Guide to Rhyming, by Pat Pattison.
Longtime Berklee prof (and first to develop a college songwriting curriculum), Pattison will get your lyrics out of moon/spoon/June rhyming ruts with some eye-and ear-opening techniques.
The Craft of Lyric Writing, by Sheila Davis.
"Now I know what to say to young lyricists who come to me for advice: Buy The Craft Of Lyric Writing. It's all there." Sheldon Harnick, Pulitzer Prize Lyricist, Fiddler On The Roof.
The Complete Rhyming Dictionary, by Clement Wood.
"Not only does this rhyming dictionary list all of the rhyming sounds and syllables imaginable, but there are phonetic rules (rhyme and reason!) stated, which make the entire matter completely logical."
Writing Music:
Melody In Songwriting, by Jack Perricone.
Not specific to musical theater, but a fantastic primer on how to write great melodies and songs.
Orchestration and Arranging:
The Study of Orchestration, by Samuel Adler.
The classic orchestration primer. Also available are workbook and CDs (extra) with recordings of all musical examples.
The Broadway Sound: The Autobiography and Selected Essays of Robert Russell Bennett.
Orchestrator of all or part of 300 Broadway musicals between 1920 and 1970, Bennett produced much of what defined the style of American musical theater. Paperback version due December 2001.
Instrumentation And Orchestration, by Alfred Blatter.
Another orchestration book, highly recommended by one of our NOMTI members.