The Creation of a New Musical - Part 8a

Preproduction: Workshops

(a series of articles about how new musicals come to pass)

Preproduction: the period of time during which work is done on a show prior to the first rehearsal.

At long last we return to our study of the creation of a new show.

We've discussed the value of readings and showcases in the creation of a show. Even more oriented to the development and refinement of a project is the workshop. Although *some* performance may be involved in a workshop (usually more for the edification of the actors than the writers -- after all, they've been sweating over this material, dealing with new scenes perhaps daily, with none of that applaused-based gratification), its primary goal is to give the writers the opportunity to actually do some work on the show while having a group of actors and creative team involved. This allows them to see results of changes, get feedback, try new ideas, etc.

The unions have a variety of definitions of "workshop," which differentiate them from showcases, readings, or other form of presentation-oriented production. Based on the structuring of the workshop, the actors and staff may be entitled to different forms of compensation. For instance:

• Workshop situations like The O'Neill Center and The New Harmony Project give the actors and staff a small stipend for their time, and no further recompense is required. The sponsoring organization (read "producer") may not require any further involvement beyond a request that all future productions contain wording along the lines of "Developed at [The Wonder Workshop, Wonderland, WA]." It will last no more than a few weeks at most, and any public performance is strictly incidental. It is possible that actors may actually be *required* to be "on book" (meaning hold their scripts), and, in the case of musicals, any use of musicians beyond a single pianist is rare. There will be very little in the way of sets or costumes.
  
• I was involved with a planned project that fell under a particular workshop category authorized by Actors' Equity at the time that would allow a 6-week workshop. There would be limited salaries paid to the staff and cast, minimal sets, costumes, and lighting, and a basic, two-piano accompaniment. Its structure was particularly appealing in that it allowed not only time in rehearsal for the workshop aspect, but also some time in front of an audience to get an idea of how they would react to the piece. The time was to be divided like this:

  2 weeks workshop/rehearsal 1 week run for an invited audience (with a minimal amount of rehearsal allowed) 1 week workshop/reheasal 2 week run for the public (again with a minimal amount of rehearsal allowed)

  
  

Next week we'll continue with a few more examples. In the meantime, here are a few links to sites connected to organizations involved in workshops.

ASCAP's Member Workshops

BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop

The Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center
       - Musical Theatre
       - Plays

Hey, go see a show!

Originally published at Suite101.com Theatre, 8/19/97

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