Writing Musical Theater

This complete guide to the modern musical covers the entire process of creating a show, from finding and working out the initial idea, through the writing of both songs and libretto, to the ways in which writers can market a finished show and get it produced. This comprehensive book, for the interested theatergoer and writers, new or experienced, is written in a lively and user-friendly style and illustrated with numerous examples, containing a how-to tutorial approach to its subject matter that has never appeared in print. With years of theatrical experience between them, Steven L. Rosenhaus and Allen Cohen have written the best and most comprehensive guide to the Broadway musical.

Steven L. Rosenhaus has written music and/or lyrics for several musicals, as well as incidental music for plays, film scores, and commercials. His concert works in a variety of genres have been performed throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has over a hundred original works and arrangements in print, and several works recorded on compact discs. Dr. Rosenhaus serves as Adjunct Assistant Professor of Composition at NYU, teaching both classical and musical theater composition, and also teaches songwriting and other subjects at Nassau Community College.
Allen Cohen has written the scores for several musicals, four films, and two off-Broadway plays. He has conducted, or written dance music for, six musicals on Broadway and many shows off-Broadway and around the country. His concert music has been performed throughout the world and recorded on several compact discs. Currently Assistant Professor of Music at Fairleigh Dickinson University, Dr. Cohen is a former member of the BMI and ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshops. He is the author of Howard Hanson in Theory and Practice and the children's book That's So Funny I Forgot to Laugh!, which has sold more than half a million copies.

Introduction * Part One: The Elements * Theater Basics * The Idea * The Libretto * The Characters * The Lyrics * The Music * Part Two: Writing a Show * Getting Started * Writing the Score * Rewriting * Appendices * A Brief Historical Overview * Tools * Logistics and Legalities * Required Reading (and Listening)