What makes an audience want to see more of a new musical?
Sometimes, all it takes is one song.
A character steps forward, begins to sing, and suddenly we’re inside a story we didn’t know existed five minutes earlier. We understand something about this character’s world, what they want, and what might stand in their way.
And when the song ends, we want to know what happens next.
That moment of curiosity is one of the most valuable things a musical theater writer can discover during development.
It’s also why I believe that a well-designed cabaret is much more than a performance.
- It’s a development opportunity
- It’s an audience-building strategy
- And sometimes, it’s the first step toward a future production.
A Musical Doesn’t Have to Be Finished to Find Its Audience
One of the challenges of developing a new musical is that full productions are expensive. Even a staged reading requires actors, musicians, rehearsal time, and considerable coordination.
A cabaret offers another possibility.
By selecting a handful of songs from a developing musical and presenting them in a more intimate setting, writers can introduce audiences to their work long before the show is ready for a full production.
And those songs can accomplish quite a lot.
- A strong opening number can introduce us to an unfamiliar world.
- A character song can make us care about someone we’ve only just met.
- A duet can reveal a relationship full of conflict, humor, or longing.
The key is choosing songs that do more than demonstrate the composer’s musical ability.
They should make us curious about the story.
The question isn’t simply whether an audience likes the songs.
It’s whether those songs make the audience want to experience the musical.
That’s an important distinction.
What Can a Cabaret Teach You About Your Musical?
When we work with musical writers at CreateTheater, I encourage them to think of every developmental presentation as an opportunity to learn something specific.
A cabaret can help answer several important questions:
- Do audiences understand the world of the musical? Can they begin to imagine the larger story from just these few moments?
- Are the characters compelling? Does the audience connect emotionally with someone they have only just met?
- Do the songs advance the storytelling? Are we hearing a dramatic moment, or simply an attractive song?
- Does the musical have a recognizable identity? Can audiences sense what makes this particular show different from everything else?
- Do people want to know more? After the performance, are they asking questions about the characters, the story, and when they can see the full musical?
That final question may be the most revealing.
Applause is wonderful, but curiosity? Well, that tells us something different.
When someone approaches a writer afterward and asks, “What happens to that character?” or “Where can I see the rest of this show?” the performance has accomplished something beyond entertainment.
It has created an interested audience.
Of course, a positive cabaret response doesn’t prove that the complete book works or that a musical is production-ready. Those questions require other kinds of development. But a cabaret can tell us whether the central promise of the musical is reaching people.
And that’s valuable information.
The Cabaret as an Audience-Building Strategy
Too often, writers wait until a musical is finished before thinking seriously about who might want to see it.
I believe that audience development should begin much earlier.
A cabaret gives writers a chance to introduce their work to people who can become part of its future: theatergoers, potential collaborators, supporters, and perhaps even producers.
These audiences aren’t just watching a performance. They’re discovering a new musical while it’s still taking shape.
They might follow its development, attend a future reading, recommend it to friends, or help introduce it to someone who can move the project forward.
This is how a musical begins to develop a life beyond the writing room.
You don’t have to wait until opening night to start building an audience. Build your audience while you’re still building your show.
Discover Three New Musicals at the CreateTheater Cabaret Festival
On November 23 and 24, CreateTheater will bring six developing musicals to the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City.
Each musical will have the opportunity to introduce its characters, musical world, and storytelling voice to a live audience.
On Monday, November 23 at 7pm, we’re presenting three projects:
ALEXSEI’S QUEST
Book and lyrics by George Pfirrmann, Music by Jamie Allen
A new musical taking its next step toward the stage, ALEXSEI’S QUEST is also one of the projects scheduled for CreateTheater’s 2027 Theatre Row Showcase Series. CreateTheater jumpstarted the project by introducing George and Jamie to each other in our Collaboration Meetup, and gave space for a week-long development process for the first reading.
The cabaret offers an opportunity for audiences to encounter this imaginative fantasy about the Russian dissident Alexsei Navalny before the larger Showcase presentation at Theatre Row next year.
BIKERS IN CAMELOT
By Wendy Bichel, with music direction by Ken Bichel
BIKERS IN CAMELOT joins the festival as another original musical in development.
First presented to sold-out audiences in Mexico with later development in CreateTheater, this original new work will introduce audiences to selections from the score while giving the creative team an opportunity to experience how the material connects with New York audiences.
REWIND
Book and lyrics by Michael DiGaetano, music by Adam Shenk
REWIND continues its developmental journey with CreateTheater with a presentation of songs from the musical.
If you know Michael, you know his snappy dialogue and witty lyrics. For audiences new to his work, it’s another opportunity to discover an original musical being developed in-house in CreateTheater. For Michael, it’s a chance to hear how this musical resonates with audiences beyond our development room.
These three musicals have followed different development paths, but they share something important: CreateTheater has been part of each journey, connecting collaborators, providing development opportunities, and helping the work find its next audience.
On November 24, we’ll introduce three more musicals: SECRETS, THE CANDLE, and JULIE D. Again, all developed in-house.
Your Ticket Helps Create the Next Opportunity
This year’s CreateTheater Cabaret Festival is also a fundraiser for our spring New Works Reading Series.
100% of festival ticket sales will support reading space for new works in New York City.
That means attending the festival accomplishes two things: you get to experience original musical theater in an intimate setting, and you help create the next development opportunity for new work.
At CreateTheater, we don’t just develop new work. We help artists understand what their work needs next—and create opportunities to move it forward.
- Sometimes that next opportunity is a reading.
- Sometimes it’s a workshop.
- Sometimes it’s a production.
And sometimes, it begins with a few songs in a cabaret room.
Before choosing songs for a cabaret, ask yourself: What do I want an audience to be curious about when the last note ends?
Come discover what might be next.
CreateTheater Cabaret Festival
November 23–24, 2026
Laurie Beechman Theatre, New York City
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See the Work. Support What Comes Next.
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CREATETHEATER CABARET FESTIVAL — NOVEMBER 23 & 24
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