CreateTheater College Musical Theatre Partnership with SUNY Cortland Performing Arts

2024 Residency

BY ANY OTHER NAME

Book & lyrics by Deborah Laufer, Music by Daniel Green

2023 Residency

IN EMILY’S WORDS

Book, music & lyrics by Jessy Tomsko

2022 Residency

THE BONE HARP

Book & lyrics by Laura Stafford, Music by Heidi Joosten

CreateTheater’s College Musical Theatre Partnership is a two year residency program with the top-rated SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Department for musical theatre teams developing new work.

The first year consists of a year-long development period with CreateTheater, followed by a reading with the Performing Arts BFA program on the SUNY Cortland campus in Cortland, NY.  SUNY Cortland’s Performing Arts Department sets itself apart by offering musical theatre as its only degree, and was named a “hidden gem” by OnStageBlog.com, in an article lauding the College for its contemporary training standards, activities and past performance.

The selected team will be given a cast, director, musical director, and venue, and will be offered an industry staged reading in NYC during their second year of the residency, in early December. Musical Theater teams are considered artists-in-residence at the department, and may be invited to attend classes, meetings, rehearsals and special events as available. The musical will also be considered for a full production in the future, and/or will be considered to be included in the spring CreateTheater New Works Festival in NYC.

Eligibility:

Selected musical teams must be available to meet on Zoom during development and in person for the staged reading in early December.  Additional participation may be possible. Travel funds are not available at the present time.Women, writers of color, trans and non-binary writers, and writers with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Please submit the following :

  • A statement (approximately 500 words) explaining what you hope to gain from participation in the Professional College Musical Theatre Partnership and the new musical you intend to develop during your time here. The proposed work must be new and never produced. 
  • A professional resume outlining your previous work, plays written and produced, and any other experience or detail you’d like to share to familiarize us with your work.
  • The first 20 pages of a full-length musical, written in the last year or two, that you feel best reflects your voice, current themes, and experiences of young people. MP3 samples of music in those pages should be attached if available. (If you are selected as a semi-finalist, we will request the full libretto and demo tracks.)
  • A short synopsis, character breakdown and production history for the submitted musical

Please submit statement, resume, the first 20 pages of your libretto (with MP3 links), short synopsis, character breakdown, and production history.

Deadline: August 15, 2024

Selections will be announced in September 2024.

2023 College Musical Theatre Partnership:

IN EMILY’S WORDS

Book, Music & Lyrics by Jessy Tomsko
Directed by Kevin Halpin

2022 College Musical Theatre Partnership:

THE BONE HARP

Book and Lyrics by Laura Stratford
Music by Heidi Joosten
Add’l Music by Laura Stratford
Directed by Kevin Halpin

Click here for more information

The Professional College Musical Theatre Partnership between CreateTheater and SUNY Cortland gave us the invaluable opportunity to see a new draft of our show THE BONE HARP performed by talented students in front of an audience, to hear audience responses and questions, and to continue active development of the piece, with the chance to make and implement changes even between performances. I’ve never been more confident in the direction the show is going.

Laura Stratford

Book Writer & Lyricist , THE BONE HARP

“As the recipient of the 2023-2024 CreateTheater / SUNY Cortland Professional Musical Theatre Partnership, I can say with absolute certainty that this experience has been truly incredible and invaluable to my musical’s development journey. I am so impressed with our SUNY cast, their work ethic and preparedness, and the way they truly embraced the material and helped bring it to life. I have loved my partnership with director Kevin Halpin and music director Jeff Cox, and will be forever grateful for everything they each brought to the table, which helped me to further the narrative and try thrilling new ideas. Under Cate Cammarata’s impeccable dramaturgical guidance, the show continued to deepen and grow, as I was encouraged to think about things differently, ask new questions, and try new directions while holding older ideas up to the light – scrutinizing, justifying, reshaping, and rewriting. My musical is in such an exciting place now, thanks to this wonderful residency, and I would highly recommend CreateTheater and ETC to any upcoming writer looking to strengthen their material, expand their network, and further their artistic career.”

Jessy Tomsko

Book, music and lyrics, IN EMILYS WORDS

Common Questions

What if I don't need three years to develop my show?
No problem! We can “fast-track” your show if we feel it’s ready for a production.
What is my commitment to CreateTheater if a producer or theater wants to option my show?
Great news! As developmental collaborators we would like to participate in the future life of your show, but there is nothing contractual that binds you to us.
Does being in ETC improve my chances of getting a residency?

Yes and no. Yes in that ETC will help you focus and develop your work more than you may if you were “going it alone”; but no, in that we show no extra preference in selecting ETC members over non-members for the residencies. The quality of the work must stand for itself, as we only read from “blind” submissions.

However, only ETC members or current artistic residents are eligible to participate in the New Works Festival, the First 15 Minutes Musical Festival or the New  Works Cabaret Festival.