CreateTheater College Musical Theatre Partnership with the SUNY Cortland Performing Arts Program

Submissions Now Closed for 2023

CreateTheater’s College Musical Theatre Partnership is a three 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 recently 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 a staged reading 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 send statement, resume, the first 20 pages of your libretto (with MP3 links), short synopsis, character breakdown, and production history.

Submissions Now Closed for 2023

Deadline: August 1, 2023

Selections will be announced in early September 2023.

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

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.