From First Draft to Production
If you are writing a musical, you may be wondering: How does a musical actually get developed?
The answer is not usually: write the first draft, find a producer, and go straight into production.
Professional musical theater development is a process.
I know this not only as a teacher and producer, but from more than 16 years of working directly with new musicals as a dramaturg, director, and producer.
I have used my dramaturgical toolkit to develop new musicals through Porchlight Music Theatre in Chicago and Rhymes Over Beats Hip Hop Theater Company in New York City. I have directed industry readings and developmental presentations. I have workshopped a new musical at The Duke on 42nd Street and then produced that musical at Bay Street Theater.
And through my work with musical theater teams at CreateTheater, I have helped develop dozens of new musicals—projects that have gone on to productions in New York City, regional theater productions, recorded musical productions, and projects later presented through Streaming Musicals.
The process is different for every musical.
But the fundamental truth remains the same:
A musical is developed.
Musical Theater Development Is the R&D Process
A new musical may take seven to ten years—or more—to develop before it reaches a major production.
During that time, the musical may go through readings, workshops, cabarets, industry presentations, showcases, regional productions, and multiple rewrites.
That is not a sign that the musical is failing.
That is how musicals are developed.
I think of musical theater development as the R&D phase of creating a new musical.
Before a technology company releases a product, it tests, revises, and improves it. A musical needs a similar process.
Development allows writers and creative teams to discover:
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Does the story work theatrically?
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Is the central conflict strong enough?
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Do the characters drive the action?
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Are the songs advancing the story?
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Does the structure create momentum?
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Where does the audience lose interest?
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What does the musical need to become production-ready?
The goal is not simply to make a musical “better.”
The goal is to discover what the musical actually needs.
Structure Is the Foundation of a Musical
One of the most important parts of developing a new musical is understanding musical theater structure.
Over the years, my work as a dramaturg has given me a practical toolkit for identifying where a musical is working—and where the story is asking for something different.
At CreateTheater, I teach writers to work with the 10 Plot Points of Musical Theater Structure.
These plot points provide a framework for understanding how a musical moves from its opening world through disruption, escalating conflict, obstacles, the Act One Finale, the midpoint, the crisis, and the resolution.
This does not mean every musical must follow a rigid formula.
It means the writer needs to understand the dramatic architecture of the piece.
A musical can be unconventional. It can be nonlinear. It can break structural rules.
But the writer needs to know what the audience is experiencing at every stage—and why.
Development Happens in Stages
A musical is not developed through one workshop and a single set of notes.
Different developmental opportunities answer different questions.
An industry reading can reveal how the story, characters, and songs function when experienced by an audience.
As a director of industry readings, I have seen how quickly a reading can expose problems that may not be apparent on the page. A scene that seems clear in a script may become confusing when actors perform it. A song that appears to move the story forward may suddenly reveal that it is repeating information the audience already understands.
That information is valuable.
A cabaret or concert presentation can help test the score, songs, performers, and musical identity of the piece.
A showcase can introduce the musical to producers, directors, investors, theaters, and other industry professionals.
A regional production can reveal what happens when the musical has to function as a complete theatrical experience—with staging, actors, design, pacing, technical elements, and a real audience.
I have experienced this process from multiple sides: as a dramaturg helping shape the work, as a director guiding a developmental presentation, and as a producer helping move a musical from workshop to production.
Each developmental step gives the creative team new information.
That is the point.
A reading is not supposed to be a production.
A cabaret is not supposed to answer every question.
A workshop is not supposed to prove that the musical is finished.
Each stage should help the writers understand what the musical needs next.
Developing a Musical Takes Time
The professional development of a musical is often a long process.
A musical may begin with a concept, a book, a score, or a single song. Over the years, the project may change dramatically.
Songs may be cut.
Characters may be combined.
The opening may be rewritten.
The Act One Finale may be completely reconceived.
The creative team may change.
A new director or dramaturg may identify a problem that the original team could not see.
A regional production may reveal that a scene that worked beautifully in a reading does not work when the entire musical is staged.
That is why development is not simply a series of opportunities to “get your musical seen.”
It is a process of learning.
The question at every stage should be:
What are we trying to learn about this musical?
Professional Feedback and Networking Matter
No musical is developed in isolation.
The musical theater industry is collaborative. Writers need relationships with directors, producers, dramaturgs, music directors, performers, theaters, and other writers.
But networking is not simply about meeting people who might “give you a production.”
It is about building relationships with people who can help you understand the work, the industry, and the next step in the musical’s development.
And the feedback matters.
Over the last 16 years, I have worked with enough new musicals to know that the most useful note is not necessarily the most dramatic note.
Sometimes the problem is a song.
Sometimes the problem is a character.
Sometimes the problem is that the musical is trying to begin too late—or end too early.
Sometimes the problem is structural.
Sometimes the writer is trying to solve a scene when the real problem is that the story has not yet created the necessary conflict.
Professional dramaturgy helps identify the problem underneath the problem.
That is often where the real development begins.
The Question Is Not: “How Do I Get My Musical Produced?”
The question is:
What does my musical need next?
That is the mindset of professional musical theater development.
A new musical does not need to be rushed into production.
It needs to be developed intentionally.
It needs to be tested.
It needs to be rewritten.
It needs to be placed in front of the right collaborators and audiences at the right stages of its development.
And it needs a clear understanding of its structure and dramatic engine.
The musicals I have worked on over the years have taken many different paths. Some have been produced in New York City. Some have gone on to regional theaters. Some have been recorded and later made available through streaming platforms.
There is no single path from the first draft to production.
But there is a process.
And understanding that process gives a musical a much better chance of moving forward.
Continue Developing Your Musical
In our NYC Developmental Workshop #2: Conflict, Obstacles and the Act One Finale, we focus on one of the most important stages of musical theater structure.
How does the conflict escalate?
What obstacles stand in the protagonist’s way?
How do those obstacles become increasingly difficult?
And how does the Act One Finale fundamentally change the trajectory of the story?
If you are writing a musical and want to understand how to develop a stronger, more producible piece of musical theater, join us for the next NYC Developmental Workshop.
Your musical does not need to be rushed into production. It needs to be developed with intention.
Want to apply these structural principles to your own musical? Join NYC Musical Development Workshop #2: Conflict, Obstacles & the Act One Finale.