PRESS RELEASE: THE BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop, whose alumni include Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen) and Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal), is accepting applications through the end of day on Friday, August 4, for its first-year composer and lyricist class.
To apply, visit http://www.bmi.com/theatre_workshop.
The workshop begins in mid-September and runs through June 2018. A recipient of the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre Award, it consists of approximately 250 composers, lyricists and book writers who are writing and developing new works for musical theater.
The first-year class is moderated by BMI’s Director of Musical Theatre, Patrick Cook, and Workshop Administrator, Frederick Freyer. Meeting in the Workshop themselves, Cook and Freyer participated in 1983 and have composed and written several musical works together.
Alumni also include Tony Award-winners Alan Menken (Newsies, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors), Edward Kleban (A Chorus Line), Maury Yeston (Titanic, Grand Hotel, Nine), Jeff Marx (Avenue Q, writing with Robert Lopez) and Michael John LaChiusa (Queen of the Mist, Marie Christine, The Wild Party).
The workshop brings writers and composers together to work under the guidance of experienced professionals to develop new creative talent in American musicals. A springboard for new works, it creates a learning environment for members to experiment, take risks and learn from moderators and other participants. Once accepted, first-year members will be eligible to apply for The George Bailey Fund, which was introduced earlier this year by BMI and the Dramatist Guild Fund. The grant provides financial assistance with any unforeseen expenses that go beyond the normal day-to-day cost of living that could interfere with the creative process.
