Stage 5: Sing, sing a song!

Once you have a good book to base your script upon then you need to organize your story so that all the fun of the book can be enjoyed in an evening’s entertainment. As you structure the musical the places where a song is appropriate to enhance the moment and continue the story along become apparent. Or at least you hope your audience will agree that here’s where a good song should be.

Sometimes the music will come first, sometimes the lyrics, and sometimes it feels as if the music and lyrics come simultaneously. You want to explore every aspect of the topic of the song without losing the intent or the attention of your audience. Also, you want to include dance wherever possible as you want your audience to feel moved by and with the performers and be uplifted by them. 

To just put in a song because you want to or like the song yourself doesn’t work. Letting the story take its own journey without forcing the direction makes it flow as if your audience is traveling smoothly down a river yet allowing them to be surprised, intrigued and delighted by each turn along the way. You just have to remember where everything is headed and get your actors and audience there at the same time.

Stage Left: You’re a character all right!!! Character Development!