How To Write A Musical Drama - 9 Essential Drama Elements

how to write a musical drama 9 essential elements of a drama musicalFriday, October 21, 2011

story idea It’s a long and rocky road from the inception to the premiere... make sure you are passionately fascinated by your story idea. Don’t follow trends...follow your heart! You dream about seeing it on stage, and you can’t wait to share it with an audience.Friday, October 21, 2011

story selection Your initial attraction to the material becomes the inspiration for all further development. Select story ideas that offer themselves for musical interpretation - where melodies may reveal a “secret garden” of hidden realities.Friday, October 21, 2011

Conflict Conflict does it! The protagonist must have a strong desire to reach a certain goal. Powerful antagonistic forces try to stop him, chiefly among them his own character flaws.Friday, October 21, 2011

Epiphany Only through a dramatic learning experience - epiphany and character change can the protagonist in the end become a better person than in the beginning of the story.Friday, October 21, 2011

special elements Special elements of the musical theatre include dance scenes, multiple locations, and a break-down of the “Fourth Wall” between stage and audience.Friday, October 21, 2011

dramatic turning points Dramatic turning points between the three acts (exposition, confrontation, solution) mark the protagonist’s character changes. More turning points may occur during key scenes and key songs within the acts.Friday, October 21, 2011

the antagonist The more dangerous and powerful the antagonist, the greater the drama of the protagonist’s struggle. Both may have similar, respectable goals (and deserve our empathy), but only one of them can win.Friday, October 21, 2011

Friday, October 21, 2011

additional characters Additional characters may support a more in- depth exploration of the story. Allies may become enemies, and vice versa. “Mirrors” may ﬁnd themselves in similar conﬂict situations as the main characters, but they pursue alternate solutions.Friday, October 21, 2011

colliding values In a great drama musical, both protagonist and antagonist are convinced of their own righteousness. their conﬂict is not of a personal nature; their different value systems collide. The audience should experience conﬂicting sympathies. A simple evil witch is boring.Friday, October 21, 2011

MusicalWorkshop.org Dr. Michael Kunze Author of: REBECCA (The Musical) on Broadway: April 22, 2012 mozart! Elisabeth marie antoinette dance of the vampiresFriday, October 21, 2011

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How To Write A Musical Drama - 9 Essential Drama Elements

by Achim Thiemermann on Oct 21, 2011

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How To Write A Musical Drama - 9 Essential Drama Elements — Presentation Transcript