Composer-Librettist Studio

Pairing five New Dramatists playwrights with five composers from a variety of musical and stylistic backgrounds, this nearly round-the-clock workshop sparks early-stage collaborations. During the two-week studio, facilitated by Ben Krywosz and music director Roger Ames, an ensemble of five singer/actors support the participants as they develop overnight responses to five songwriting assignments. The goal of the Composer-Librettist Studio is to expose new talent to the intensely collaborative process of writing music-theatre and to prepare writers and composers for the joys as well as the inevitable challenges and disagreements that arise in collaboration.

This year, the New Dramatists playwright participants are Mia Chung, Madeleine George, Barbara Hammond and current Van Lier Fellows Brian Otaño and Charise Castro Smith.

They are joined by composers Scotty Arnold, Martin Hennessy, Mike Iveson, David Mallamud and Peter Stopschinski, in addition to performers David Anderson, April Armstrong, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Adam Overett and Lori Wilner.

There will be a final sing-through of all twenty-five pieces generated over the course of the studio on Monday, February 27. Please call New Dramatists at 212-757-6960 for details, as reservations are required.

The Composer-Librettist Studio is made possible by lead sponsorship from The Jerome Foundation.