BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop
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The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is a two-year educational program for people who wish to develop a musical. In 1961, BMI and Lehman Engel founded the program.[1] Engel supervised the workshop and led weekly sessions until his death in 1982, and Maury Yeston led it for the next two decades until 2003,[2] when Patrick Cook took over.[3] In the workshop, approximately 250 composers, lyricists and bookwriters take musical theatre courses, participate in discussions and roundtables, and collaboratively develop new works; BMI sponsors the workshop, which is free for participants, who audition for admission.[2][3][4]
On May 21, 2006, Drama Desk awarded the BMI Workshop a Special Award "for nurturing, developing and promoting new talent for the musical theater."[citation needed] In 2006, the BMI Workshop was one of the recipients of the Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre.[5] The New York Times called the BMI Workshop "The Harvard of Showtunes.[6]"
The musical A Class Act, about composer-lyricist Ed Kleban, one of the workshop's early students, had several scenes set in the BMI Workshop. Kleban was played by Lonny Price, who also directed, and Engel was played by Patrick Quinn. The score consists of Kleban songs that were first heard in the workshop.[2]
Broadway shows created in the workshop[edit]
- Avenue Q was originally written as a 10-minute musical project as the culmination of year 1.[7]
- A Chorus Line was originally written and tested in the BMI Workshop.[2][8]
- Little Shop of Horrors[2]
- Nine[6]
- Urinetown[6]
- Ragtime[citation needed]
- Next to Normal[3]
- The Book of Mormon[citation needed]
- Violet[9]
- Raisin[2]
- The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas[2]
- Lucky Stiff[2]
Notable alumni[edit]
- Lynn Ahrens[10]
- Masi Asare[11]
- Howard Ashman[12]
- Susan Birkenhead[13]
- Jeff Blumenkrantz[14]
- Dan Elish[15]
- Stephen Flaherty[10]
- Scott Frankel[16]
- Gary William Friedman[17]
- Ira Gasman[18]
- Amanda Green[19]
- Carol Hall[20]
- Tom Kitt[21]
- Edward Kleban[22]
- Michael Korie[16]
- Michael John LaChiusa[23]
- Andrew Lippa[24]
- Kristen Anderson-Lopez[25]
- Robert Lopez[7]
- Jeff Marx[7]
- Alan Menken[12]
- Dan Merzlufft[26]
- Helen Park[4]
- Jeanine Tesori[9]
- Glenn Slater[27]
- Maury Yeston[16]
- Brian Yorkey[28]
References[edit]
- ^ Engel, Lehman, This Bright Day (1974). This Bright Day, Macmillan. Macmillan.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h Jones, Kenneth. "Maury Yeston Will Step Down as BMI Musical Workshop Moderator After 20 Years", Playbill, March 7, 2003
- ^ a b c Sklar, Rachel. "How Musical Theater Magic Is Made, One Class at a Time", TheaterMania, June 25, 2018
- ^ a b "Applications Now Open for BMI Musical Theatre Workshop", Music Connection, May 18, 2023
- ^ "The American Theatre Wing's Tony Awards". 2008-11-22. Archived from the original on 2008-11-22. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ a b c Calhoun, Ada (2004-11-28). "Where Musical-Makers Audition Their Ideas". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ a b c "Avenue Q Creative Team". Mercury Theater Chicago. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "Edward Kleban - Music Publishing - Concord". concord.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ a b "Show History". Music Theatre International. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ a b andylindberg. "Home Page". Ahrens + Flaherty. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "Masi Asare – Dramatists Guild Foundation". dgf.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ a b "Music and Soul: Disney Legends Howard Ashman and Alan Menken". factsandfigment.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "Lyricists – They Write the Songs that Make Us Want to Sing". Backstage.
- ^ "Bio (Composing) | jeffblumenkrantz.com". jeffblumenkrantz.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "Festival of New Artists". Goodspeed Musicals. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ a b c Hetrick, Adam. "Korie, Frankel and Ahrens Among BMI Workshop's 2007-2008 Moderators". Playbill.com.
- ^ "Gary William Friedman". www.garywilliamfriedman.com. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ Alpern, David M. (2018-10-22). "Ira Gasman Brought 'The Life' to Life". American Theatre. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "Women Wednesdays: Lyricist Amanda Green Talks About Her Broadway Path with the Boys…Tom Kitt & Lin Manuel Miranda". Un-Block The Music. 2020-06-10. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ Gans, Andrew. "Carol Hall, Composer-Lyricist of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Dies at 82". Playbill.com.
- ^ "The Writers' Room". www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "A Chorus Line". www.pittsburghclo.org. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "Michael John LaChiusa". The Official Masterworks Broadway Site. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ New Jersey Jewish News. "Meet Andrew Lippa".
- ^ "Kristen Anderson-Lopez". Music Theatre International. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "How Musical Theater Magic Is Made, One Class at a Time - TheaterMania.com". 2018-06-25. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "Glenn Slater and Stephen Weiner". The American Theatre Wing. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
- ^ "The Ballad of Kitt & Yorkey". Columbia Magazine. Retrieved 2024-05-27.