YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA AND YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC ANNOUNCE THE YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE – JUNE 7-21, 2009

APPLICATIONS FOR TWO-WEEK WORKSHOP ACCEPTED NOVEMBER 19, 2008 THROUGH JANUARY 23, 2009

YALE SCHOOL OF DRAMA (James Bundy, Dean) and YALE SCHOOL OF MUSIC (Robert Blocker, Dean) announce the YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE. 

Under the leadership of Artistic Director Mark Brokaw and Producer Beth Morrison, the YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE will select three original music theatre works to receive a two-week workshop in New Haven June 7-21, 2009.

Established by Yale School of Drama and Yale School of Music, the YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE seeks to identify distinctive and original music theatre works by emerging writers and composers, and to serve those writers by matching them with collaborators such as directors, music directors, and actors/singers who can help them further develop their work.  By limiting production resources and values, the workshop will keep the focus on the creative process of the artistic team. 

“We are delighted that Yale School of Drama and Yale School of Music are joining forces to nurture gifted young music theatre writers.  The Yale Institute for Music Theatre supports their creative process by providing the writers with this developmental opportunity to hear and see their work interpreted in a professional environment including their peers in training here at the University,” Dean Robert Blocker and Dean James Bundy said in a joint statement.  “We are very pleased that Mark Brokaw and Beth Morrison will provide such experienced leadership to this new endeavor as artistic director and producer of the Institute.”

 ELIGIBILITY

The YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE will accept applications for projects at various stages of development, but focuses on work that is ready to be explored musically and dramatically with performers and directors. 

Book musicals and other imaginative music theatre projects written by composers, playwrights, lyricists, or librettists who are current graduate students; or by those who have graduated from an accredited degree-granting institution (undergraduate or graduate) within the past five years; or by current Yale students, are eligible. 

Applicants can only submit one work for consideration.  Writers and composers may apply as individuals or as part of a team.

Participants must be available for the full duration of the Institute.  Each member of the selected writing teams will receive an honorarium in the amount of $1,000, as well as round-trip transportation to New Haven, and accommodation for the duration of the workshop.

GUIDELINES FOR SUBMISSION

Submissions will be accepted beginning November 19, 2008 and must be received by January 23, 2009.  Note: this is not a postmark date.

All submissions must include the following:

–          Three copies of a script with lyrics or a full libretto (no DVDs, videotapes, or photographs);

–          Three copies of a synopsis of no more than one page, with a list of characters and instrumentation;

–          Three copies of a CD (no audio tapes) of at least 20 minutes of music, including a minimum of five songs in chronological order, accompanied by the sheet music for those songs.  Piano and vocals are sufficient, and a composer’s demo is acceptable though not preferred.  Studio demos are not necessary.  No midi recordings will be accepted.  Songs must be in sequence on the CD and clearly noted in the script;

–          Three copies of a one-page biography or resume for each creative artist;

–          Three copies of the history of the work’s development and a brief description of what the creative team hopes to achieve by attending the Institute;

–          Completed application form signed by all the collaborators (book writer, composer, lyricist,

librettist).  If the proposed project is an adaptation of an existing work that is not in the public domain, proof of fully secured rights must accompany the submission.

Application forms are available to download online at www.drama.yale.edu/musictheatreinstitute.

Submissions should be addressed to:

Yale Institute for Music Theatre

c/o Yale School of Drama

Box 208244

New Haven, CT 06520-8244

For more information about the Yale Institute for Music Theatre or questions about the application process, please email instituteformusictheatre@yale.edu or call (203) 432-1506.

All applicants will be notified of selection by March 15, 2009.

BIOS FOR THE YALE INSTITUTE FOR MUSIC THEATRE LEADERSHIP

MARK BROKAW (Artistic Director) Broadway credits include the new musical Cry-Baby, and the revivals of The Constant Wife and Reckless.  New York premieres include works by Paula Vogel (her Pulitzer Prize-winning How I Learned to Drive), Kenneth Lonergan, Craig Lucas, Eric Bogosian, Douglas Carter Beane, Wendy Wasserstein, Lisa Kron, and Lynda Barry.  For Encores! Great American Musicals at City Center, he directed the concert versions of On a Clear Day You Can See Forever and Cole Porter’s Out of This World.  His regional credits include the Sondheim Celebration at The Kennedy Center (A Little Night Music), the new musical Marty starring John C. Reilly at the Huntington Theatre, as well as productions at the Guthrie Theater, Center Theatre Group, Steppenwolf, Seattle Rep, Long Wharf, Hartford Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Yale Rep, Berkeley Rep, Sundance Institute, O’Neill Music Theatre Conference, and New York Stage & Film.  His work has been seen internationally at London’s Donmar Warehouse and Dublin’s Gate Theatre.  A graduate of Yale School of Drama, he has served as vice president of the Executive Board of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, and is an associate artist of the Roundabout Theatre.

BETH MORRISON (Producer) Founded in 2005, Beth Morrison Projects seeks to invigorate the traditions of opera and music-theatre by nurturing new works from emerging and established artists that re-imagine these forms in a contemporary context.  Beth Morrison Projects has already amassed a strong record of achievement, producing four new operas, a new musical, a theatrical chamber music piece, and a street-spectacle piece in Orvieto, Italy.  In addition, BMP has commissioned four new works, including a new musical and three other innovative music-theatre works, all by award-winning composers, song-writers, and playwrights.  BMP’s critically-acclaimed work has been seen at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival, Performance Space 122, the New York Public Library Live!, New York Musical Theatre Festival (2005, 2007), The Estates National Theater of Prague, Le Poisson Rouge, and The Seoul Performing Arts Festival in Korea. Up-coming shows in 2008-09 will be seen at The Walker Center for the Arts in Minneapolis and The Kitchen in NYC.  Beth Morrison holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Boston University, a Master of Music degree from Arizona State University, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theater Management from Yale School of Drama.

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