How To Write A Musical Drama - 9 Essential Drama Elements

how to write a musical drama9 essential elements of a drama musical

Friday, 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.


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.


ConflictConflict 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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


MusicalWorkshop.org

Dr. Michael Kunze

Author of:

REBECCA (The Musical)on Broadway: April 22, 2012

mozart!Elisabeth

marie antoinettedance of the vampires


How To Write A Musical Drama - 9 Essential Drama Elements

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