Building Blocks

Snyder has identified 10 different types of story, each with a key set of rules that can be adapted but not abandoned without peril. He calls them “genres” but not in the sense that we usually think of the term. This isn’t a distinction between RomComs and Action stories. It’s a differentiation between the key elements that drive a conflict and how a fulfilling end can be reached. If you’re interested, you can learn about all 10 genres here.

There’s tremendous power and resonance in the skillful blending of music and drama to convey a story that revolves around the divine, as in Joseph King of Dreams and the 1998 version of Prince of Egypt. But it’s also exceedingly difficult to treat a subject on which people anchor their faith in a manner that is both inspirational and dramatically satisfying. Here are some tips on how to approach such stories effectively. 

Today I’m addressing Save the Cat's beats 1, 2 and 15, because they are all so closely connected that it's pretty much impossible to do them justice separately. Beats 1 and 15 are the opening and closing image and music. There needs to be a contrast between them that highlighs the journey of our protagonist. And we’re also discussing Beat 2, the introduction of the unifying theme, because the theme is what the contrast between Beats 1 and 15 needs to highlight.

A Showcase of Songs; part of the feedback-gathering process for Meet Me There - the Interfaith Musical This week, I’m doing another...

Javert and Jean Valjean: The protagonist and antagonist are key components of a logline This week, I’m continuing the Building Blocks of...

Save the Cat has not yet been adapted to musicals. Maybe that’s because musicals have not always been about telling a great story. But modern audiences are accustomed to tightly-woven and fulfilling stories, and the story of a Summit Stages musical needs to do more than just entertain; it needs to inspire audiences in a way that builds the Beloved Community. That’s why I’m working on adapting Snyder’s model to musicals. 

They may be detached and self-serving; resentful, treacherous and conniving; carried away by the praise of others; or bound down in false beliefs. They may be so far gone that there’s no way to redeem them in the story. But they are people. And creators who give them the dignity of well-rounded treatment help us to see and respect the humanity of those we see as antagonists in our own lives. Such villains also enrich the show. 

Gilbert and Sullivan had the courage to disrupt the status quo in Victorian theatre life, and we are all their beneficiaries. Now, here's an outline for a classic Broadway musical, to the tune of Modern Major General.

This is Part II in a brief overview of the framework for a classic musical, as illustrated by Beauty and the Beast. We'll discuss a tried-and-true pattern for keeping the audience invested and entertained all the way from the Entr'acte to the Finale.

An overview of the key components that were common to musicals during Broadway’s golden age. Even then, not all musicals had all of them. But most of the successful ones generally followed this outline (and many modern smash hits still follow it today).

A bit of burlesque is standard fare in a Broadway show, because sex sells and keeps the audience awake. But is this device worth the price?

Sky Masterson pursues Sarah Brown with "I'll Know" Not every musical tells a love story. But a huge number of successful ones do. This is...

Elphaba sings "The Wizard and I" While the opening numbers of a musical give us a taste of what’s coming and get us oriented to the world...

Opening of The Music Man by the Washington Park Playhouse in Albany, NY This is the first post in my Building Blocks of a Musical series,...

Finding a solid pattern is the first step to a newbie making an impressive cake How does one create a great musical?  That’s a question...