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Definitive Musical Theatre Writer's Guide by David Spencer in stores July 25
By: BWW News Desk Mar. 29, 2005
The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide is a wholly unique "guide-to-the-game" filled with never before published information ranging from indispensable principles of art and craft to practical considerations of politics and presentation. From the pen of award-winning composer, lyricist, librettist and teacher David Spencer, The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide offers a bracing refresher for industry veterans, an invaluable sourcebook for aspiring musical dramatists, and a lively and accessible look at the form for all musical theatre enthusiasts.
Tony Award © winning composer-lyricists Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, who shepherded Avenue Q from the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop (where they first encountered Spencer as teacher and colleague) to staged readings to Broadway, share their journey and endorsement of Spencer's trade techniques in the foreword.
Spencer's comprehensive guide navigates the complex landscape of developing a musical from the page to the stage, with invaluable, time saving and tried-and-true techniques that can save the beginner years of shooting blindly; and that can likewise rescue the struggling veteran from career-stalling traps, bad habits and false assumptions. Among the topics included in The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide are:
David Spencer is currently writing the music and lyrics for The Fabulist, a 2002 Richard Rodgers Development Award-winning musical for which he also received a 2000 Kleban Lyrics Award and two Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Theatre Foundation grants. He has been lyricist-librettist for two musicals composed by Alan Menken: Weird Romance (WPA, 1992; York Theatre Mufti, 2004) and, upcoming, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. Spencer made his professional debut in 1984 with the English adaptation of La Bohème at The Public Theatre and has since written music and lyrics for Theatreworks/USA's award winning TYA versions of The Phantom of the Opera (cast recording, 1996 world premiere and seven national tours), and 1999's Les Misérables. Books include the original Alien Nation tie-in novel Passing Fancy (Pocket, 1994) and the published libretto of Weird Romance (Samuel French, 1993). Spencer is on faculty at the BMI-Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop and is the webmaster and principal NY drama critic of the theatrical website Aisle Say (www.aislesay.com). Contact David at ScriptConsult@aol.com for script consultation services, readings, public appearances or lectures.
Heinemann Publishing, a member of the Reed-Elsevier family of professional and educational publishers, is a leading publisher of books for theatre professionals by theatre professionals, general books on education, and quality works of world literature.
The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide will retail for $19.95 at Barnes and Noble and other major bookstores from July 25 and is currently available for a pre-order discounted price of $13.57 at www.amazon.com and $17.95 ($16.15 member price) at www.barnesandnoble.com.
ADVANCE ACCOLADES FROM THE EXPERTS:
"David Spencer is one of the most versatile talents in our business. He's both a brilliant musical theater writer and an extremely keen observer of every aspect of musicals; from opening numbers to closing nights, from the agony of reviews to the ecstasy of a standing ovation, from hits to flops and everything in between…If you can't hang out with David and get an earful of his interesting opinions and smart observations, this book provides the next best thing. Consider THE MTW SURVIVAL GUIDE your new best friend in the business."
-Alan Menken, Composer
Little Shop of Horrors, Beauty and the Beast
"David Spencer has written a book about what it's actually like to function in the world of professional musical theatre. It is unlike any book on writing I've ever seen. It is practical! It is written in unusually clear no-nonsense language, and it is full of truths a young writer will not find articulated anywhere else. Most of us in the theatre gained our 'experience' by making mistakes and learning from them. David's book lets you gain the 'experience' and skip the mistakes part. Anyone maneuvering the treacherous waters of musicals will find it not nearly so lonely or baffling with this remarkable volume as a companion."
-Richard Maltby, Jr., Director/Lyricist
Miss Saigon, Ain't Misbehavin', Baby
"At long last: a how-to book written by someone who actually knows how to. It hits so many nails on the head I could barely get through it for the sound of all that hammering!"
-Larry Gelbart, Librettist
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, City of Angels
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