New Book on Writing Musicals in Stores Early July

A new book aimed at aspiring (and working) musical theatre writers, with a foreword by Tony Award winning Avenue Q composer-lyricists Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, will be released by Heinemann Publishing on June 16, 2005 and available in bookstores nationwide early July.

Author/composer/lyricist David Spencer analyzes and explains the ingredients of creating a successful musical in The Musical Theatre Writer's Survivor Guide, "a comprehensive 'guide to the game,' that navigates the complex landscape of developing a musical from the page to the stage, with invaluable, time saving and tried-and-true techniques," as states a press release.

Prior to the July release of The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide, a website has been launched featuring a weekly serialization and sneak peek at Spencer's inside industry secrets in creating a successful musical. As two tips in a weekly advance series of industry secrets, Spencer"details," in Tip #7 "the importance of planting the proper story seeds, and avoiding the kind of narrative 'waste' that sets up false expectations. He details, with famous examples, the use of character traits that propel the story forward and/or impact upon its resolution." With Tip #8, he "covers the importance of exotic locales and milieu that can transport an audience. The ability of the musical to take us to "otherworlds" -- of its music and poetic language to evoke those worlds -- is key to the magic that sets it apart from any other art form."

"The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide is filled with never-before published information ranging from indispensable principles of art and craft to practical considerations of politics and presentation....it 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."

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.

To preview more of Spencer's tips, visit http://www.aislesay.com/NY-GUIDE-Glimpses.html.

For more information, visit www.heinemanndrama.com.