The BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop is a two-year educational program for people who wish to develop a

musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...

and has been called "the premier incubator for Broadway". At the end of the second year, a small number of selected participants are invited to join the advanced workshop program for further study and collaboration on works in development. The workshop was created in 1961 by BMI and

Lehman Engel A. Lehman Engel (September 14, 1910, Jackson, Mississippi – August 29, 1982, New York City) was an American composer for television, film, and operas and a conductor of Broadway musicals and operas. Work in theatre, television and films Enge ...

and is free for participants. Among the musicals developed or partly developed in the workshop are ''

Avenue Q '' Avenue Q'' is a musical comedy featuring puppets and human actors with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and a book by Jeff Whitty. It won Best Musical, Book, and Score at the 2004 Tony Awards. The show's format is a parody ...

'', ''

A Chorus Line ''A Chorus Line'' is a 1975 musical conceived by Michael Bennett with music by Marvin Hamlisch, lyrics by Edward Kleban, and a book by James Kirkwood Jr. and Nicholas Dante. Set on the bare stage of a Broadway theater, the musical is cent ...

'' and ''

Little Shop of Horrors Little Shop of Horrors may refer to: * '' The Little Shop of Horrors'', a 1960 American film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (musical), a 1982 musical based on the 1960 film * ''Little Shop of Horrors'' (1986 film), a 1986 American film based on th ...

''. The workshop grants Jerry Harrington Awards for Creative Excellence to four participants each year. In 2006,

Drama Desk The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...

awarded the BMI Workshop a Special Award "for nurturing, developing and promoting new talent for the musical theater." The same year, the workshop was one of the recipients of the

Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre The Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre is a non-competitive award created by the American Theatre Wing in 1990. They are presented to institutions, individuals and/or organizations that have demonstrated extraordinary achievement in theatre, bu ...

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the BMI Workshop "The Harvard of Showtunes".

History

In March 1961, BMI vice president

Robert Sour Robert Sour (1905 – 1985)
''The New York Times'', March 8, 1985. was a

approached

about starting a workshop where he would teach principles of musical theatre writing to promising composers and lyricists. The classes would be open to any writer, whether their music was licensed by ASCAP or BMI, and no tuition would be charged. The only requirement was passing "the strong scrutiny of Engel's eyes and ears." Engel supervised the workshop and led weekly sessions from then until the end of his life, continuing to teach while undergoing radiation treatment for his cancer and producing his final student showcase in 1982, the year he died. One student said of Engel's support of his students, "if you brought in a song that worked, you were only the second happiest person in the room o Engel" After Engel's death, duties were divided, with different people running the first year, second year, and advanced workshops.

Maury Yeston Maury Yeston (born October 23, 1945) is an American composer, lyricist and music theorist. Yeston has written the music and lyrics for several Broadway musicals and is also a classical orchestral and ballet composer. Among his Broadway music ...

led the advanced workshop for the next two decades until 2003,Jones, Kenneth
"Maury Yeston Will Step Down as BMI Musical Workshop Moderator After 20 Years"
''Playbill'', March 7, 2003 when Patrick Cook, a member of the advisory committee, who had been involved with the BMI workshop since the 1980s, took over. The musical ''

A Class Act ''A Class Act'' is a quasi-autobiographical musical loosely based on the life of composer-lyricist Edward Kleban, who died at the age of 48 in 1987. Featuring a book by Linda Kline and Lonny Price along with music and lyrics by Kleban himself ...

'', about composer-lyricist

Ed Kleban Edward "Ed" Kleban (April 30, 1939 – December 28, 1987) was an American musical theatre composer and lyricist. Kleban was born in the Bronx, New York City, in 1939 and graduated from New York's High School of Music & Art and Columbia Universi ...

, one of the workshop's early students, had several scenes set in the BMI Workshop. Kleban was played by

Lonny Price Lonny Price (born March 9, 1959) is an American director, actor, and writer, primarily in theatre. He is best known for his New York directing work, including ''Sunset Boulevard'', '' Sweeney Todd'', ''Company'', and ''Sondheim! The Birthday Co ...

, who also directed, and Engel was played by Patrick Quinn. The score consists of Kleban songs that were first heard in the workshop.

Operation

Applicants for the BMI Workshop must pass a screening process, first by submitting three songs. Some are then invited to audition for admission."Applications Now Open for BMI Musical Theatre Workshop"
''

Music Connection ''Music Connection'' is a United States–based monthly music trade magazine that began publication in 1977. The magazine caters to career-minded musicians, songwriters, recording artists, and assorted music industry supporting personnel. Init ...

'', May 18, 2023 Those who are accepted to the workshop are invited to participate for free. All BMI workshops run from approximately September to June at the BMI facility in lower

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

, New York City. In the first year, students are paired with a different partner for each assignment. The workshop teaches

show tune A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

writing styles, such as ballads, comedy songs and charm songs, and other basic techniques. The first assignment of the first year is to write a song where someone tells a lie; another is a song for Blanche from ''

A Streetcar Named Desire ''A Streetcar Named Desire'' is a play written by Tennessee Williams and first performed on Broadway on December 3, 1947. The play dramatizes the experiences of Blanche DuBois, a former Southern belle who, after encountering a series of pe ...

.'' A third assignment is the suicide scene in ''

Death of a Salesman ''Death of a Salesman'' is a 1949 stage play written by the American playwright Arthur Miller. The play premiered on Broadway in February 1949, running for 742 performances. It is a two-act tragedy set in late 1940s Brooklyn told through a ...

''. The last assignment of the first year is a presentation by each writing team of a 10-minute musical. In the second year, teams stay in the same pairings throughout the year and musicalize an already existing work. At the end of the year, each team presents its four best songs, and the steering committee decides whether the writers are cut or may continue into the advanced workshop. Admission to the advanced workshop is by invitation only, to a small number of "writers of professional caliber who are expected to contribute to the vitality of the musical theatre scene". Composers and lyricists in the advanced workshop are welcome to stay for as many years as they would like while they workshop new material. They participate in discussions and roundtables, and collaboratively develop new works. As of 2008, 250 people had been invited to the advanced workshop. BMI hosts a separate librettist workshop for bookwriters, also created by Lehman Engel to supplement the composer-lyricist workshops. The first year is called "Bookwriting Basics". To apply to the librettist workshop, applicants must submit a resume and two 10-page writing samples, at least one of which must be comedic. After the first year, some of the participants are invited to the advanced librettist workshop. BMI provides opportunities for workshop members to have their work publicly performed, including semi-annual "smokers", named after former workshop moderator Maury Yeston's "informal music gatherings while an undergraduate". In 2019, a showcase concert featured works only from BMI Workshop artists of color, called ''Make Them Hear You''.

Jerry Harrington awards

The workshop grants Jerry Harrington Awards for Creative Excellence annually to a member of each workshop division (1st year, 2nd year, advanced and librettist).

Jeff Marx Jeff Marx (born September 10, 1970) is an American composer and lyricist of musicals. He is best known for creating the Broadway musical '' Avenue Q'' with collaborator Robert Lopez. Early life Marx grew up in Hollywood, Florida. He atten ...

and

Robert Lopez Robert “Bobby” Lopez (born February 23, 1975) is an American songwriter for musicals and playwright, best known for co-creating '' The Book of Mormon'' and '' Avenue Q'', and for co-writing the songs featured in the Disney animated films '' ...

, co-creators ''Avenue Q'', were recipients in 2000, the first year the awards were granted.

Broadway shows developed in the workshop

wrote the first three songs for ''

Nine 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...

'' while in the workshop. Barry Brown and

Fritz Holt Fritz Holt (October 9, 1940 – July 14, 1987) was an American theatre producer and director. Born George William Holt III in San Francisco, Holt was a graduate of the University of Oregon. He began his career as an assistant stage manager at ...

saw these presented at one of the workshop's showcases in 1974 and decided to produce the show. Yeston said, "In 1970 ... I joined the BMI Music Theatre Workshop ... Lehman was instrumental in my working on the Fellini musical, which I decided to call ''Nine''. It was really the first project that was born in the workshop. It contains so many of Lehman’s teachings and I’m very, very grateful to him." ''

Next to Normal ''Next to Normal'' is a 2008 American rock musical with book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey and music by Tom Kitt. The story centers on a mother who struggles with worsening bipolar disorder and the effects that managing her illness has on her fam ...

'' and ''

'' both started as first-year 10-minute musical projects. Other Broadway shows developed in the workshop have included: * ''

'' * ''

Urinetown ''Urinetown: The Musical'' is a satirical comedy musical that premiered in 2001, with music by Mark Hollmann, lyrics by Hollmann and Greg Kotis, and book by Kotis. It satirizes the legal system, capitalism, social irresponsibility, populism, bur ...

'' * ''

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Vi ...

'' * ''

Raisin A raisin is a Dried fruit, dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Afri ...

'' * ''

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas ''The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' is a musical with a book by Texas author Larry L. King and Peter Masterson and music and lyrics by Carol Hall. It is based on a story by King that was inspired by the real-life Chicken Ranch in La Grang ...

'' * '' Lucky Stiff''

Notable alumni

Lynn Ahrens Lynn Ahrens (born October 1, 1948) is an American writer and lyricist for the musical theatre, television and film. She has collaborated with Stephen Flaherty for many years. She won the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Aw ...

Gerard Alessandrini Gerard Alessandrini (born November 27, 1953) is an American writer, director, lyricist and composer, best known for creating the off-Broadway musical revue '' Forbidden Broadway''. He is the recipient of Tony Honors for Excellence in Theatre, f ...

* Masi Asare *

Kristen Anderson-Lopez Kristen Anderson-Lopez (born March 21, 1972) is an American songwriter. She is known for co-writing the songs for the 2013 animated musical film '' Frozen'' and its 2019 sequel '' Frozen II'' with her husband Robert Lopez. The couple won the Aca ...

Howard Ashman Howard Elliott Ashman (May 17, 1950 – March 14, 1991) was an American playwright, lyricist and stage director. He is most widely known for his work on feature films for Walt Disney Animation Studios, for which Ashman wrote the lyrics and Alan M ...

* Neil Bartram *

Susan Birkenhead Susan Birkenhead is an American lyricist. Birkenhead made her Broadway debut as one of a team of songwriters contributing to '' Working'' (1978), for which she received her first Tony Award nomination. Her second was earned for ''Jelly's Last J ...

Jeff Blumenkrantz Jeff Blumenkrantz (born June 3, 1965) is an American actor, composer and lyricist. Born in Long Branch, New Jersey, Blumenkrantz is a graduate of Northwestern University School of Communication. His stage credits include roles in the Broadway pr ...

* Douglas J. Cohen *

Stephen Flaherty Stephen Flaherty (born September 18, 1960) is an American composer of musical theatre and film. He works most often in collaboration with the lyricist/book writer Lynn Ahrens. They are best known for writing the Broadway musicals ''Ragtime'', wh ...

Scott Frankel Scott David Frankel (born May 6, 1963) is an American composer. Career Early life Frankel began his music education taking piano lessons with Betty Belkin in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Interlochen Arts Camp, Hawken School (‘81) and graduated f ...

* Gary William Friedman * Ira Gasman * Clark Gesner *

Amanda Green Amanda Green (born December 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, and songwriter. In 2021, she was elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America, the first woman to hold the role in the Guild's 100-year history. Early life and edu ...

Carol Hall Carol Hall (April 3, 1936 – October 11, 2018) was an American composer and lyricist. She was best known for composing the music and lyrics for the Broadway stage musical '' The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas'' (1978, adapted as a film in 19 ...

Mark Hollmann Mark Hollmann (born 1963) is an American composer and lyricist. Life and career Hollmann grew up in Fairview Heights, Illinois, where he graduated from Belleville Township High School East in 1981. He won a 2002 Tony Award and a 2001 Obie Awa ...

* Tom Kitt * Edward Kleban *

Michael Korie Michael Korie (born April 1, 1955) is an American Libretto, librettist and lyricist whose writing for musical theater and opera includes the musicals ''Grey Gardens (musical), Grey Gardens'' and ''Far from Heaven (musical), Far From Heaven'', and ...

Michael John LaChiusa Michael John LaChiusa (born July 24, 1962) is an American musical theatre and opera composer, lyricist, and librettist. He is best known for musically esoteric shows such as '' Hello Again'', '' Marie Christine'', '' The Wild Party'', and '' See W ...

Andrew Lippa Andrew Lippa (born December 22, 1964) is an American composer, lyricist, libretto, book writer, performer, and theatrical producer, producer. He is a resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City. Early life Lippa was born in Leeds, E ...

Alan Menken Alan Irwin Menken (born July 22, 1949) is an American composer and conductor. Over his career he has received List of awards and nominations received by Alan Menken, numerous accolades including winning eight Academy Awards, a Tony Awards, Tony ...

* Dan Mertzlufft *

Helen Park Helen Park (born Hyunjung Park, March 23, 1986) is a South Korean-born composer based in New York City. She is a 2018 Lucille Lortel Award Winner and the recipient of the 2018 Richard Rodgers Award. Best known for her score on the musical ''KPO ...

Jeanine Tesori Jeanine Tesori, known earlier in her career as Jeanine Levenson, (born November 10, 1961) is an American composer and Arrangement, musical arranger best known for her work in the theater. She is the most prolific and honored female theatrical com ...

Glenn Slater Glenn Slater (born January 28, 1968) is an American lyricist for musical theatre. He's collaborated with Alan Menken, Christopher Lennertz, & Andrew Lloyd Webber, among other composers. He was nominated for three Tony Awards for Best Original S ...

Judd Woldin Judd Woldin (May 30, 1925 – November 27, 2011) was an American composer, most notable for his musical ''Raisin''. Biography Edwin Judd Woldin was born in Somerville, New Jersey. At the age of eight, he began taking piano lessons. In high schoo ...

Sara Wordsworth Sara Wordsworth is a Broadway lyricist-librettist. She is a co-writer on Broadway's first a capella musical, ''In Transit,'' and a co-producer of the Broadway cast recording. Additionally, she has worked for many years as a show creator with Disney ...

Brian Yorkey Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education. Early life Yorkey ...

References

{{reflist

External links

Official website
1961 establishments in New York City Cultural history of New York City Culture of Manhattan Musical theatre in the United States