Play vs Musical

June 3, 2022 3:53 PM

I wrote a play based on my book. I wrote it alone with no collaborators. It is all original with no copyright issues. The play is done. It has been staged read for two theater organizations and has been performed virtually for a festival. I'd like to approach a script publishing company like Dramatist or Samuel French and see what's involved in having it turned into something community theaters can rent.

I am also working with a composer to turn the play into a musical. We've been working on it for about a year and are looking for grants to help fund the work, festivals to help show the work and venues to eventually have it work shopped or performed. My question is can both happen? IOW, can a play be in production/produced while a musical of the same show is in production/being produced?

posted by CollectiveMind to Media & Arts (2 answers total)

Do you have an agent? I think that's a likely path to publication. While they take a cut, a good agent should be able to help your work find a broader market.
posted by theora55 at 7:45 PM on June 3, 2022

I see no legal reason why a playwright/composer can't work on both a straight-play and a musical version of the same script and story, and I can think of some recent examples of such, although usually there is more of a time gap between the two productions. For example, this past year in New York City, David Lindsay-Abaire wrote the book and lyrics for a musical version of his play Kimberly Akimbo (originally from 2000) and Sarah Ruhl wrote the libretto for an opera version of her play Eurydice (originally from 2003).

So if you think the straight-play script is in a finalized state while the musical version is still a work in progress, I agree it makes sense to look for opportunities for the straight play while continuing to work on a musical adaptation. If the straight play is successful and gets some name recognition, it could even fuel interest in a musical version!
posted by clair-de-lune at 8:40 PM on June 3, 2022