New Dramatists is looking for composers to apply for the Composer-Librettist Studio to be held at New Dramatists in NYC beginning Wednesday, March 17 and ending Friday, April 2, 2010. The New Dramatists Composer-Librettist Studio, presented in cooperation with Nautilus Music-Theater, is designed to provide an opportunity for five writers and five composers to work with professional performers, exploring the possibilities and basic elements of music-theater. The studio focuses on the process of collaboration through a series of brief exploratory assignments for the writers and composers. The exercises are then sight-read by the performers in brief working sessions. The participants rotate partners, and the process is repeated four more times. Within the two-week period, all composers work with all writers and all performers. Toward the end of the studio, an informal reading of all the compositions is held. The studio is co-directed by Ben Krywosz (Artistic Director of Nautilus Music-Theater) and music director Roger Ames. All working sessions will be held at New Dramatists. It is not intended as a developmental session for existing pieces, but concentrates more on the collaborative process, nurturing relationships and suggesting ways that writers, composers, and performers can work together. The collaborative atmosphere of the studio is relatively free from the performance pressures usually associated with the commercial musical theater or opera field. New Dramatists has sponsored the studio annually since 1984. Over the years, Krywosz has conducted other studios around the country in such cities as Minneapolis/St. Paul, San Francisco, Washington, Chicago, Portland, Los Angeles, and Miami. All the studios have nurtured collaborative teams that have gone on to develop and produce new work. The studio is an intensive two-week program with sessions planned during afternoons and evenings. It will begin Wednesday, March 17th and continue daily through Friday, April 2nd, 2010. It has been strongly recommended by past participants that we urge writers and composers not to work on any other projects during the studio, since most outside time is spent writing and composing. Each composer, writer, and performer will receive a $900 fee for participating in this program, one half on opening day and the balance upon completion of all evaluations.

Eligibility: This program is intended primarily for composers who have professional experience. Applications from graduate students may be considered in rare circumstances, but it is unlikely that undergraduate students will be considered.

Visit the website for an application. Should applicants prefer, completed applications may be dropped off at New Dramatists Monday – Friday, 10 -6pm. Completed applications may be mailed to:

New Dramatists
424 West 44 St.
New York, NY 10036

Phone: 212.757.6960, x20