What's a Workshop?

 

This question floated up at a post-show discussion this week at Northern Sky Theater, where I was part of a playwright-lyricist-composer workshop for a new musical I'm working on. I don't want to talk too much about it at this point, but I can tell you it's an honor to work with the composer and collaborate with her on the lyrics.

We've been working with Northern Sky for the past few years (since 2016, I think)? -- although we could do nothing for the past three years due to the pandemic. Yet, in the time I've been working there, Northern Sky has become a kind of home away from home and yes, a family, and it has brought me an enormous amount of joy as I worked on this project.

The very first time my husband and I visited the theater, we arrived at Peninsula State Park in Door County, after my dear, wise, talented friend Laurie introduced me to the artistic director. I said hello to him and talked a bit about my interest in musicals. He promised to listen and read anything I cared to send in the future.

I went home jabbering to my husband in the car all the way about ideas, but mainly, he gave me the idea for a storythat grew and grew and grew in the next few months. When I asked the composer if she wanted to join me, she said yes - and the rest, as they say, is history? 

So, in case you're wondering, a workshop is a process that can take anywhere from three to five days (give or take) where you ask actors and singers to read and sing through the script. As playwrights, lyricist and composers, we listent o the script being read and sung and then hear comments from the artistic and associate artistic directors, cast and sometimes one or two others who are invited to share their thoughts.

Then, you go back to your corner and tap out rewrites that you bring in the next day. Hopefully those rewrites advance the story and songs and bring you closer to where you want to be, so the play can get closer to production.

On the last day, the theater invited an audience to sit in and comment on what they saw. I was expecting five people; we got more like fifty, and I was absolutely amazed (and a little nervous). But as the reading went on, I began to believe the audience was with us - and the comments afterward told me so too. That doesn't mean that people didn't have questions, or suggestions, or that everything was perfect (how boring would that be!?!) 

It did mean, though, that we are making progress, which is what we all want when we're creating something. This morning, I woke up exhausted but grateful to have had the chance to be part of this workshop all week. Most of all, I feel lucky and blessed that a theater whose mission it is to create new musicals is helping me to work on mine.

To learn more about the theater's history, go here.

Photo by Ana Tavares on Unsplash