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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 14:03:40 GMT
My collaborators and I have been working on a musical for about 15 months now. At the start everything went really well and we made some great progress. But recently they don't seem to be as excited about the project as I am. I'm constantly asking them to work on new material for the show with me, but they often exceed the deadline for something by a few weeks (one of my collaborators said something he was working on would take 3 weeks. It's now been over 5 weeks and I still haven't seen anything of it). It's either that or they completely ignore my requests. So now I don't know what to do. On the one hand I'm tired of waiting for them. But on the other hand I don't want to throw away 15 months of extremely hard work by getting into a big argument. Any advice on how I could handle this?
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Post by DuchessConstance on Oct 12, 2016 14:19:26 GMT
It depends on the nature of the collaboration, but you might need to explore the possibility of finding new collaborative partners (whether that would involve walking away from the project, taking it with you, or splitting it into two depends on the circumstances).
But first pin them down for a proper face to face chat to see where you stand. It might be there are issues with the project, or there could be some personal stuff you don't know about that they're embarrassed to tell you.
I have some experience albeit not in musicals (but have friends who do) if you ever want to PM to discuss in more detail.
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Post by mallardo on Oct 12, 2016 14:22:45 GMT
Well, I'm a writer myself - not theatre - and sometimes have a writing partner and the only reason not to make deadlines is if one of us has another job. Waning of interest may be the case, it happens. Or loss of faith in the project. You need to call a meeting and sort it out with some honest talk because the situation will only continue to erode.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 14:37:21 GMT
It depends on the nature of the collaboration, but you might need to explore the possibility of finding new collaborative partners (whether that would involve walking away from the project, taking it with you, or splitting it into two depends on the circumstances). But first pin them down for a proper face to face chat to see where you stand. It might be there are issues with the project, or there could be some personal stuff you don't know about that they're embarrassed to tell you. I have some experience albeit not in musicals (but have friends who do) if you ever want to PM to discuss in more detail. I'm very reluctant to get new partners. Mainly because these people are brilliant and the show is heading in the right direction. It's just an awful lot of work and I think that may the reason why it's died down a bit for now. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 14:40:31 GMT
Well, I'm a writer myself - not theatre - and sometimes have a writing partner and the only reason not to make deadlines is if one of us has another job. Waning of interest may be the case, it happens. Or loss of faith in the project. You need to call a meeting and sort it out with some honest talk because the situation will only continue to erode. I don't think it's loss of faith because they all thought the concept was very good. And we've been doing great work for a long time. I just think the fact that it's so much work is starting to take its toll. |
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Post by mallardo on Oct 12, 2016 14:56:33 GMT
I understand. People need to see a light at the end of the tunnel and there are times when there's not even a glimmer. You still need to talk about it. Do you have a producer attached? Do you have enough material now to audition a chunk of it? A little bit of outside interest will spur everyone on.
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Post by DuchessConstance on Oct 12, 2016 15:06:32 GMT
What is the nature of the collaboration, and who owns the work that has already been done? Are you both creatives (writers or composers) or is one of you a producer of director? Is there a producer or theatre involved you can talk to?
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Post by kathryn on Oct 12, 2016 15:17:24 GMT
It is possible to break the work up into smaller tasks with shorter deadlines? That can help keep a project ticking over, because it doesn't feel as much like you have a huge chunk of work to do that you have to clear a lot of time for.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 22:35:46 GMT
I understand. People need to see a light at the end of the tunnel and there are times when there's not even a glimmer. You still need to talk about it. Do you have a producer attached? Do you have enough material now to audition a chunk of it? A little bit of outside interest will spur everyone on. No producer attached at the moment. We do have a decent chunk of material by now. We have a decent draft of the first act, which is currently being rewritten. We also have a broad outline for act 2, and 13 songs finished. I have let a few people read what we have so far and reactions have been very positive |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 22:37:52 GMT
What is the nature of the collaboration, and who owns the work that has already been done? Are you both creatives (writers or composers) or is one of you a producer of director? Is there a producer or theatre involved you can talk to? It's an original story based on true events. I came up with the concept. We're all creatives (writers, composer, lyricist). So there isn't really any "higher authority". |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2016 22:39:07 GMT
It is possible to break the work up into smaller tasks with shorter deadlines? That can help keep a project ticking over, because it doesn't feel as much like you have a huge chunk of work to do that you have to clear a lot of time for. Yeah I've tried to set short deadlines for small tasks, but something always comes up that makes us completely miss the deadline. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2016 18:06:05 GMT
Update: the collaborator that said he'd finish something in 3 weeks still hasn't sent me a single thing and it's now been 10 weeks. He always gives me a new excuse on deadline day. I'm getting really discouraged  |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2016 19:10:42 GMT
I was actually wondering the other day about writing musicals, and it got me thinking.... Oliver! - Book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart - 1 CREATORRENT - Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson - 1 CREATORHamilton - Book, music and lyrics by Lin Manuel-Miranda - 1 CREATORThere's probably a few more examples out there... soooooo hintity hint hint hint...  But in all seriousness, as you said it would be awful to get rid of 15 months worth of work if it fits within the piece, a lot of musicals do take a long time in development as other people have other projects or difficulties. Bridget Jones for example has been for about 7 years now! And obviously Lily Allen has had to withdraw so who knows if they're getting in a new composer. I maybe wrong here, but I think once Tim Minchin got on board with Matilda, it took 2 years (as he was only distracted by his comedy touring the UK), but Groundhog Day took him and crew 4 and a half years as there was more distractions ( Jesus Christ Superstar tours, R&G Are Dead in Sydney, moving to LA for his new Dreamworks movie which sounds pretty demanding), not to mention other projects for the other creators as well. I've never written or been part of creating a musical (though I think I might try one day as I've got a few ideas of subjects) but from what I hear about the developmental process, I guess my advice is to be patient, as you have been, but also REALLY express how keen you are to continue working on it to get your collaborators to spend time on it. But without worrying too much about deadlines if there is no plans for a production. I think maybe getting a director on board could help move the process along, not by planning a production, but having an "outside voice" to imagine the piece as a whole. That's what I'd do if I was in your position, or I'd have to ask if I can move on without them (still crediting them), or even get in a new team. After all there is no formula for creating great musicals as Lloyd Webber, Mackintosh and others have said, so ultimately I guess you just have to create the thing YOU would like to see, regardless of how long it takes or how many distractions get in your way. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2016 22:10:45 GMT
I was actually wondering the other day about writing musicals, and it got me thinking.... Oliver! - Book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart - 1 CREATORRENT - Book, music and lyrics by Jonathan Larson - 1 CREATORHamilton - Book, music and lyrics by Lin Manuel-Miranda - 1 CREATORThere's probably a few more examples out there... soooooo hintity hint hint hint... But in all seriousness, as you said it would be awful to get rid of 15 months worth of work if it fits within the piece, a lot of musicals do take a long time in development as other people have other projects or difficulties. Bridget Jones for example has been for about 7 years now! And obviously Lily Allen has had to withdraw so who knows if they're getting in a new composer. I maybe wrong here, but I think once Tim Minchin got on board with Matilda, it took 2 years (as he was only distracted by his comedy touring the UK), but Groundhog Day took him and crew 4 and a half years as there was more distractions ( Jesus Christ Superstar tours, R&G Are Dead in Sydney, moving to LA for his new Dreamworks movie which sounds pretty demanding), not to mention other projects for the other creators as well. I've never written or been part of creating a musical (though I think I might try one day as I've got a few ideas of subjects) but from what I hear about the developmental process, I guess my advice is to be patient, as you have been, but also REALLY express how keen you are to continue working on it to get your collaborators to spend time on it. But without worrying too much about deadlines if there is no plans for a production. I think maybe getting a director on board could help move the process along, not by planning a production, but having an "outside voice" to imagine the piece as a whole. That's what I'd do if I was in your position, or I'd have to ask if I can move on without them (still crediting them), or even get in a new team. After all there is no formula for creating great musicals as Lloyd Webber, Mackintosh and others have said, so ultimately I guess you just have to create the thing YOU would like to see, regardless of how long it takes or how many distractions get in your way. Believe me, if I was talented enough to write a musical all by myself I would. And yeah sometimes it takes a lot of time to create a musical, but I think those 7 years for Bridget Jones and 4 and a half for Groundhog Day include extensive workshopping and readings. We haven't even gotten to that part yet. Of course 15 months is not that long to finish a first draft, but we haven't gotten to a complete first draft yet. Sometimes there are a few weeks or even months where we don't make any progress at all. That is so frustrating. I understand that people have other things to do as well, but I think it's fair to expect reasonable progress. As you said no production plans means no strict deadlines. At the start we didn't set deadlines because everything was running smoothly, but after a few months I felt that sometimes we just didn't do anything for weeks. So I thought setting deadlines for ourselves would be an incentive to work on it. But apparently not everyone wants to stick to those deadlines. But your point of an outside voice is a very good one. It would be great to have a director or producer who is interested in the project, which could provide some kind of light at the end of the tunnel. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 12, 2016 1:42:52 GMT
When someone isn't pulling their weight, it's usually in my (other industry) experience either that they just aren't interested anymore or completely and utterly stumped on what to do next. From a creative point of view, I would say it's important for all sides to feel excited about a project. If someone loses that passion (whether because of disinterest or genuinely stuck) then it's incredibly hard to continue until they feel as if they can connect to it again - but exploring that disconnection can be incredibly useful from a creative standpoint. Yeah, I think we just have to find a way to get that light at the end of the tunnel. Maybe that could be achieved by possibly finding a producer who is interested in the show. I'm sure we all love this project, but sometimes it's hard to keep going without having any guarantee of there ever being any production. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 16, 2016 12:59:25 GMT
Currently looking for a new writer, but it's hard to find one because we don't have a guarantee we'll ever have a professional production. Would it be a good idea to pitch it to some producers in the state it's in now? I'm not yet satisfied with the script but I think the essence is there and the concept is quite good.
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Post by BurlyBeaR on Nov 22, 2016 6:28:57 GMT
Aria's From Page To Stage accept incomplete works. Submissions for 2017 are being taken now. www.frompage2stage.com |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2016 17:14:31 GMT
Aria's From Page To Stage accept incomplete works. Submissions for 2017 are being taken now. www.frompage2stage.comYeah, I've heard about that. Looks very interesting. |
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Post by Deleted on Nov 22, 2016 21:23:53 GMT
Wow! I forgot about Bananaman The Musical!
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