New Musicals Workshop

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New Musicals Workshop

Millikin University > Academics > College of Fine Arts > Department of Theatre & Dance > New Musicals Workshop

"The fact that such a program exists within the walls of a university is nothing short of extraordinary. Allowing students to experience a new musical workshop, to develop the skills necessary to thrive in such a setting, and to make connections with artists currently working in the field will certainly give them a significant advantage as they make the difficult transition from students to professionals.”

-- Michael Kooman and Christopher Dimond
Writers of Golden Gate and dani girl

Bastard Jones 2013

About New Musicals

Over the last several years Millikin’s Department of Theatre and Dance has been developing an innovative program known as the New Musicals Workshop.This exciting workshop offers students and faculty opportunities to collaborate with professional writing teams as they develop new musicals intended for commercial production.		Ensemble Rehearsal

Lili Torre & Kevin Hoffman in Golden Gate		The collaboration provides our students with a valuable first-hand look into the process of developing and rehearsing a new musical from the ground up, while providing the writers with a safe laboratory environment where they may access our student talent pool, facilities and departmental resources. Student performers, production managers, stage managers, dramaturgs, and accompanists all have opportunities to benefit from this unique experience. The professional relationships cultivated through this collaboration are mutually beneficial to students entering the professional market and to working professionals already established in the industry.

The New Musicals Workshop at Millikin University has grown in a relatively short time to be one of the few university programs in the country recognized by the Broadway community as an opportunity for established writers to develop new musicals destined for Broadway and beyond.		Bastard Jones shenanigans

"Our experience was exhaustive, exhilarating, and extraordinary. We're grateful to NAMT and the Millikin University New Musicals Workshop for this wonderful opportunity to water and fertalize our bastard!" --Marc Acito & Amy Engelhardt Writers of Bastard Jones



Millikin's membership in the National Alliance for Musical Theatre (NAMT) has been a key element to the success of this program. The introductions made available through their annual new musicals festival, have enabled us to host some of the most some of the most promising writing talents in the industry. The New Musicals Workshop has also been the recipient of the NAMT Writers' Residency Grant for three consecutive years.

New Musicals Chronology
Year	Show	Writers	Awards
2013	Bastard Jones	Amy Engelhardt Marc Acito
2012	The Grid	Marissa Michaelson Frank Terry	Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients
2011	String	Adam Gwon Sarah Hammond	Kleben Prize Recipients Frederick Loewe Award Recipients
2011	Getting There	Ben Morss Les Hunter
2010	Golden Gate	Michael Kooman Chris Dimond	Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients
2009	dani girl	Michael Kooman Chris Dimond	Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients
2009	Trails	Jeff Thompson Jordan Mann	Jonathan Larson Grant Recipients