How to Direct a Musical

How to Direct a Musical is a lively and practical guide to the seemingly overwhelming task of directing a musical. David Young brings to this handbook his extensive experience as a director of over 100 productions and more than 250 workshops in the US, China, Senegal and Brazil. Young takes a pragmatic, do-it-yourself approach, guiding the reader from planning to casting, rehearsal to opening night. Topics covered include script analysis, collaboration with designers, musical directors, choreographers and crew, eliminating lengthy pauses between scenes, dress rehearsals and curtain calls.

David Young was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1963. This is his first novel and was drafted during lockdown and whilst on holiday. David currently resides in Auckland with his family.

Part I: Before Rehersals Begin: 1. The Guide; 2. The Diary; 3. Director's Book; 4. Plot of the Musical Fanny; 5. Checklist of Important Points in Each Musical Production; 6. Script Analysis; 7. Setting the Style of Your Musical - Exploring the Musicals of the 1980s and 1990s; 8. First Exercise; 9. Collaborating with Designers, Crew, and Staff (first production meeting); 10. Specifics: costumes and wigs, sets (design and sketches), makeup, sound and lights, props and set dressing, stage manager, production book, rehearsal pianist; 11. Musical Director and Choreographer; 12. The Director Who Stages His/Her Own Dances; 13. For the Director Who Has Never Staged a Dance Number; Part II: Auditions and Casting: 14. Sample Notice; 15. Early Challenges; Part III: The Beginning - First Rehearsals: 16. Rehearsal Schedule; 17. Sample Autobiographies; 18. Blocking (samples to use); 19. Staging the Musical Numbers (Diagrams Included); 20. Comparison of Similarities in Musical Numbers; 21. Putting Together a Multicultural Musical Revue; Part IV: Working With Singer/Dancers on Acting - The Early Stages: 22. Where Are We?; 23. Listening: a Most Important Tool; 24. Characterization; 25. Think Time for the Director; 26. Improvisation Theatre Games - To Help Strengthen and Enliven Rehearsals as the Pressure Begins; Part V: Specific Challenges - Midway: 27. Pulling the Musical Numbers Together; 28. Talking about Comedy; 29. Farce - A Special Kind of Comedy; 30. Stage Fights - How We Did Them!; 31. Accents; 32. Helping Singers to Age Realistically; 33. Aging Americans and the Theatre; 34. More Production Meetings; 35. Microphones; 36. Orchestra Rehearsals; 37. Update and Relaxers; 38. Run Through; Part VI: Pacing, Blending, Streamlining: 39. Pauses, How to Eliminate the Unwanted Ones; 40. Special Rehearsal; 41. Sorting Out; 42. Plugging Along - Then Disaster; 43. Concentration - The Dustin Hoffman Story; 44. Videotaping could Help; 45. Publicity and Photographs - Necessary Interruptions; Part VII: Ontage - Finally: 46. Lights/Sound, Dry Tech; 47. Rehearsals with Sets, Costumes, and Tech; 48. More Observations; 49. Some Breakthroughs; 50. Fine-Tuning the Songs; 51. Last Dress Rehearsals - Progress; 52. Staging the Curtain Calls; 53. Preview; 54. Opening Night; 55. Evaluation; Part VIII: Appendices: 56. Understanding and Directing Young People and Teens; 57. Concerning Special Talents, or Whose Disability is it Anyway?; 58. How to Stage Musical Numbers; 59. The Choreographer/Director; 60. Computers for the Musical Theatre.