Ado Annie D'Ysquith said: "Thanks for your timely reply, Mr. Guettel. I can now say that she is a role I CAN and would love to perform one day!
I'm a lyricist too, although I applied to BMI as a librettist this year. After two rejections as a lyricist, thought I'd try my luck differently this time. I would love to have a conversation about work sometime!
I can assure you, as someone who has spent too much time in the BMI Workshop worrying about what a clique of theatrically ultra conservative theatre writers think, that it isn't worth your time right now. Perhaps the Workshop will become more experimental and less obsessed with the cliched "I Want" and "meet cute" notions someday, but not for a while. Continue to write and hone your craft. Worry about technical craft-- perfect rhymes and perfect scansion and structures that tell the story the best way you can, but tell the stories YOU want to tell the way YOU want to tell them. As long as they don't baffle an audience in a confusing way. Surprise them and be weird-- but don't annoy them or bore them.
And as someone who has spent precious hours talking to Adam and watching him work with and lovingly encourage theatre artists to explore and be the best they can be, I can attest to the dedication of his craft and love of writing shows.
I may get in trouble for this-- in fact, I'm sure I will in regard to my slightly bitchy comments about the esteemed, but deeply outdated BMI Workshop. But Adam's forthrightness with you all, and my distaste for the BMI Workshop as of late, compelled me to tell you, Ado Annie, to keep writing and working and loving the theatre!
All best, John Verderber (Feel free to PM me! Good luck!)
Updated On: 7/12/17 at 12:25 AM