Let me give you some advice from someone only a step or two above you in terms of experience. I had one Off-Broadway show (sort of; it was a fully staged and produced production at NYMF that played Off-Broadway in 2016 for a limited run), and then I spent the pandemic writing and composing a new musical myself.
Two things you are going to want to know now, to make peace with and then overcome. First, "sucking at something is the first step towards being sort of good at something." Identify your strengths now, and identify your weaknesses. And then put some time into mastering those weaknesses. Creating a new musical requires two things: either money to pay someone to help you, or grunt work doing it all yourself. If you're not established, or independently wealthy, I'm guessing grunt work is the smarter choice. For me, my weakness was composing. So I spent two years studying not just cast recordings but scores, and working and working until I could write a more than passable piano-vocal score for an entire show.
Second, and this one hurts me even more than it hurts you: forget about the festival circuit if you're writing full-length shows. Between the COVID crisis and the demise of NYMF, there are very few musical festivals that accept full-length shows anymore; most ask for sixty minutes or less. And a lot of the venues that DO develop new musicals are looking for the cabaret/boutique musical theatre model of "less than five people, less than two hours." If your show fits those parameters already, congratulations: even though you've got a totally original piece with no name recognition, you've written something that's easily producible by any number of cabaret spaces.
But if not, it's time for you to get scrappy. Your show, in 2023, does not need to be on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It does not need to look good. Quite frankly, it does not need to BE good yet. What it needs, first and foremost, is to BE. You can waste your breath all day chasing down established producers or ambitious rising talent all day, God knows I did (and I probably have better connections than you at this phase) for all the good it did me. At this point, all you have is an IDEA. A concept of a show, no matter how much of it you've written. You don't have a PRODUCT yet.
Try this- it worked for me and maybe it'll work for you. Forget the twenty-first century Broadway production model, and experiment with the scrappy 1960s production model. Do a workshop, or a staged reading, all on your own for as close to free as you can get it. If you live in a town with a few colleges and universities, find out how much they charge to rent a rehearsal hall (you probably can't afford their actual stage or concert venue) for a weekend.
Then call up some performer friends of yours who will give you three weeks of rehearsal time for free or cheap. Need more than those friends? Look at your local community theatres or non-equity semi-pro companies. There are people in there who will perform for a stipend or just the thrill of doing new work, and many of them are quite good.
Now come the costs I guarantee you can't get around: a good music director, and copying of materials. You'll want someone versed in musical theatre and most likely jazz as well, since you have lead sheets with limited cues, not a full piano score. A lot of people will flat-out turn down a gig like that, so be aware that beggars can't be choosers. Put most of your budget, if you have one, towards getting a good MD/accompanist, then make print copies of the script and the vocal score for your cast.
You will probably be making changes throughout, so don't expect them, or even ask them, to go off book. Just say "it's a staged reading and a workshop." Play with the piece here: you're not just hearing it, you're seeing how it looks on its feet in rehearsal. Does it develop more of a personality than you thought, or does it have less? Many people in New York swear by "actors at podiums" staged readings until a producer is attached to the workshop, but I like the physicality of adding blocking and dance elements; my own show changed a LOT once it was on its feet instead of just Zoom readings or around the table. Costumes and props should be minimal. Sets should be a table and chairs as necessary. Anything more than that, and you're distracting yourself and spending money you don't have.
Finally, the performances. Go big! Invite any connections you have, but don't expect them to show up. Instead, invite two groups of people: people you know with good taste and insights, like other writers, directors, etc; and people who just love theatre and have no skin in this game. Do the show for them, see how the piece breathes, and note what an audience who aren't especially jaded city folk respond to and what they don't. Remember, after all, that it's regional theatres around the country, and not downtown NYC, where most theatre eventually gets its break.
Once you've done that, revise! Make cuts, changes, replacements, and don't be precious about your material. But you've got something now, a show that has been spoken and sung and breathed in. NOW you likely have audio and video clips, and maybe if you're lucky a little word of mouth. Start reaching out to small, medium and large theatre companies in YOUR area- worry about big city producers later. If you've proven that your show CAN be done, your next step is to make it actually BE done. From small things, big things come. Best of luck to you!
