How many scenes are there in an average musical?
How many scenes are there in an average musical?
#1How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 4:28am
I know this varies from show to show, but my boyfriend and I are working on a musical. We have 18 scenes in our first act and I just wondered if that's too much. From the outline, some seem pretty long, while others are pretty short. We haven't discussed songs yet.
I haven't seen nearly enough shows to know the answer to this, so I'd appreciate it if some of the kind folks here gave some input.
Thanks!
"Writing is like prostitution. First, you do it for love, then you do it for a few friends, and finally you do it for money." ~ Moliere
#2re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 4:56amI don't think there's and answer to that question. Some shows like Ragtime and Wicked move very quickly form one location to another resulting in a lot of scenes. Whereas A Chorus Line all takes place in one location and doesn't necessarily have individual scenes, but rather a series of sequences. I wouldn't worry too much about the number of scenes you have, I would just work on the story and let the piece dictate to you what feels like the best possible way to tell that story. From a practical stand point you might want to keep in mind the difficulty of large set changes and write some small scenes or songs that can be used to cover a large set change taking place behind it.
BlueWindSadness
Stand-by Joined: 12/28/07
#3re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 1:39pm
yeah, the last westcoast is right....there is no real answer...just make sure you have enough scenes to explain your story and the purpose of your musical....there should be no limit....your the creator of the musical...am i right!?!
good luck writing your musical!
"that's what my date said."
ErinDillyFan
Broadway Star Joined: 7/14/06
#4re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 1:46pmThe number of scenes is not so important. But, performing it, you have to think about staging. How many sets and how can you switch from set to set without hopelessly bogging down the story or having so many sets that it becomes cost or space prohibitive.
Broadway Star Joined: 12/31/69
#5re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 1:58pmYeah- 18 scenes that flow from spot to spot with minimal set changes might be OK but if scene 1 is on a aircraft carrier and the fighter jet has to take off to lead into scene 2 which is set in the cockpit of that fighter jet, followed by the throne room of a middle eastern kingdom which is then blown apart by bombs...well you get the idea.
#6re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 2:09pm
The average musical is about 10-12 scenes in the first act and 8-10 in the second act with a total of about 15-20 songs including reprises.
If you have 18 scene changes in act one how many in act two? How long is the musical and how many songs are in the production? This sounds a bit "too overworked", imo.
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#7re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 2:11pmI think we should take every musical ever, count the number of scenes in each one, add them all up, and then divide by the number of musicals in order to find the exactly answer to this question. Precision is key, people.
#8re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 2:17pm
"I think we should take every musical ever, count the number of scenes in each one, add them all up, and then divide by the number of musicals in order to find this answer."
Exactly. You have on hour.
No, um, thanks for the comments. Most of the scenes take place in this large house and in a cemetery. I have the whole scene changes planned in my head, but I'm not sure how practical it all is. I don't think the show needs to be ultra realistic. A bed for a bedroom is fine with me. Know what I mean?
We haven't outlined act 2 yet.
"Writing is like prostitution. First, you do it for love, then you do it for a few friends, and finally you do it for money." ~ Moliere
#9re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/24/08 at 4:51pm
This is why man invented editing. Do your best on a rough draft for the show, and then you can always edit if something is impractical or need to be changed. I think someone once said that writing was more a process of re-writing. If you want to take the script to someone you trust (perhaps a local director), he/she may be able to help you find gaping holes in storytelling or just practicality of staging. But don't let the practicallity kill the story.
This is all, of course, blind advice. I haven't seen the script, which is why I reccomend showing it to someone you trust.
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With Clay Aiken in Spamalot, all of Broadway is singing a collective "There! Right! There!" -Me-
"Not Barker, Todd is the only person I've ever known who could imitate Katherine Hepburn...in print." -nmartin-
Zee3
Swing Joined: 1/15/22
#10re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 7:23am
Hey! I'm writing a musical too, I suggest you do an outline of what is in each act. Once you have done that discuss scene changes and have those as benchmarks. Then you can start filling out the gaps with scenes, write the outline for each scene too. I am using a similar process for mine. I suggest you add where you think a song would be good and any other key notes. Also think about how long you want each of the scenes to be. I hope this helps and I wish you luck with your musical!
#11re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 8:48am
The OP is from 14 years ago...
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#12re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 10:21am
Scarywarhol said: "The OP is from 14 years ago..."
… and the musical folded after the first table read-thru when no one came back after lunch. 
#13re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 10:31am
After lunch? The table read is still going on. Too many scenes.
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#14re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 10:38am
Scarywarhol said: "After lunch? The table read is still going on. Too many scenes."
#15re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 11:38am
As musicals go, Bye Bye Birdie can best be described as “perfectly average.” Find how many scenes are in that, replicate, and you’re headed straight to the middle of the barrel!
BrodyFosse123
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/27/06
#16re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 11:44am
darquegk said: "As musicals go, Bye Bye Birdie can best be described as “perfectly average.” Find how many scenes are in that, replicate, and you’re headed straight to the middle of the barrel!"
THE ORIGINAL POSTED QUESTION IS FROM 14 YEARS AGO: 2008!!
Dollypop
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/15/03
#17re: How many scenes are there in an average musical?
Posted: 1/15/22 at 10:59pm
BrodyFosse123 said: "Scarywarhol said: "The OP is from 14 years ago..."
… and the musical folded after the first table read-thru when no one came back after lunch....all because it had too many scenes "
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