Manuscript Evaluation of Plays and Musicals

We will read and analyze your existing play or musical using the following criteria:

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1. What is the author’s intention (i.e., why was this piece written?)

2. How well is this intention realized? (What in the work supports the intention, what does not?)

3. How could the author’s intention be more fully realized? (What steps could the author take to make certain that every beat, event, or scene supports the central theme and fulfills the author’s intention?)

4. What is the best potential of this piece to reach an audience? (Who is the perceived audience for the piece, and how could or should the original intention be altered, if necessary, to reach that audience?)

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Dramaturgical analysis in step 3 above is academic and serves the writer in refining their craft of dramatic writing.  The analysis in step 4 has a more commercial bent, in that the author’s intention is not as important as the work’s ability to engage an audience. The first three steps are about what was written as perceived by the evaluator.  Step 4 is about how what has been written can appeal to an audience, often a particular audience: children, families, a general adult audience, or a specific adult audience (mothers, seniors, city dwellers, etc.).

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The evaluation will consist of:

• A synopsis of the submitted work, written in the style of the work itself, in order to convince the author that the evaluator read and understood both the content and style of the piece.

• Detailed answers to the four questions outlined above, delivered in a one-on-one session with the author(s) of the submitted work, either in person or via teleconferencing.

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If the submitted work is a musical, the above evaluation will pertain to the book. For an additional fee, we will also provide an analysis of the music and lyrics and how they are integrated into the book (play).