Wednesdays, January 6 – February 24, 2027 (Jan. 6, 13, 20, 27 and Feb. 3, 10, 17, 24)
6:00–8:30pm

Mapping Out Your Musical is a comprehensive course that takes you from the spark of a musical idea all the way to a showcase. Together, we'll explore the nitty-gritty of every step in creating a musical and dive into the world of workshopping and development.

This hands-on course is designed to help you create or strengthen your musical, whether you're working from your own script or studying contemporary and classic pieces. Topics include music and lyric structure, strengthening the book, and analysis of a range of musical genres.

Tuition is offered on a sliding scale ($500 / $300 / $175), with a limited number of subsidized spots available through The Spark. Enrollment is capped at 20 participants.

About the Instructor
jei / Janelle Lawrence is an interdisciplinary artist whose work investigates the depth of strength through stories that explore the complex layers of perspective. Their musicals have been presented at The Kennedy Center (Beastgirl), Legoland New York, Joe's Pub (Group Therapy), Seattle Public Theater (The Suffrage Play), and National Black Theatre (workshops of Trenzas and WET). They have been a resident of the 92nd Street Y Musical Theatre Development Lab: Collective, the Greenhouse Residency at SPACE on Ryder Farm, and Barn Arts (Hamilton Project), and were a Primary Stages ECHOES Resident in the 2024–2025 cohort. jei is an alum of The Juilliard School Evening Division, a 2020 and 2022 recipient of NBT's Soul Series Lab Playwriting Micro-Development Session, a 2023 DG Fellows semifinalist, and a 2023 Helen Hayes Award nominee for Outstanding Adaptation of a Musical (Charles MacArthur Award).