So, you have seen ‘Man of Steel’ and you think you would like to put pen to paper and try your hand at writing high school musical scripts yourself? Although writing a high school musical is an ambitious place to start when you are just beginning, you may be able to pull it off, and some have; so why not give it a go. Here are a few points to think about that could help you to get on your way to writing a fantastic high school musical.
Go to the Theatre!
The first thing you need to do is to go and see loads and loads of plays and musicals – as many as you can! If you are thinking about writing a high school musical then you probably have already seen a bunch of plays, but from now on, when you go to see a play; look at it as though you are a scientist. Ask yourself a few questions and make an appraisal of what works and what doesn’t work. Is it funny? Does the audience look like they are enjoying themselves or are they half asleep? What key attributes are winning with this play and what is not working? After you have seen a few of them you will have a better idea about where you want to go with yours.
Make Them Laugh
If you really want to win over your audience – make them laugh! One way to do this is to make a parody of a dramatic well-known play, and throw in as many ridiculous jokes that you can think of, and make them laugh at themselves. People may not want to admit it, but given the opportunity, they will love to laugh at themselves, especially when they think no-one is watching, such as in a theatre.
Keep it Simple
Some of the best high school musicals ever are ones that have a really simple plot, that is easily understood and that the audience can follow and gives you more room to throw in your jokes. You don’t want to bog down your audience in intricate plot points that may have them snoring in the aisles.
Keep the Music Playable
Once you know what your theme is, have worked out your plot and know who your characters are, you need to make sure your music is playable by the age-group you’ve aimed at. What type of music ensemble will you write for? If you are not a composer, of course, you’ll need a composer to work with to provide you with the music to complete the package!
Make it Stand Out
Whatever you do, don’t just do the ‘same old’, make it something that is exciting and different, and don’t be afraid to stretch your boundaries and try something that is a little bit risky. There is nothing worse than going to a boring play, so don’t be afraid to try something a little bit different.
Know Your Audience
Before you even start to write, decide who your target audience is and write accordingly. It is ok to step out a little but make sure that you are not going to alienate the play by doing something that is going to insult the majority of your audience. The idea is to push at the edges of their boundaries without going over, and the result, for them to go away from the play feeling good, and telling people what a great playwright you are!
Popular High School Musical Scripts
Here are some great examples of popular Maverick school musicals – as already mentioned, the quintessential and now cult classic Man of Steel is top of the list! And you can’t go past Wolfstock for a howling good time. You’re History comes complete with great resources, such as an on-stage graphics DVD. For intermediate and junior high school students, Battle of the Bands is extremely popular.
Primary School Musical Scripts
From the delightfully simple to stage The Circus, to all the excitement of Ancient Rome in Gladiators, musicals aimed at younger students, shorter in length, sell very strongly.
Getting Your School Musical Script Off the Ground…
Well, we did say that writing a school musical is ambitious. The next step is no piece of cake, but necessary, as publishers around the world invariably won’t read your new work unless it has been through the rigours of public performance. This ensures that publishers see your new musical in the best shape it can be. But if you are part of a school, drama or theatre community, these are the best avenues for work-shopping and ultimately, presenting your work to the public.
