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 enlarge | Author: David Spencer
Publisher: Heinemann Drama
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $16.95
You Save: $3.00 (15%)
New (13) Used (2) from $16.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  19 reviews
Sales Rank: 296376
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 216
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.4 x 0.4
ISBN: 0325007861
Dewey Decimal Number: 782.1413
EAN: 9780325007861
ASIN: 0325007861
Publication Date: July 1, 2005
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
BUY NOW!! September 17, 2006
This will sound incredibly cheesy, but it's the honest-to-god truth: reading David's book made me feel like he was sitting across the room from me giving away free valuable life lessons. He is eloquent and knowledgable, and honest! He doesn't hold anything back about the cut-throat nature of the business, but at the end of the day, he wants you to succeed, and that's why (i think) he wrote the book. I'm a young composer and I'll be applying to the BMI workshop for next fall. I can only hope to be accepted so I can learn from him firsthand. Thanks David!
And it's even funny! October 13, 2005
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
In-between buying this book and finishing it, I auditioned for and was admitted to the BMI program of which Mr. Spencer writes (if everything goes well, I'll get the benefit of his wisdom in-person next year).
However, I can honestly say right now that this is THE book for everyone who doesn't have access to a workshop or specialized program, as well as those of us who do. Mr. Spencer apparently remembers everything he's ever learned about the art of making a musical and passes it on in this splendid, concise, and entertaining volume. A must-buy, and that's the plain, unvarnished truth.
Invaluable! September 18, 2005
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
The Musical Theatre Writer's Survival Guide is invaluable from the instant you're hit by the "Hey, let's make a musical!" idea, all the way to choosing the best font for your finished score. Spencer provides exhaustive practical answers to every question you might possibly have-and to questions you never even knew you should be asking: What makes a good libretto? Effective music? Lyrics? What about collaborators? Directors? Contracts? Put another way, to the budding builder of an Empire State Building confronted by a daunting pile of unsorted bricks and bolts, Spencer's the guy who tells you which brick to put where, and how-from the foundation all the way up to the spire. An amazingly comprehensive work, which should be in every writer's library.
Invaluable!!! September 9, 2005
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
First - just to be clear - I've never met David Spencer. This review is based entirely on the book.
With that out of the way - This book is a wonderful resource, an absolute gem!
There is lots of great advice in there. Great nuts and bolts stuff, great advice on collaborations, good tips on craft... the list goes on. For me, I certainly put this on the required reading list next to Dana Singer's "Stage Writers Handbook" for books that offer sound advice on business and craft of musical theatre.
If you plan on writing musicals - get this book. If you've written musicals, and even been produced - get this book and read it any time you are starting a new musical. It's a great guide, but can also serve as a refresher course for how to do things right.
Highly recommended!
Dave Hudson
One of the greatest mentors of our craft! September 7, 2005
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I had the pleasure of having David Spencer as an instructor in the BMI Musical Theater Writing Workshop. His understanding of the business, song craft, and how to market your work is exceptional and he's definitely among the finest teachers in the business.
That being said, I rushed out to get his book when I heard that it had been released. It's such a perfect suplement to everything I heard from David in person. It's certainly the best piece of literature on the process of writing a Broadway show.
David lays it on the line and doesn't sugar-coat things (thank god). As a young composer, it's invaluable to me to have a candid and professional approach to writing, agents, collaborators, etc..and Mr. Spencer provides all the necessary tools.
I highly reccomend this to anyone on the road to the Great White Way.
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