Developing a Musical

The workshop provides aspiring musical composers, lyricists and bookwriters with the opportunity to present and develop their work, during a workshop led by three world class experts, Philip LaZebnik, American screenwriter (Mulan, Pocahontas, The Prince of Egypt) and bookwriter for the West End hit The Prince of Egypt, Pippa Cleary one of the most prolific and successful English musical theatre composers of her generation (The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, The Great British Bake Off Musical,West End) and Ronald Kruschak writer and producer based in Germany (Snow White and Me, A Little Peace).

The 20-hour workshop will take place from 9 to 11 April 2024 at Università Cattolica Del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Italy.
The workshop will be divided into six sessions of approximately 3.5 hours each (9.30 AM - 1 PM and 2.30 PM - 6 PM), located in The Apollonio Laboratory (via S. Agnese 2 – 20123 MILANO), equipped with a piano/keyboard.

GO TO THE FULL PROGRAM

DIRECTOR

Armando Fumagalli
Full professor of Semiotics, also teacher of History and Industry of International Cinema and Writing and Producing for Animation at the M.A. in The Art and Industry of Narration, at Università Cattolica. He is also founder and director of the Master in International Screenwriting and Production at the same University. Since 1999 he is a script consultant for Lux Vide, one of the biggest and most successful European production companies for TV and cinema.

MENTORS

Philip LaZebnik
American screenwriter, he wrote worldwide successes such as Pocahontas, Mulan, The Prince Of Egypt, of which he also wrote the book for the theatre musical version, which premiered in 2020 in the West End. The West End production was filmed and is released digitally. He has written numerous other films (especially in animation) and International musicals, both in Europe and United States.

Pippa Cleary
Is the first female British composer to have had three musicals produced in the West End, The Great British Bake Off Musical, The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ and My Son’s a Queer (But What Can You Do?), which is due to open on Broadway next Spring. Pippa wrote the first original opening number for this year’s Olivier Awards at the Royal Albert Hall, performed by Hannah Waddingham. With Philip she is currently writing two animated movies for Storm Films. Other musicals include Prodigy (The Other Palace), A Midsummer Nights Dream (BBC), In The Willows (UK Tour) and Jet Set Go! (Jermyn Street Theatre). 

Ronald Kruschak
After three decades as a writer and producer in the film and television industry, Ronald Kruschak’s career as a writer of musicals started when he had originated and co-written the family entertainment project Snow White and Me with Philip LaZebnik and Pippa Cleary. Since then he has written several further musicals and celebrated a successful production of his original A Little Peace in Germany this year. Currently he is adapting The Great Gatsby for the stage. Kruschak has his own film production company and has been tutoring and teaching screenwriting and film production for twenty years. He was educated at the University of Göttingen, Germany, King’s College London and the The School of Theatre, Film and Television, Los Angeles (UCLA). 

WORKSHOP COORDINATOR

Annalisa Gandossi
Screenwriter and songwriter, editorial consultant at Sky Studios Italy, she is also Tutor and Lecturer at the Master in International Screenwriting and Production.