Broadway Takes Miami

Composer and lyricist Ryan Scott Oliver and Rent musical director Tim Weil discuss the work behind musical theater, from preparing auditions to shaping a Broadway score. Part of Miami Book Fair, the panel takes place Saturday, November 21 at Miami Dade College’s Wolfson Campus in Downtown Miami. Joining them are Broadway singer and actor Darius de Haas and Seth Rudetsky, author of Musical Theatre for Dummies.

Oliver’s How to Succeed in Musical Theatre Without Really Dying, co-written with Tony Award winner Lindsay Mendez, addresses both the craft and business of performing. Drawing on their Actor Therapy training program, the book covers audition repertoire, professional relationships and strategies for sustaining a career.

In Making Rent: The Story Behind the Music That Changed Broadway, Weil revisits his collaboration with Jonathan Larson and the development of the musical’s blend of grunge rock, pop, gospel and R&B. Published for Rent’s 30th anniversary, the book combines backstage recollections and photographs with an account of preserving Larson’s musical vision.

The discussion takes place in the auditorium in Building 1, second floor, Room 1261, and is included with Saturday Street Fair admission.