1st Semester
MUSICAL THEATRE SONG DOSSIER
Name_____________________________________________________________ Class/Section_______
Song_________________________________________ Show ____________________________________
Composer ____________________________________ Lyricist __________________________________
Character
Character Name ______________________________________________
A _________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Occupation______________________________________________________________
Education/Social Standing ________________________________________________
Private Life______________________________________________________________
Public Life_______________________________________________________________
Political/Philosophical Views______________________________________________
Sexual Life/Moral Views__________________________________________________
Secrets __________________________________________________________________
Choose four of five adjectives that most accurately describe your character and list them
in order of importance:
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Place
When and where does the song take place? __________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
3. Structure of Song/Scene
a. The Moment Before: What happened to motivate the song? ______________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
b. What is the song about/essence/basis for “as if” ________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
4. Objective
What do you want? What are you trying to do? _______________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
5. Urgency
Why do you do what you do? The Need? What are the stakes? __________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
6. Obstacle
What is preventing you from accomplishing your objective? ____________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
7. Relationship
To whom are you talking? _________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
8. The Final Moment
Have you reached your objective? _________________________________________________
What has the song accomplished? How are you different from when you began?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
9. Emotional Preparation “…that device which permits you to start our scene in a condition of
emotional aliveness.” – Sanford Meisner
What are you doing in the “moment before” which gets you emotionally prepared for the start
of the song? What is the “as if” that you are using from your own life experience or from your
imagination?
a. Emotional Preparation:
b. “As If” - Connects you to the “Essence” of the song. What is the parallel emotional
circumstance you are using from your own life experience AND/OR your imagination
to connect you to the entire song? i.e, in the song “I Cain’t Say No” from Oklahoma, the
essence of the song is an “Addiction” to boys. If you don’t have that kind of addiction,
you may substitute it for shoes or food.
10. Lyric Analysis
Define any words or phrases that are unfamiliar:
Note any interesting and/or internal rhymes:
[Link] It Together
Indicate some choices you tried and discarded, and why.
