Musical Playbill Project

What is a Playbill?

A playbill is a small booklet given out to the audience at a Broadway show. The playbill contains information about the show's story, songs and actors. The booklet also contains information and news about other Broadway shows. You will get a playbill for The Phantom of the Opera before you get to your seat if you attend the trip later in the year.

Instructions:

For this project you are going to create a playbill for your very own Broadway musical. Follow these instructions:

1. Think of a story to use for your musical

Most Broadway musicals are based on stories from books or movies. Think of a story from your favorite movie or book that isn't already a musical. Choose a movie or book that you know very well. Here are some examples of stories that would be perfect for a musical:

  • Finding Nemo
  • Monsters Inc.
  • Home Alone
  • The Sandlot

Do not choose a movie that already has songs in it. Choose a story from any movie or book that hasn't already been turned into a musical (for example, you can't use The Lion King, Frozen, The Wizard of Oz, or Moana).

2. On your computer, use the template to create your playbill

Go onto the S Drive to access your playbill template. Complete the four pages of the playbill. These include:

  1. Cover Page: Find a good image of your story online and paste it on the cover. Include your name.
  2. Scenes Page: Musicals are split into different scenes. Describe what happens in your story, but fit it into eight scenes. You may need to simplify your story so that it fits into only eight scenes. Write an explanation in at least two sentences for each scene.
  3. Set Picture & Songs Page: Find another picture to paste in the "set picture" section. Create four made-up song titles and explain what the song is about and which character sings it. (Make up these songs, don't use actual songs).
  4. Cast Page: List six characters in your musical. Describe the character in a sentence and choose someone in the class to be the actor for that character.

3. Glue your pages and make the playbill

When you're finished, Mr. Schaefer will print out your playbills in color. Cut your papers so you have four small pages. Glue each page onto the black construction paper and fold it like a booklet.

Grading: (out of 20 points)

  • Each page is worth 4 points for content and effort (16 points total)
  • Glue your playbill together neatly: 4 points