DGPD Instructor & Plays In Progress Mentor

Cheryl Coons

Their Dramatists Guild Professional Development Teaching History includes The Contemporary Musical Theatre Heroine, The Contemporary Musical Theatre Heroine II, Architecture of Musicals, Masterclass in Writing For Musical Theatre and The Empowered Woman in Contemporary Musical Theatre.

Cheryl is also a Plays in Progress Mentor for Musicals. Interests: musical theatre, plays with music, musical revues, original stories, adaptations, structure and song plot. Request Cheryl as a PIP Mentor.

“I have the utmost respect for the individuality of the creative process. While I will always point to timeless craft principles in responding to your work, I feel it’s equally- if not more important to honor the places where you have broken with tradition and created something astonishing. I’ve had the joy of teaching, coaching or mentoring several hundred musical theatre writers, ranging from seasoned professionals to complete beginners. I’ve worked with writers who are adapting their real-life experiences, writers who are adapting their own previously written plays or novels, writers who are creating original fictional stories, and writers who are adapting stories from history or literature. My strength is responding to big picture questions, the overall structure and song plot of the piece, and how the book and score interact to tell the story. I would love the opportunity to reflect back to you what I see in what you have created, and help you achieve your goals for your musical.”