Pat Cook is the equivalent of a musical theater research scientist.

For 28 years, Pat has been in the BMI laboratory, watching new writers perfect their craft, and helping them discover their potential.

Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, Jeff Marx and Bobby Lopez, and my Once On This Island writers Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens are just a few of the teams that might not be who they are today without the work of BMI.

I don’t think there’s anyone on the planet that has worked with so many musical theater writers, which is why I wanted Pat on my podcast, to share his wisdom on what it takes to make a great musical.

He shared that, and then some, including:

• How and why he went from actor to writer.
• What makes a great musical theater writer, versus just a great writer.
• The most important thing that writers should do when they are writing a musical, and it doesn’t involve writing at all.
• Can any idea be a musical?
• The best way to collaborate with your co-writer.

If you’re a musical theater writer, and you’ve ever thought about applying to BMI, you should.  But if you can’t make that commitment or don’t live within commuting distance, then listen to this podcast.  Pat tells you exactly what you need to do to become a better writer on your own.

Listen in!

Listen to it on iTunes here. (And if you like the podcast, give it a great review, while you’re there!)

Download it here.