The DreamWorks Theatricals/MTI Emerging Writers Program will seek to identify diverse teams of book writers, composers & lyricists with unique voices and points of view and commission them to develop musical adaptations of popular DreamWorks Animation titles intended for the Music Theatre International catalogue (specifically within the Theatre for Young Audience and Broadway Junior® [60-minute JR. and 30-minute KIDS] collections).

This paid program is open to both individual writers and fully formed writing teams. Selected applicants will be assigned a DreamWorks Animation title to develop and will be guided by executives from DreamWorks Theatricals and industry ambassadors to craft their musicals from treatment to completed show. The program also provides access to various industry professionals and agents via roundtable discussions, master classes, and individual meetings to advance career development.

Writers selected for the program will be hired on a work-for-hire basis with competitive terms and compensation. This program does not require an exclusive commitment from its participants, nor does it guarantee that writers’ work will be acquired for production or licensing.

DreamWorks Theatricals, a division of Universal Theatrical Group, was established to develop and produce live stage productions inspired by the studio’s acclaimed animated films, including Shrek The Musical, Madagascar and the West End premiere The Prince of Egypt. UTG has been represented on Broadway and the West End by the worldwide phenomenon Wicked, the Tony Award-winning adaptation of Billy Elliot, Bring It On: The Musical, and Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn.

Music Theatre International (MTI) is one of the world's leading theatrical licensing agencies, granting theatres from around the world the rights to perform the greatest selection of musicals from Broadway and beyond. Founded in 1952, MTI is a driving force in advancing musical theatre as both a vibrant and engaging art form and an integral part of arts programs at schools of all levels. MTI provides official scripts, scores, and theatrical resources to over 70,000 professional, community and school theatres in the US and in over 125 countries worldwide.