Dramatic Moments

Licensable versions of a scene and song designed to help study, rehearse, perform, and share. Includes a short script, sheet music, a piano accompaniment track and a virtual masterclass from the show’s authors.

Dramatic Moments

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MTI's Dramatic Moments

Don't Go

Don't Go

Based on the bestselling children’s books, Elephant & Piggie centers around two best friends: A worrisome elephant named Gerald and an optimistic pig named Piggie. Together the two of them go on a series of adventures that teach them the true meaning of friendship.

In this vaudevillian romp, Gerald and Piggie sing and dance their way through plenty of pachydermal peril and swiney suspense. In "Don't Go", Piggie has told Gerald she has to go, and Gerald becomes determined to make Piggie stay. This melodramatic tune portrays how devastated Elephant would be if Piggie were to leave him, and how best friends depend on each other through thick and thin.

About the Show: Elephant & Piggie's "We Are in a Play!
Book and Lyrics By: Mo Willems
Music By: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Number of roles: 2
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Gerald. A lumbering, somewhat formally attired elephant; prone to melancholy. Best friends with Piggie.
  • Gender: Male
  • Vocal range top: F4
  • Vocal range bottom: E3

Name: Piggie. An ebullient, inquisitive pink pig. Best friends with Gerald.
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: C5
  • Vocal range bottom: G4

Hope

Hope

In She Persisted: The Musical, Naomi doesn’t believe that anything she does is right in her world, until she is greeted by Time itself. In this inspirational musical about the power of following your dreams and never giving up, Naomi goes on a journey of self-discovery while embarking on adventure with some of the most iconic heroes in women’s history.

In “Hope”, the show’s narrator and protagonist Naomi travels through time and is greeted by Harriet Tubman. Tubman sings her tale of strength in a time where there did not seem to be much hope. Everything is put in perspective in this grounded number about pursuing not only what your passionate about, but what is right.

About the Show: She Persisted: The Musical
Book and Lyrics By: Adam Tobin
Music By: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Number of roles: 1-3
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Harriet Tubman: Strong, free-spirited, and willing to do whatever she can to make things right in the world, even if that means going against what she has been taught.
  • Race: Black
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: B3
Name: Naomi: A 10-year-old girl trying to do her best to find her place in the world. Striving for perfection and always coming up short.
  • Race: Black
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: A3
Ensemble: A range of voices from Bass to Soprano. All races are welcome.
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: A2

I Know It's Today

I Know It's Today

Based on the 2001 blockbuster about an outcast ogre who is forced on a quest to regain ownership of his swamp, Shrek the Musical teaches all of us the power of accepting what makes us different. Join all the characters you know and love on a journey you will never forget. In this hilarious ballad, “I Know It’s Today”, we see three different generations of Princess Fiona, waiting in her dragon guarded castle for her true love to come rescue her. And her patience is wearing thinner and thinner by the day. Years begin to go by and while Princess Fiona becomes more impatient and a little more unhinged, she still reminds herself to remain hopeful, as she knows someday her prince will come to her rescue.

About the Show: Shrek the Musical
Book and Lyrics By: David Lindsay - Abaire
Music By: Jeanine Tesori
Number of roles: 3
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Princess Fiona: The beautiful princess of Far Far Away, she transforms into an ogre every night when the sun sets. Rescued by Shrek and eventually falls in love with him. Quirky, blunt, and multitalented, she is not an ordinary princess.
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: E5
  • Vocal range bottom: B3

Name: Young Princess Fiona: Young, naïve, and hopeful. Optimistic that her price could come in the next week.
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: B3

Name: Teenage Princess Fiona: Older, more jaded, but still hopeful. Less optimistic, but still believes that her knight is coming any day now.
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: A3

Perfect/Not

Perfect/Not

In She Persisted: The Musical, Naomi doesn’t believe that anything she does is right in her world, until she is greeted by Time itself. In this inspirational musical about the power of following your dreams and never giving up, Naomi goes on a journey of self-discovery while embarking on adventure with some of the most iconic heroes in women’s history. “Perfect/Not” is our introduction to the show and to our main character Naomi. On an extremely important field trip day, Naomi is running late. But she tells us this is not the worst thing to happen. We learn in this musical number that she has made a terrible mistake at school the day before that she feels has damaged her strive for perfection.

About the Show: She Persisted: The Musical
Book and Lyrics By: Adam Tobin
Music By: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Number of roles: 1+ ensemble
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Naomi A 10-year-old girl trying to do her best to find her place in the world. Striving for perfection and always coming up short.
  • Race: Black
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: B4
  • Vocal range bottom: A3
Ensemble: A range of voices from Bass to Soprano. All races are welcome.
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: C#3

Princess

Princess

A Man of No Importance tells the heartfelt story of Alfie Byrne, a bus driver and amateur theatre director in 1964 Dublin who holds a secret that could change his life and relationships forever. The only person he has to confide in is his imaginary friend Oscar Wilde. When Alfie wants to put on a production of Salome, he is met with pushback from religious authorities and is forced to grapple with the shame he feels over a love “that dare not speak its name”. In an extremely heartfelt moment of the show, our main character Alfie is trying to convince his friend and newcomer to the theatre troupe Adele to play the lead role of Salome in his upcoming production of the same name. Hesitant at first, Adele sings of not believing she can play the lead. But after a little convincing, Adele agrees to be the “Princess” Alfie knows she can be.

About the Show: A Man of No Importance.
Book By: Terrence McNally
Lyrics By: Lynn Ahrens
Music By: Stephen Flaherty
Number of roles: 2
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Adele: A girl new to Alfie's bus route who he thinks will be perfect for his play. She is a young, sweet, "small-town" girl who is wise beyond her years.
  • Gender: Female
  • Age: 18 to 25
  • Vocal range top: E5
  • Vocal range bottom: C4

Name: Alfie: Average looks and build, he is a dreamer who idolizes Oscar Wilde. He is in love with Robbie but wrestles with his sexuality throughout the story.
  • Gender: Male
  • Age: 35 to 45
  • Vocal range top: E3
  • Vocal range bottom: C3

Promise Me This

Promise Me This

It’s sometimes impossible to care about the lives of others and what they might be going through – but how often do we overlook how our stories and the stories of other intertwine? The Theory of Relativity centers around a group of young adults searching for human connection and how they develop relationships, friendships, and communities through their different – yet ultimately relatable – experiences.

In one of the most heartfelt and vulnerable numbers of the show, Mira shares with the audience the true force of a mother’s love. She shares this bond and how her promise to her mother inspired her to keep going, even when things get especially tough. “Promise Me This” is a vulnerable yet truthful ballad about a mother’s desire to make a life for her daughter, and this promise ultimately shapes the rest of Mira’s life.

About the Show: The Theory of Relativity
Book By: Brian Hill
Music & Lyrics By: Neil Bartram
Number of roles: 1
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Mira. Soprano. All races welcome. A young adult processing the harrowing loss of her mother.
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: C#5
  • Vocal range bottom: Ab3

Right Hand Man

Right Hand Man

Something Rotten takes us back to 1595 where brothers Nick and Nigel Bottom cannot seem to catch a break in the world of theatre. Theatrical success proves to be difficult when you are up against William Shakespeare himself. When Shakespeare (otherwise known as “The Bard”) writes a new play that directly clashes with their own, the brothers are faced with the challenge of coming up with an entirely new production in 24 hours. Chock full of instant classics and Shakespearean gags – this renaissance-themed romp is guaranteed to delight any age.

“Right Hand Man” is our introduction to Bea, Nick’s wife who longs for him to see her as an equal partner. When Nick and Nigel are stripped for time as they try to come up with a new idea for their production, Bea tries to propose that she go out and help them, so they don’t feel pressured to come up with something slap-dash. When Nick rebuffs her, she reprimands him about the lack of partnership in their relationship. Bea goes on to beg Nick to see her as an equal as opposed to someone he needs to provide for, and to think of her as his “Right Hand Man”.

About the Show: Something Rotten!
Book By: Karey Kirkpatrick and John O'Farrell
Music and Lyrics By: Karey Kirkpatrick and Wayne Kirkpatrick
Number of roles: 3
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Nick Bottom: A struggling writer who cannot stand Shakespeare. Nigel’s older brother.
  • Gender: Male
  • Age: 30 to 40
  • Vocal range top: Eb4
  • Vocal range bottom: Bb2

Name: Nigel Bottom: Nick’s sweet younger brother. A struggling writer who falls in love with Portia, a Puritan.
  • Gender: Male
  • Age: 30 to 40
  • Vocal range top: Eb3
  • Vocal range bottom: Bb2

Name: Bea: Nick’s wife. She loves Nick despite his past lack of success. She dresses up like a man to prove she can be an actor.
  • Gender: Female
  • Age: 30 to 40
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: D3

Streets of Dublin

Streets of Dublin

A Man of No Importance tells the heartfelt story of Alfie Byrne, a bus driver and amateur theatre director in 1964 Dublin who holds a secret that could change his life and relationships forever. The only person he has to confide in is his imaginary friend Oscar Wilde. When Alfie wants to put on a production of Salome, he is met with pushback from religious authorities and is forced to grapple with the shame he feels over a love “that dare not speak its name”.
      One of the most inspiring songs in the show is “The Streets of Dublin” which takes place in a scene at the bus garage between Alfie and his friend and fellow bus driver, Robbie. At the bus garage, Robbie changes a tire while Alfie urges him to take the role. Robbie insists that he's not fit for the theatre, but Alfie sees something in him. Alfie has been under the impression that Robbie must be interested in Miss Adele Rice. When Alfie presses Robbie to tell him whom he fancies, Robbie refuses to say. Instead, Robbie takes Alfie out with him to the pub, where there's a different kind of poetry in the air which leads into the song "The Streets of Dublin".

About the Show: A Man of No Importance.
Book By: Terrence McNally
Lyrics By: Lynn Ahrens
Music By: Stephen Flaherty

Number of roles: 1
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Robbie: Alfie's coworker and closest friend. He is charming, honest and likeable.
  • Gender: Male
  • Age: 20 to 35
  • Vocal range top: A4
  • Vocal range bottom: E3

The Butterfly

The Butterfly

The Story of My Life is a musical about love and loss. After the death of his oldest childhood friend Alvin, Thomas attempts to eulogize the person he once knew, knowing that time has distanced them. When Thomas becomes stuck, realizing that he didn’t know Alvin as much as he thought, Alvin’s spirit begins to guide Thomas through his writing, and the two begin to connect in a way they hadn’t been able to in so many years. In one of the most titular moments in the show for our characters, Thomas tells Alvin that he plans on going off to college – a long ways away from where the two grew up. The only thing that stands in the way is the short story that Thomas has written as a part of his application. Thomas tells Alvin that it is up to him and whether he likes the story that will determine Thomas’ fate.

About the Show: The Story of My Life
Book By: Brian Hill
Music and Lyrics By: Neil Bartram
Number of roles: 2
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Thomas Weaver: A successful and charismatic writer who embraced success at the expense of his personal life. Alvin's lifelong best friend.
  • Gender: Male
  • Age: 35 to 45
  • Vocal range top: Gb4
  • Vocal range bottom: C3

Name: Alvin Kelby: A sensitive, free-spirited man who neglected his career to care for his father. Thomas' lifelong best friend.
  • Gender: Male
  • Age: 35 to 45
  • Vocal range top: Doesn’t sing in this number
  • Vocal range bottom: Doesn’t sing in this number

Time to Get Dressed

Time to Get Dressed

Based on the bestselling children’s picture book, Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed, this musical follows Wilbur, an excited and rambunctious mole rat who embraces change with open arms. Follow the story of a naked mole rat that goes against the norms, even if others may judge him in the process, because he would rather stay true to himself.

When a strange article of clothing shows up in Wilbur’s tunnel unexpectedly, this enthusiastic naked mole rat takes it as a sign that change is near, and that it’s time to dress the part. “Time to Get Dressed” is a hilariously vulnerable ballad that is not only a song about discovering something different, but embracing those differences within ourselves.

About the Show: Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience
Book and Lyrics By: Mo Willems
Music By: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Number of roles: 1
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Wilbur. Wilbur is the dreamer, always looking at the clouds when everyone else has tunnel vision. Sees the best (dressed) in everyone.
  • Gender: Any
  • Vocal range top:Soprano G#5 Tenor G#4
  • Vocal range bottom: Soprano B3 Tenor B2

What Could Have Been

What Could Have Been

Based on the bestselling children’s book, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical tells the story of a pigeon that refuses to be told no despite his limitations. This musical is meant to inspire audiences to reach for the sky and to never stop following their dreams.

“What Could Have Been” is a melancholy tune about love and loss, our main character Pigeon is left alone without the one thing he’s ever truly wanted: The Bus. Pigeon laments on the time he and The Bus could have shared together, only to be left behind. In a silly dream sequence, Pigeon and The Bus get a chance to see what their lives could have been like together, had The Bus not been driven away.

About the Show: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus: The Musical
Book and Lyrics By: Mo Willems
Music By: Deborah Wicks La Puma
Number of roles: 5
Character Breakdown / vocal ranges:
Name: Pigeon. The snappy, sassy, and demanding bird who never gets what he wants, but that doesn’t mean he’ll ever stop trying.
  • Gender: Male
  • Vocal range top: F4
  • Vocal range bottom: D3

Name: The Bus. A small, puppet vision of the bus that dances in a fantasy sequence. Personification of the sound effects of an engine working. Also can do an engine not working!
  • Gender: Male
  • Vocal range top: F4
  • Vocal range bottom: C3

Name: Backup Duckling 1. The first backup singer in this blues-y tune about the longing for what could’ve been. Sings with two other ducklings, Duckling #2 and Duckling #3.
  • Gender: Male
  • Vocal range top: E4
  • Vocal range bottom: D3

Name: Backup Duckling 2. The second backup singer in this blues-y tune about the longing for what could’ve been. Sings with two other ducklings, Duckling #1 and Duckling #3.
  • Gender: Male
  • Vocal range top: C5
  • Vocal range bottom: D3

Name: Backup Duckling 3. The third backup singer in this blues-y tune about the longing for what could’ve been. Sings with two other ducklings, Duckling #1 and Duckling #2.
  • Gender: Female
  • Vocal range top: D5
  • Vocal range bottom: C4

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