PlayPEN Live online courses

SAY IT WITH A SONG

The Basics of Musical Theatre Song Writing with Britta Johnson

Application deadline: November 1. Sign up now, before it's too late.

This course will focus on the power of music and song to explode and deepen your storytelling. We will discuss musical theatre dramaturgy, bookwriting, song structure, song spotting, lyric writing and the many expansive ways to use music to tell a story.

Sign up No fee or commitment until your spot is confirmed.
Britta Johnson, PlayPEN instructor
Britta Johnson Your instructor
Admit one $325 fee for participants
Dates
November 10 – December 7, 2026Tuesdays November 10 - December 1 + Monday December 7, 2026 (5 sessions)
Time
6:30–9:00 PM ET5 live sessions
Where
Live online, on ZoomJoin from anywhere
Group
Small and focusedMax 12 writers

Subsidized spots are available. Email breanne@expect.org to inquire.

01 About the course

This course will focus on the power of music and song to explode and deepen your storytelling. We will discuss musical theatre dramaturgy, bookwriting, song structure, song spotting, lyric writing and the many expansive ways to use music to tell a story.

Participants can be text-based (playwrights, lyricists, novelists) or musicians (songwriters or otherwise) but everyone will be asked to try their hand at scene-work and lyric writing (generating music will be optional!)

This workshop took one of the most ambitious art forms and made it feel manageable and practicable.

Past Participant

02 Meet Britta

Britta Johnson is a composer, lyricist and writer based in Toronto. Her original musical LIFE AFTER (for which she wrote book, music and lyrics) had an extended, multiple Dora Award-winning production at Toronto’s Berkeley St. Theatre before playing at the Old Globe in San Diego, the Goodman in Chicago and Toronto’s Ed Mirvish Theatre. Her other writing credits include: With her sister Anika Johnson: JACOB TWO-TWO MEETS THE HOODED FANG (Coming up this season at the Stratford Festival); DR. SILVER (Outside the March/South Coast Rep). With Sara Farb, KELLY V. KELLY (Musical Stage Co./CanStage, winner of the Playwright’s Guild of Canada Best New Musical award). With Katherine Cullen: STUPIDHEAD! (TPM). She was a co-creator of Tim Hortons’ 60th Anniversary musical, THE LAST TIMBIT which opened at the Elgin Theatre in the Summer of 2024 before streaming nationwide on CraveTV. She was the inaugural Crescendo Artist with Musical Stage Company which included a commitment to produce three of her shows in three years and was named one of Fifty to Watch by the Broadway Women’s Fund of America. She teaches musical theatre writing at Sheridan College and proudly co-runs Toronto’s Belt Choir, a musical theatre drop-in choir focussed on fun and community.

03 How it works

We keep every course small so everyone gets real attention. That means we can't always fit everyone who's keen, and Britta helps us shape a group of writers who'll get the most out of these weeks together. Here's the whole process.

  1. 1

    Sign up

    Name, email, phone. That's it. No essays, no fee, no commitment.

  2. 2

    We say hello

    Within a couple of minutes we'll email you and ask for a short writing sample and a little about your writing and experience.

  3. 3

    Confirm and go

    If it's a fit, we confirm your spot and follow up with more details and payment information. If we can't fit you this round, you'll hear first about the next one. And of course, there's no fee to pay unless you're offered a spot.

Sign up

Sign up for Britta Johnson's course

Thirty seconds, four fields. No fee and no commitment right now. We just need to know you're interested.

Signing up puts your name on the list for SAY IT WITH A SONG: The Basics of Musical Theatre Song Writing with Britta Johnson, Tuesdays November 10 - December 1 + Monday December 7, 2026 (5 sessions), 6:30–9:00 PM ET. Fee for participants: $325, payable only once your spot is confirmed.

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