In recent years, writers and composers seeking to develop new musicals have faced growing production costs, a dwindling number of venues, and skeptical producers unwilling to invest money unless they're guaranteed a sure-fire, Broadway-ready hit. And while there are a few festivals and projects in cities such as New York , Chicago and Los Angeles willing to help launch new works, they have proven to be highly selective and sometimes a bit rough on those shows not quite ready for the big time.

The future of new musical theatre might be found many miles from the bright lights of Broadway, in places such as Indiana University Bloomington. This summer, the university will seek to help raise the fortunes of one such aspiring musical as it launches a New Musical Development Workshop. The program, which was conceived in the IU Department of Theatre and Drama, will kick off with the musical Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup , featuring music and lyrics by Matthew Selman and a book by John Pielmeier, author of the award-winning play Agnes of God .

The four-week project, which will culminate with three performances Aug. 10-12, will be led by IU's George Pinney, a professor of stage movement and musical theatre who was nominated for a 2001 Tony Award for his choreography of Blast!

"The development of new musicals in the theatre profession is incredibly difficult, to say the least," Pinney said. "You just have to look at the economics of getting a space, actors, musicians, directors and stage managers, and then giving a performance that might entail a large theatre. Here at IU, we have excellent facilities, students, faculty and support staff. What we also have here is really a nurturing environment, and just the fact that the show will be performed somewhere else than a major city is refreshing."

Pinney said the workshop will serve as an "incubator" for new works, allowing playwrights and composers to strengthen their product before they approach a producer. "We're an interim step," he said. "We're giving the composer and playwright an opportunity to work and put a musical on its feet in four weeks, which is a wonderful amount of time."

He is confident the project will benefit everyone involved, especially the students who will act in the performance. Slow Dance with a Hot Pickup , which Pinney describes as a "slice of a reality show … with depth," will combine the talents of four IU students, three professional actors from New York and James E. Mumford, director of the IU African American Choral Ensemble. Additionally, both writers will be in attendance for two weeks of the rehearsal period, giving the actors a rare opportunity to receive guidance and insight from those who created their characters.

John Armstrong, a master of fine arts acting candidate in the Department of Theatre and Drama and IU musical theatre graduate, is one of the four student actors who will participate in the workshop. "I'm just thrilled to create a role that no one's ever done and be able to do so with a playwright who can tell me just what he meant, not just a director's interpretation of what the playwright meant," Armstrong said. "This is a great opportunity for us to make connections with people in the professional world."

"It's our hope that this project will successfully bridge the gap between the university and the professional arena," Pinney said. "It's a win-win situation for everyone."

For more information about the Department of Theatre and Drama, visit the department's Web site at http://www.indiana.edu/~thtr/ .