ShowLAB Catalyst — Application

You've Taken Your Play or Musical As Far As You Can Alone. Now It Needs Expert Eyes and a Process to Finish It.

For theatre writers with a play or musical underway who need a professional's eyes, a clear process to fix what they find, and a plan for where the draft goes next.

Apply for ShowLAB Catalyst

Takes about 3 minutes. I review every application personally.

Hi, I'm Jesse Hampsch.

I hold an MFA in Musical Theatre Collaboration from Temple University, one of only two MFA programs in the US built specifically for musical theatre writers, and I'm a member of the historic BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop.

I've written five musicals and three straight plays. All five musicals and two of the three plays have been produced. So the feedback I give isn't theoretical. It's the same process I still use on my own drafts.

Here's what I've noticed working with theatre writers. Most of them aren't missing talent, and they aren't missing ideas. They've already done the work: a draft, a stack of songs, a script they've rewritten more times than they'd admit. What they're missing is someone qualified to look at it and tell them, honestly, what's working and what isn't. And then a clear process to fix it.

That's what I built ShowLAB for. First as a free community, now 600+ theatre writers strong. Then as Catalyst, the 16-week cohort where I bring MFA-level rigor to your play or musical.

Does Any of This Sound Familiar?

✓ You've taken the draft about as far as you can on your own, and you know it.
✓ You've had readers (friends, family, a local group) but never anyone qualified to tell you what isn't working.
✓ The feedback you get is kind. It's also not specific enough to change the next draft.
✓ You've submitted and not been picked, and nobody has told you why.
✓ You've rewritten the same scene more times than you want to admit, and it still isn't right.
✓ You've heard it read aloud, but never by people who know what to listen for.

And if part of you is wondering whether you're a real writer at all: most people have never written a musical or a play. If you've started, you aren't an imposter. You're doing it. We're all point-of-view machines. Nobody else has your point of view, so there's a story you can tell that nobody else can. What you need on top of that is craft.

The 70% Ceiling

Most people with a lot of effort and little training can get their piece to about the 70% mark. That's not a failure. It's just as far as instinct takes you.

The problem is that there are a lot of 70% pieces out there, and not nearly enough opportunities. The last 30% is craft: structure, dramatic questions, knowing which of your instincts to trust and which to cut. It's the part that's hardest to see from inside your own script.

And the hardest part is that you don't know what you don't know. If you don't know anatomy, it's really hard to paint a good figure. Structure is the anatomy of a show, and it's almost impossible to learn it from inside your own draft.

What you want is a piece that champions itself, where the work itself is undeniable. People don't ignore good work. Getting you from 70% to there is what Catalyst is for.

What Writers Inside ShowLAB Say

"ShowLab is everything it promises! And more! Yes, Jesse Hampsch is incredibly talented, knowledgeable, and experienced when it comes to theater writing. But he is also a kind and patient teacher. I joined as a true beginner with a lot to learn. I told him I was looking for someone who would give me honest and helpful feedback. That's exactly what I got! …"

Virginia Russell, still a member after 6 months

"This is one of the best of the several online musical theater communities I'm part of. I've been writing musicals for 15 years, I have 2 published short musicals and am developing 3 longer projects. Showlab offers great resources, wonderful masterclasses, and a warm and welcoming community. Jesse is a terrific mentor and teacher."

Ed Levy, still a member after 9 months

"This community has been a godsend as far as making connections and changing my writing philosophy and practice for the better. Highly recommend it."

Jackie Lahr, still a member after 4 months

"Wonderful and transformative."

Michael Morris, still a member after 9 months

"ShowLAB has been an amazing resource as I work on creating my first theatrical piece. I would highly recommend membership to anyone who is serious about taking their work to the next level."

Emma Kane

Introducing ShowLAB Catalyst

Catalyst is a 16-week cohort for theatre writers who are ready to take their play or musical past the 70% mark and finish a submission-ready draft.

It's not a course you watch. It's a writing room: two weekly cohort calls (times set by the cohort's own availability) with honest, specific feedback on your actual pages, plus asynchronous modules across four phases, so you always know your next step.

Very few programs offer specific training in writing for the theatre. I don't know of any others that bring MFA-level training without the degree, the debt, or the move.

The 4 Phases

Phase 1 — Writing Framework (Week 1): build the process you'll use for the rest of the cohort.
Phase 2 — Structural Backbone (Weeks 2–5): lock your structure before you draft, so you're not rewriting the same scenes for the fourth time. Done this way, outlining feels like cheating: the work comes out better, and faster.
Phase 3 — Drafting (Weeks 6–15): write with weekly calls and personalized feedback keeping you moving.
Phase 4 — Development (Week 16 and beyond): revise toward a submission-ready draft.

The outcome is a submission-ready draft that holds up in competitive award and development pools. What that looks like depends on your discipline: a full play, a musical book, or a substantial score of songs. If you write across disciplines, you can choose a hybrid goal. Specific goals for your project are set together, in week one.

Writers always ask me, "Is it ready?" The better question is: what is it ready for? A local reading, a festival, a development program, a major award? By the end of Catalyst you'll have an honest answer, and a submission database of 100+ verified opportunities, an outreach tracker, and the scripts to work through them.

My guarantee: if you show up to the calls, do the work, and you still aren't finished at week 16, you keep working with me until you are.

Here's what you walk away with:

🧭 Your Writer's Framework

• The MFA-style process I trained under at Temple, adapted for you and your show

🔍 An Honest Read, Every Week

• Specific notes on your actual pages: what's working, what isn't, and why. Not "great job, see you next week"

🗺️ A Reliable Outlining Process

• Structure your story before you draft, so you stop rewriting the same scenes for the fourth time

🎭 Hear It Read By People Who Know the Craft

• Table reads with theatre writers who know what to listen for, and can tell you what they heard

📤 Your Submission Plan

• A finished draft is only useful if it goes somewhere. You leave knowing what it's ready for, and where to send it

🤝 A Room of Theatre Writers Only

• Not novelists and content marketers. Serious theatre writers, working just as hard as you are, who will know your show almost as well as you do

What Another Year Costs

Before we get to the price, one question worth sitting with: what does another year of not finishing cost you?

A lot of the writers I talk to have been carrying the same show for years. Some for six years, some for more than ten. Every year it stays at 70% is another year it isn't being read, staged, or submitted.

That time is the real cost. Catalyst is built to end it in 16 weeks.

The Investment

$4,800

or $1,200 a month for 4 months

16 weeks · two live cohort calls a week · all calls recorded

Need to talk it over with your partner?

Most people do. This is a real amount of money and a real amount of time, and it affects the household either way.

So here's what's worth bringing to that conversation: what it costs ($4,800, or $1,200 a month for four months), what it asks of your week (two calls, plus writing time), how long it runs (16 weeks), and what you'll have at the end: a submission-ready draft and a plan for where it goes.

If it helps, I'm happy to get on a call with both of you, or to put you in touch with alumni of the cohort who've already been through it. No pitch. Just the actual answers.

Who This Is For

Catalyst is for serious writers who know there's a gap between their current skill and the show they can see in their head. It's called Catalyst because that's what a catalyst does: it speeds up a reaction. At 16 weeks, this is a sprint, and you should expect to make bigger leaps in your writing than you ever have before.

✓ You're actively working on a play or musical, whether that's a full draft, a stack of songs, or a serious start.
✓ You've taken it as far as you can on your own and you want expert eyes on it.
✓ You want honest, specific critique, not a supportive Facebook group.
✓ You're ready to invest in your craft and show up for the writing room, two calls a week, for 16 weeks.
✓ You want a real submission plan when you're done, not a finished draft that sits in a drawer.

Who This Is NOT For

✕ You're brand new to theatre writing and still learning the basics. Start in the free community first.
✕ You're only looking for encouragement. I'm your biggest supporter, but my feedback will always be specific and actionable.
✕ You're only looking for free resources right now, not ready to invest in the work.
✕ You can't commit to the weekly calls. Recordings help, but there's no substitute for working the room live.

About Jesse Hampsch

I'm Jesse Hampsch, founder of ShowLAB. I am a writer, musician, and theatre artist. I've taught for over 15 years, six of them at the college level.

A little about my teaching style: It does nothing for me, or for the cohort, to tell someone their piece is ready when it isn't. A huge part of what I do rests on my reputation as a teacher. I won't just say "great job, see you next week." I am your biggest supporter, but my feedback will always be specific and actionable.

My own work includes five musicals and three straight plays. All five musicals and two of the plays have been produced. Notable works include Goblin Market, If These Hands Could Sing, The Luminaries, and J Ripper, with development work at Cincinnati LAB Theatre's New Works Festival and Capital Repertory Theatre's NEXT ACT Summit.

• MFA in Musical Theatre Collaboration
• M.Mus in Conducting
• BMI Lehman Engel Workshop Lyricist

Bring One Problem to the Call

Bring one real problem with your show for us to talk about live on the call. I promise to give you a concrete next step, whether or not the cohort is the right fit.

What Happens Next

Submit the short application below. It takes about 3 minutes.
If it's a fit, you'll book your call straight away on the next page. I personally review every application, and I'll reach out to you directly too.
On the call, you bring one problem with your show, I'll give you a concrete step to fix it, and we'll work out together whether Catalyst is right for you.

Apply for ShowLAB Catalyst

All fields are required. I review every application personally, so please answer carefully and accurately.

FAQ

Catalyst is $4,800, or $1,200 a month over 4 months so you're not paying it all at once. On your call, we'll talk about your show and confirm it's the right fit before anything is decided.
Dramaturgy is part of what I do, but it's only one part. A dramaturg gets you notes on the draft you have. Catalyst gives you the academic rigor of a college writing program, taught by someone who has written and produced the work himself: the notes, a process to fix what they find, a room of theatre writers, and a plan for where the draft goes next.
Yes, if you're ready. It's less about your experience level and more about whether you've taken your project as far as you can alone and are ready to do the work. You don't need a finished draft, but you should be actively working on a play or musical. If you're brand new and still learning the basics, start in the free community.
A submission-ready draft of your play or musical (or a substantial score, or a hybrid goal we set together in week one), an honest answer to what it's ready for, and a submission database of 100+ verified opportunities with an outreach tracker and the scripts to work through them.
You'll hear and respond to other writers' work on the calls, and that's part of how you learn to see your own script clearly. It's not a requirement to read other people's drafts on your own time. Writers share work in the group, and you can read and give feedback if you want to. Most of the learning comes from watching other writers go through the same process on the calls.
If we start and it genuinely isn't the right fit, I'll refund you. I'd rather that than have anyone in the room who shouldn't be.
Yes. Ask on your call and I'll put you in touch with alumni of the cohort, so you can hear what it's actually like from someone who's done it.
Yes, though maybe not in the way you'd expect. The writers getting the most work done are the ones with personal relationships with people at or just above their level. Catalyst puts you in a room with exactly those people, and the submission plan tells you where your work should go next.
Honestly, I can't find you a composer. They're hard to court. What I can do is help you make the book and lyrics strong, because good work is what attracts a quality composer.
A full MFA runs over $165,000 in tuition, takes two-plus years as a full-time student, and usually means moving to a city like New York. One semester at NYU alone is about $42,000. Catalyst gives you the same kind of structured, MFA-level training in 16 weeks, without quitting your job, moving, or the six-figure price tag.
Yes. The free community is the entry point, but Catalyst is a separate, closed cohort. Applying here is how you get considered.
16 weeks. Two weekly cohort calls, timed around the cohort's own availability, with personalized feedback built in and all recorded if you have to miss one, plus asynchronous modules across four phases that you work through between calls.
Every call is recorded, so you won't miss the content. That said, Catalyst works best when you're actually in the room, live, getting feedback in real time, so it's built for writers who can make most of the calls most weeks.
Catalyst only works if the room is full of serious writers pushing each other forward. The application makes sure everyone who joins is actually ready to do the work, not just curious.