In this interview segment, Michele Lynch (Speaker B) explains how a choreographer fits into the creative hierarchy of a new musical, positioned between the director, book writer, and composer. She emphasizes that the choreographer’s primary job is to discover the show’s movement vocabulary and ensure organic, fresh transitions, whether the production is dance‑heavy or more subtle. Lynch discusses how she gauges each director’s preferred collaboration style—some directors want immediate ideas, others prefer to share their vision first. She stresses the importance of feeling out the director, offering multiple storytelling options, and aligning choreographic concepts with the director’s overall vision. The conversation highlights the adaptive, communicative, and collaborative nature of the choreographer’s role in musical theatre.
Can you talk specifically a little nuts and bolts on where the choreographer fits into that whole equation between the director and the writer, the book writer and the composer?
You know, I think it's honestly, it's been different on almost every show I've done, and every director works differently, but I do think the main importance of a choreographer on a new musical is to find the movement of the show and First and foremost, how the show moves and what is that vocabulary. I mean, if it's a big dance show, that's a little different. The harder ones are not so much dance shows, but they still have to have movement and transitions and flow. And what is that that makes it organic, right? And still unique and refreshing and different. And then I think it's finding the vocabulary of the actors, how they move. And/or the dancers.
And how do you convey that then to the director? Do you powwow with them? Do you like to be left alone at first and show them?
I think I feel it out. I think it's different. Some of them don't want ideas right away, some do. Some want to hear all your ideas. Sometimes I want to hear what they're thinking because I always say there's like 10 ways, or more than 10 ways, to tell a story. And I may come in with one idea and it may not be their vision, but had I heard their vision first, I may have come up with one thing that supported their vision.
Right.
So I feel it out.
Obviously, different directors have different takes on it, but what language do you use to communicate with a director?
Believe it or not, I feel like my best teaching to communicate with a director was assisting a choreographer. Because it's not much different. As an assistant, you're trying to facilitate their vision and help get it across. I think as a choreographer, I'm— because I also have directed and I also know what their job is, so I think as a choreographer, I'm assisting the director in getting their vision across. Because if I go off on my own vision, then I'm not telling the story. I think the successful shows are ones where everyone's on the same vision. So I think that relationship is so important, and I think when you interview— for me, when I interview with a director, I think it's like a relationship, you know? It's like, oh, we know how to communicate, we see the same things, we enjoy spending— because you're going to spend hours with this person, you know, you enjoy each other. Will this work?
