Getting started
Open the workspace, describe your show, and start writing your first scene.
Opening the workspace
From the home page, click Launch Workspace to open a new project. No account is required — Proscenium runs locally and only saves when you tell it to.
Heads up. If no API key is configured, Proscenium runs in demo mode — generation is mocked so you can try the flow without connecting an account.
Setting up your show
Give your musical a title, genre, and a short setting or theme. Add your main characters — a name, voice type, and one line about who they are is plenty.
Writing scripts
The editor formats scenes, character lines, and songs automatically as you write.
Acts and scenes
Each act begins with a short plot description. When you generate a draft, Proscenium expands it into a scene heading, dialogue, and songs — which you can edit freely.
Dialogue and stage directions
Character names appear in a distinct color; parenthetical directions and italicised stage notes are styled automatically. You can rewrite anything by hand or ask the AI to revise the passage in place.
Songs and lyrics
Songs are set apart in a subtle gold panel, with a title, singer(s), and verses. Lyrics are versified — line breaks matter and are preserved.
The timeline
A parallel view of everything happening across your show.
The timeline lays scenes, songs, character presence, and dramatic tension side by side so you can feel the pacing of the show before hearing a single note. Drag scenes to reorder them; the script view updates in sync.
AI collaboration
A collaborator, not a co-author. Every suggestion is yours to accept or reject.
What you can ask
- Sharpen a couplet or tighten a stanza
- Redistribute lines between two characters in a duet
- Brainstorm alternate takes on a scene
- Improve pacing across an act
- Suggest a new song where the drama would benefit from one
How suggestions work
Every AI proposal is offered as a diff — a before-and-after view of the change. Nothing is applied until you accept it, and every change is undoable.
Knowledge base
The show's memory. It maintains itself as you write.
As you draft scenes, Proscenium quietly builds an internal understanding of your show — who your characters are, how they relate to one another, which motifs and settings recur, and where the story is heading. This context informs every AI suggestion, so answers stay consistent with your world.
You never have to fill in a form. Everything is inferred from what you've written.
Saving & exporting
Your work stays yours.
Every show can be saved to your local library as a Markdown file — human-readable, version-controllable, and easy to share with a rehearsal room. Load or delete existing shows from the sidebar at any time.
Keyboard shortcuts
Stay in the flow. The essential moves live at your fingertips.
- ⌘ S — Save the current show
- ⌘ K — Ask the AI to revise the selection
- ⌘ Enter — Generate the next scene
- ⌘ / — Toggle the timeline view
FAQ
Do I need an account?
No account is required to try Proscenium. Sign-in unlocks cloud sync and shared shows.
Is my writing private?
Your drafts stay local until you choose to save or share them. AI requests are sent only when you initiate them.
Which musicals is this best for?
Any of them — from a two-hander to an ensemble epic. Proscenium is opinionated about format, but agnostic about genre.