The 20th annual ASCAP Musical Theatre Workshop is set to begin April 14th at the ASCAP headquarters in N.Y.

The workshop is known as a nurturing ground for new American musicals.

Enter The Guardsman, which was presented at the workshop in 1996,was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical, and another workshop musical, No Way To Treat A Lady, was produced Off-Broadway (where it received several Drama Desk nominations) and is currently playing at the Coconut Grove Playhouse in Miami.

Workshop participants are given the opportunity to present selections from their original works -in -progress for professional critique by a panel of renowned producers, directors, critics, performers and composers. (Past panelists have included Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon Harnick, Betty Comden and Adolph Green as well as representatives of all the major producing organizations.)

The workshop is directed by the Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz (Godspell, Pippin and the Disney films Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame). Writers interested in applying for the workshop should submit a resume and a cassette tape containing four original theatre songs (including a copy of the lyrics) as well as a brief outline of the musical to Michael A. Kerker, Director of Musical Theatre, ASCAP, 1 Lincoln Plaza, New York, NY 10023.

Deadline for entries is Mar. 13.

--By Rebecca Paller