Seán Gray

Interim Chair

Seán Gray has worked for Josef Weinberger Ltd. for 30 years, since arriving in London with a knowledge of musical theatre acquired from the movies and seeing his mother perform in the chorus of the Fermoy Choral Society.  Representing authors including Stephen Sondheim, Stephen Schwartz, Jerry Bock, Frank Loesser, Alan Menken and too many other wonderful writers and composers to mention has been and continues to be a privilege, an education, a lifelong source of pleasure and inspiration and a fortunate connection to this wonderful world of theatre and the incredibly creative and committed people who work in it.  I’m delighted to be a board member of MMD and to support its essential support of the writers and composers of new musical theatre works.

Steven Greenhalgh

Board Member

Concord Theatricals: VP, Acquisitions and Artistic Development (Europe)

Steven came to Samuel French in April 2017 and subsequently Concord in 2019. In addition to acquiring publishing and licensing rights to exceptional plays and musicals, Steven focuses on catalogue revitalisation, the development of new works and the promotion of all Concord’s works and services. Steven is a keen champion of new british musical theatre.  Prior to working in theatrical publishing and licensing, Steven worked at various agencies for eleven years and served as an Olivier panellist in 2013.

Rebecca Gwyther

Board Member

Rebecca Gwyther is a theatre producer, who runs RJG Productions Limited, and chartered accountant at Buzzacott LLP. She was recently Associate Producer on Amélie the Musical (Criterion Theatre, West End) having also produced award-winning A Hundred Words for Snow by Tatty Hennessy (Trafalgar Studios, UK Tour & VAULT Festival) and the original production of ANNA X by Joseph Charlton. Rebecca is currently developing a number of new productions and is supported by the StageOne Bursary Scheme.

Stephen Pidcock

Board Member

Stephen is an Associate for Theatre at Clintons.

Advises clients from the subsidised and commercial sectors on all areas of theatre and live performance, including commercial, licensing, intellectual property and rights issues. Has also advised on corporate transactions in the entertainment, fashion, leisure and retail fields.

Before qualifying as a solicitor, Stephen was a theatre publicist working in-house at the Royal Court Theatre and then for The Corner Shop PR in the West End and across the UK. As a publicist, his clients included many of the leading West End theatre production companies.

An award-winning translator of new Italian plays.

Trustee of the Bush Theatre, and of Rabble theatre company in Reading.

Qualified as a Solicitor in 2018.

Sarah Reilly

Board Member

Sarah is a fundraising consultant and freelance bid writer, working with arts organisations and charities to advise on fundraising strategy and secure income. A member of the Chartered Institute of Fundraising, she began her fundraising career at the Orange Tree Theatre, and has worked in-house with organisations including the National Portrait Gallery, The Place and Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity before becoming a freelancer in 2019.

A life-long lover of musical theatre, Sarah saw Song and Dance at the Theatre Royal Newcastle as a child and was hooked. Growing up in the North-East, going to the theatre was an annual treat, so in between waiting to see national tours of Cats, Jesus Christ Superstar and Five Guys Named Moe (to name a few), the next best thing was to learn the words to every musical CD in the library. She was word-perfect (but didn’t sing along) when she finally saw Les Misérables after six years of listening to the songs.

An aspiring lyricist and MMD member, Sarah has also dabbled in theatre producing and administration, both voluntarily through a long association with the Tabard Theatre, and more recently co-running Take Note Theatre, producing family and children’s theatre in West London.

Sumerah Srivastav

Board Member

Sumerah is a British MT book writer, playwright and TV writer. Most notably, she has written on the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated series LUPIN as well upcoming episodes for MANIFEST and COLOSSEUM. Other TV credits include GOOD KARMA HOSPITAL, MESSIAH, CASUALTY and EASTENDERS.

In theatre, Sumerah came up through the Royal Court and Criterion Theatre playwright programs. Her recent theatre credits include James Graham’s SKETCHING (PW Productions), #846LIVE (Stratford East), and JIGSAW (Migration Museum). Sumerah is an alumnus of Stratford East’s Musical Theatre Initiative and has two musicals in active development. She is Artistic Director of Kahani Arts and also acts as co-Chair for the Equalities & Diversity committee at the Writers Guild of Great Britain.

Prior to her writing career, Sumerah launched and ran a radio station in London, with music targeting Asian youth audiences (Club Asia) for which she won a Women in Public Life award and an Asian Woman of Achievement award.

@sumerahas

www.sumerah.com

Tim Sutton

Board Member

Tim is an award-winning composer and musical director. He has worked extensively with the National Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre of Scotland, Young Vic, Almeida Theatre and Sonia Friedman Productions.

Music for theatre includes Measure for Measure (The Globe), The Good Life (Bath Theatre Royal), The Omission of the Family Coleman (Ustinov, Bath), As You Like It and Titus Andronicus (RSC), The Amen Corner and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (NT), The Secret Garden (West Yorkshire Playhouse), Dreamfighter (Lichfield Festival), The Bacchae (NToS), As You Like It (Wyndham’s) and As You Desire Me (Playhouse). Original music for radio includes Alexei Sayle’s Imaginary Sandwich Bar Series 1, 2 & 3, The Absence of Normal, The Now Show and Paul Sinha’s General Knowledge (BBC Radio 4); Arrangements for radio include John Finnemore’s Souvenir Programme and Just a Minute (BBC Radio 4), Whistle Through the Shamrocks (Hat Trick) and Hall of Mirrors (BBC Radio 3).

His community opera Cycle Song won the Royal Philharmonic Society Learning & Participation Award 2012. He is twice recipient of the Stiles and Drewe Best Song Award, and won the Vivian Ellis Prize for Best Musical for Beauty and the Beast.

Danielle Tarento

Board Member

Danielle is a freelance producer and casting director. She won Best Producer at the Off West End Awards 2012, was nominated Producer of the Year at the Stage Awards 2015 and was listed as one of the top ten producers of Musical Theatre in 2016 in The Stage. She is co-founder of the Menier Chocolate Factory.

Theatre includes: the UK première of Dave Malloy’s Preludes (Southwark Playhouse – nominated, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production 2020); Titanic The Musical (UK & international tours); the UK professional première of Michel Legrand’s Amour (Charing Cross Theatre – winner, Off West End Award for Best New Musical 2020); Vincent River, Le Grand Mort, Songs And Solidarity – A Concert For Those Affected By The Grenfell Tower Fire (Trafalgar Studios); The Grift (Town Hall Hotel, Bethnal Green); Death Takes A Holiday (Charing Cross Theatre); Mother Courage And Her Children, Allegro, Gods And Monsters, Three Sisters, Victor/Victoria, Company (Southwark Playhouse); The Color Purple In Concert, Grateful (Cadogan Hall); Ragtime (Charing Cross Theatre – winner, Off West End Award for Best Musical Revival 2017; nominated, WhatsOnStage Awards for Best Musical Revival and Best Off West End Production); Grey Gardens (Southwark Playhouse – winner, Off West End Award for Best New Musical 2017; nominated, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production); Titanic (Charing Cross Theatre – winner, West End Wilma Award for Best Off West End Production 2016); Pure Imagination (St James Theatre); Grand Hotel (Southwark Playhouse – winner, Broadway World Award for Best Musical Revival 2015; nominated, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production and 6 Off West End Awards including Best Musical Production); The Grand Tour (Finborough Theatre); Man To Man (Park Theatre); My Lifelong Love – An Evening With Georgia Stitt And Friends (Garrick Theatre); Frances Ruffelle – Paris Original (St James Studio); Dogfight (Southwark Playhouse – shortlisted, Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical 2014); Titanic (Southwark Playhouse – longlisted, Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical 2013; winner, Broadway World UK Award for Best Fringe/Regional Musical, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production and 4 Off West End Awards including Best Musical Production); Evita, Grease (Ljubljana Festival, Slovenia); Taboo (Brixton Club House – winner, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production 2013); Mack & Mabel (Southwark Playhouse – longlisted, Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical 2012; nominated for 13 Broadway World UK Awards and 6 Off West End Awards); The Pitchfork Disney (Arcola Theatre); Burlesque (Jermyn Street Theatre – winner, Off West End Award for Best New Musical 2012); Noël And Gertie (Cockpit Theatre); Parade (Southwark Playhouse – longlisted, Evening Standard Theatre Award for Best Musical 2011; nominated, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Musical Revival 2012, Off West End Award for Best Musical Production); Spring Awakening (Rose Theatre, Kingston); Drowning On Dry Land (Jermyn Street Theatre); Legacy Falls (New Players Theatre); Frances Ruffelle: Beneath The Dress (Madame JoJo’s, Edinburgh Festival, Wroclaw Stage Song Review, Poland, Menier Chocolate Factory & Crazy Coqs); Happy Savages (Edinburgh Festival).

As Associate Producer: Smokey Joe’s Café; (Landor Theatre); Kurt And Sid (Trafalgar Studios – nominated, WhatsOnStage Award for Best Off West End Production 2009); Side By Side By Sondheim (The Venue); Tamburlaine The Great (Rose Theatre, Bankside).

Alongside her work as a producer and casting director, Danielle also regularly runs Acting Through Song, Repertoire and Audition Technique masterclasses and teaches at several drama schools including ArtsEd, Mountview and Associated Studios.

Anthony Drewe

Vice President

Anthony has worked with composer George Stiles for more than 30 years. Their multi-award-winning work has been performed around the world in dozens of languages. Together, their writing credits include Honk! (National Theatre, UK Tour and Worldwide), Mary Poppins (West End, Broadway, International and currently on UK Tour), Cameron Mackintosh’s new version of Half A Sixpence (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End), Travels With My Aunt (Minerva Theatre, Chichester), The Wind in the Willows (UK Tour), Betty Blue Eyes (West End and UK Tour), Just So (Tricycle Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and International)), Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Royal Festival Hall and International), Soho Cinders (Soho Theatre and in concert at the Queen’s Theatre), The Three Little Pigs (West End, UK Tour and International Tour), Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Singapore Repertory Theatre), and The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Singapore Repertory Theatre).

Future projects include a stage version of Robert Harling’s film Soapdish, and Becoming Nancy with director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell.

Independently as a lyricist, Anthony’s credits include The Card (Watermill Theatre, Regents Park Theatre) and A Twist of Fate (Singapore Repertory Theatre).

Other projects include: song contributions for Dame Edna Everage’s Look at Me When I’m Talking to You, The Shakespeare Revue (RSC) as well as a variety of material for TV and radio.

As a director Anthony’s work includes Snoopy (Watermill Theatre), Honk! (South Africa, Chicago, Tokyo and Singapore), Just So (North Shore Music Theatre, Massachusetts and Chichester Festival Theatre), The Thing About Men (London’s King’s Head Theatre), You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown (Tabard Theatre) and The Three Little Pigs, Goldilocks and the Three Bears and The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Singapore Repertory Theatre)

Awards include the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical for Honk!, three of the top prizes at the Musical of the Year Awards for Peter Pan ,The Straits Times Award for Best Musical (A Twist of Fate) and the first ever Vivian Ellis Prize (Just So). Mary Poppins has won 45 major theatre awards around the globe including Tony, Olivier, Helpmann and London Evening Standard Awards. Laurence Olivier nominations include Mary Poppins and Betty Blue Eyes.

Along with George, Anthony’s passion for new musical theatre writing is recognised via the annual Stiles and Drewe Prize for Best New Song, now in its 11th year and their Mentorship Award supported by Music Theatre International (Europe). They are founding board members of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), Associate Artists at The Watermill Theatre and patrons of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and the Music Theatre Academy (MTA).

www.stilesanddrewe.com
@stilesanddrewe

George Stiles

Vice President

George has worked with lyricist Anthony Drewe for more than 30 years. Their multi-award-winning work has been performed around the world in dozens of languages. Together, their writing credits include Honk! (National Theatre, UK Tour and Worldwide), Mary Poppins (West End, Broadway, International and UK Tour), Cameron Mackintosh’s new version of Half A Sixpence (Chichester Festival Theatre and West End), The Wind in the Willows (UK Tour and West End), Travels With My Aunt (Minerva Theatre, Chichester), Betty Blue Eyes (West End and UK Tour), Just So (Tricycle Theatre, Chichester Festival Theatre and International), Peter Pan – A Musical Adventure (West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Repertory Theatre, Royal Festival Hall and International), Soho Cinders (Soho Theatre and in concert at the Queen’s Theatre), The Three Little Pigs (West End, UK Tour and International Tour), Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Singapore Repertory Theatre), and The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Singapore Repertory Theatre).

Future projects include a stage version of Robert Harling’s film Soapdish, and Becoming Nancy with director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell.

Independently as a composer, George’s credits include the musicals Moll Flanders, The Three Musketeers, Tom Jones and the scores for Sam Mendes’ stage productions of Twelfth Night and Uncle Vanya (Donmar Warehouse, BAM NYC). His score for Troilus and Cressida (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre) was nominated for a Jefferson Award

George has worked as Dame Edna Everage’s composer and Musical Director on Look at Me When I’m Talking to You. Other projects include song contributions for The Shakespeare Revue (RSC) as well as a variety of material for TV and radio.

Honk! has won many international awards including the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Musical. Mary Poppins has won 45 major theatre awards around the globe, including Tony, Olivier, Helpmann and London Evening Standard Awards. Stiles and Drewe were nominated for Best New Musical at the 2016 WhatsOnStage Awards for Half A Sixpence and Betty Blue Eyes was nominated for the 2012 Olivier Award. Other awards include the TMA Best Musical Award for Moll Flanders.

Along with Anthony, George’s passion for new musical theatre writing is recognised via the annual Stiles and Drewe Prize for Best New Song, now in its 11th year, and their Mentorship Award supported by Music Theatre International (Europe). They are founding board members of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), Associate Artists at The Watermill Theatre and patrons of the London Musical Theatre Orchestra and the Music Theatre Academy (MTA).

www.stilesanddrewe.com
@stilesanddrewe

David Babani

Patron

Don Black

Patron

Judi Dench

Patron

Maria Friedman

Patron

Julia McKenzie

Patron

Paul Nicholas

Patron

Tim Rice

Patron

Jeremy Sams

Patron

Richard Stilgoe

Patron