MMD was formed by merging The Mercury Workshop and The New Musicals Alliance in 1999.

From its inception in 1992, the Mercury Workshop was the only writer-based organisation in Britain dedicated to the development and presentation of new musical theatre. Established from a core of 11 students who worked with Stephen Sondheim at Oxford University, the organisation went on to have over 60 members who were recognised as the most talented composers, lyricists and bookwriters in Britain.

It developed into an integral part of the British theatre scene, presenting full-scale productions and showcases, running workshops, supporting new works in development, organising seminars and conferences for writers and theatre practitioners and developing collaborative projects with other leading organisations in the field.

The New Musicals Alliance grew out of the first UK Festival of Musicals and a worldwide Quest for New Musicals in 1992 at the Buxton Opera House. The NMA was established as a charitable trust and continued to provide a support system for writers, to develop a series of writing training courses and to work with other writers' organisations both in the UK and overseas to create opportunities for new work to be seen and heard.

Amongst others, MMD is grateful to the following people who their patronage and support.

Ambassadors Theatre Group
Apollo Leisure UK Ltd
Sir Alan Ayckbourn
Alain Boublil
The Bridewell Theatre
Ray Cooney
Richard Curtis
Dame Judi Dench
Dewynters
EMI Music Publishing
Greenwich Theatre
Nicholas Hytner
Jerwood Space
The Lincoln Center, U.S.A.
The Mackintosh Foundation
Julia McKenzie
Trevor Nunn
The Really Useful Group
The Royal Academy of Music
The Royal National Studio
Claude-Michel Schonberg
Stephen Sondheim
Ira Weitzman