MMD has launched a search for promising musical theatre composers to become part of its new "Writing Lab Xtreme" opportunity.
The programme, in its pilot phase, will take on a small group of participants for eight fortnightly sessions in each of which they will create a new song or scene, which will receive feedback from other group participants and guest directors and MDs.
This pilot is an expansion of MMD's regular "Writing Lab" opportunity, an occasional opportunity for associate writers to bring work-in-progress along for critique from their peers. It will run from October until January 2009.
The programme, in its pilot phase, will take on a small group of participants for eight fortnightly sessions in each of which they will create a new song or scene, which will receive feedback from other group participants and guest directors and MDs.
This pilot is an expansion of MMD's regular "Writing Lab" opportunity, an occasional opportunity for associate writers to bring work-in-progress along for critique from their peers. It will run from October until January 2009.
Clearspace Productions in Delaware have selected the work of five MMD associates to be part of an evening of ten new songs.
The selected songs are:
The selected songs are:
- No Answer - Tim Saward and Darren Deeks
- Smallville Colorado - Julian Woolford and Richard John
- Don't Go - Julian Woolford and Richard John
- Sounds Like a Plan – Charles Bloom
- More than Life Itself - Teresa Howard and (non-MMD) Stephen Edis
Mark Allcorn was the winner of the Stiles and Drewe Best New Song Award 2008. Performed by Laura Kerr, his winning song was called My Turn Soon, from his musical Swimming With Dolphins.Mark is shown here receiving his prize of £500 from judges George Stiles and Anthony Drewe, members of the MMD board.
The songwriting prize was combined with the Stephen Sondheim Student Performer Prize, which was won by Adrian Grove singing Marry Me A Little and also A Kid From Nowhere by MMD Associate Paul Graham Brown. The competition took place on 1 June at the Trafalgar Studios in London's West End.
Friends of MMD can support our work into the future by coming to A Spoonful of Stiles & Drewe, at Her Majesty’s Theatre, Haymarket, staged in support of MMD.
The concert celebrates 25 years of songwriting by the award-winning duo of musical theatre composer George Stiles and lyricist Anthony Drewe, who are founder members of MMD.
Tickets are available at all prices, starting at £20, but we hope that some of our friends will support us by buying VIP tickets at £100 each.
Proceeds will go to fund our much-needed development work, nurturing the next generation of musical theatre writers.
A Spoonful of Stiles & Drewe takes to the stage at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End for one night only on Sunday 6 July 2008. Olivier Award winners Joanna Riding, Clive Rowe and Leanne Jones are joined by TV favourites Helena Blackman and Daniel Boys, stars of Wicked James Gillan and Oliver Tompsett, much-loved Mary Poppins star Scarlett Strallen, Julie Atherton who originated the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q, Jerry Springer legend Alison Jiear and musical theatre stalwart Claire Moore.
Call the Box Office on 0844 412 4657 or visit to book your tickets online at speckulationentertainment.com.
The concert celebrates 25 years of songwriting by the award-winning duo of musical theatre composer George Stiles and lyricist Anthony Drewe, who are founder members of MMD.
Tickets are available at all prices, starting at £20, but we hope that some of our friends will support us by buying VIP tickets at £100 each.
Proceeds will go to fund our much-needed development work, nurturing the next generation of musical theatre writers.
A Spoonful of Stiles & Drewe takes to the stage at Her Majesty's Theatre in the West End for one night only on Sunday 6 July 2008. Olivier Award winners Joanna Riding, Clive Rowe and Leanne Jones are joined by TV favourites Helena Blackman and Daniel Boys, stars of Wicked James Gillan and Oliver Tompsett, much-loved Mary Poppins star Scarlett Strallen, Julie Atherton who originated the roles of Kate Monster and Lucy the Slut in Avenue Q, Jerry Springer legend Alison Jiear and musical theatre stalwart Claire Moore.
Call the Box Office on 0844 412 4657 or visit to book your tickets online at speckulationentertainment.com.
MMD associates' work will feature in a special showcase of new musical theatre songs at the Accidental Festival 2008 at the ICA. A few different musical writing teams will be showcased in this event, one of a number run by students from the Central School of Speech and Drama. Work from MMD Associates Mark Bunyan, Clive Burton, Roberto Trippini, Tim Saward, Darren Deeks and Michael Bruce will be performed. Tickets can be purchased at the the ICA website or call 020 7930 3647.
The Stephen Sondheim Student Performer of 2008 Prize has been moved to The Trafalgar Studios, a larger venue, and will go ahead, as previously confirmed on Sunday 1 June 2008. In addition, successful songwriting team (and MMD board members) George Stiles and Anthony Drewe have announced that they will be awarding a prize to the writer(s) of the best new song featured by a performer in the competition. MMD Associates have previously submitted works for the competition and of those, the student performers will select one each to complement their performance of a Sondheim song.
To attend the concert, call 0870 0606632 or book online.
To attend the concert, call 0870 0606632 or book online.
The celebrated team behind the world's longest-running musical, Les Misérables, as well as Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre and the forthcoming Marguerite (to run from May at the Haymarket Theatre), are joining MMD associates for a discussion event in April. Associates will have a chance to ask questions about the team's working method and to hear about their history in musical theatre.
Our associates' work will feature in the second Sondheim Society Student Performer Prize 2008. Student performers will each sing a song by Sondheim and a new musical theatre song by an MMD Associate. Last year's competition, at The Venue was considered a great success. This year's competition moves to the Arts Theatre, near Leicester Square and will be on Sunday 1 June at 3pm.
Celebrated Broadway and West End orchestrator William Brohn, known for his orchestrations of Curtains, Wicked, Mary Poppins, Ragtime, Martin Guerre, Miss Saigon and many others, will talk alongside composer George Stiles in February about the process of orchestrating in a meeting exclusively for MMD Associates. William will be in London working on the orchestrations for the new musical Gone With The Wind.
MMD is proud to present a third series of new musical readings
Musicals In Development
Sponsored by The Noël Coward Foundation
with additional support from Really Useful Theatres
at the Dome Room, Her Majesty's Theatre, Haymarket, London WC1
Thursday 15 November, 3.30pm
MATA HARI by Eric Angus, Paul James and Ben Mason
Thursday 22 November, 3.30pm
THE KIOSK by Athene Fielding and Andrew Peggie
Thursday 29 November, 3.30pm
ALVARO'S BALCONY by Jonathan Kaldor and Sebastian Michael
Thursday 6 December, 3.30pm
POSITIVELY NO DIRECTION HOME by Brian McAvera and Tony Rees
To reserve your place please email tim@mercurymusicals.com
MMD will be hosting two panel discussions exclusively for MMD Associates. The first, ‘The Future of Musical Theatre in off West-End and Fringe Venues’, will bring together leading fringe producers to discuss their musical policies, what works in their venues, and future plans. The second, ‘Musical Theatre Development in the USA’, will explore what we can learn from our transatlantic colleagues. MMD has a strong track record in placing new work in festivals and small and mid-scale venues in the States; recent successes include productions at the New York Musical Theatre Festival, Stages 2007 in Chicago, Village Musicals in Seattle and Century Theatre Los Angeles, plus new commissions to be announced for 2008 and other development, workshop and showcase opportunities available to UK writers. If you'd like to take part in these great event, consider joining us.
MMD is delighted to announce the 2008 MMD / Stranmillis University College Writing Residency in Belfast. Now in its fifth year, this fantastic opportunity is a loosely-structured writing programme to initiate and nurture the composition and writing of original musical theatre. Yet another great reason to join us!
Arts Educational Schools are currently workshopping the new musical 'Comrade Rockstar' by MMD Associates Richard John and Julian Woolford. This show includes the song 'Smallville Colorado' which was the MMD song sung by Carl Au when he won the Sondheim Student Singer Competition earlier in the year.
The Backstage Area of the MMD website, which is exclusively for MMD Associates, includes a section of MMD Guidelines about all aspects of the business of writing musical theatre. We've just added a new Guideline on acquiring stage rights to an existing film or book for adaptation into a musical. Other MMD Guidelines include advice on agents, collaboration agreements, and how to handle production and publishing deals. If you'd like to have access to these invaluable Guidelines, please consider joining us. If you're already an MMD Associate, check it out!
MMD's excellent critique sessions, the Writing Lab, will soon begin again, offering MMD Associates the chance to air their work to their peers for constructive feedback in a supportive environment.
MMD Associate Sandi Toksvig and her co-star Bonnie Langford have been interviewed by MMD Associate Jenifer Toksvig for the MusicalTalk podcast. You can hear the interview at the MusicalTalk site
MMD board members Stiles & Drewe have been interviewed by MMD Associate Tim Saward for the MusicalTalk podcast. You can hear the interview at the MusicalTalk site
