You will be booked in to a ten-minute slot at a venue. You should prepare a pitch of maximum ten minutes in length to tell us about your musical. This will be timed and you will be stopped if you exceed ten minutes. While the use of your ten minutes is up to you, we recommend ideally preparing eight minutes of pitching content and giving yourself the last two minutes for questions from the panel.
You’ll receive a more detailed briefing at least a week ahead of your pitching day, which will contain important information such as who will be on the pitching panel, the model of the keyboard in the room and the dimensions of the space you’ll be pitching. If you have any access requirements, please detail this in the form when you sign up and we will do our best to accommodate.
You can pitch on your own, with your creative team, or bring along some performers – it is entirely up to you. The work can be pitched in any way that you feel best represents it.
Your ten-minute pitch should ideally include the following:
- Introducing yourself and any members of your team
- An overview of the main themes and story arc of the show, including how the story ends
- Some music from the show (at least one song). It is highly advantageous if this can be sung live. You may use a backing track or live accompaniment (see below for equipment).
- What stage of development you are at (e.g. how much is written, has it had any readings/performances yet)
- Intended cast and band size
Questions to consider and potentially address in your pitch:
- Why is this show important to you? Why do you want to tell this story?
- Who will your audience be?
- Why do you think audiences will be interested in this show?
- What scale of professional production would work best for this show? (e.g. large-scale West End show/studio scale chamber piece, etc.)
- Why is the BEAM Showcase the right opportunity for this show?
Equipment in the room:
- For backing tracks: a speaker or PA system to plug in a device. A 3.5mm aux cable will be provided, please bring an adapter if you need to plug in an iPhone, etc. You are welcome to bring your own speaker for ease.
- A piano/keyboard including music stand and sustain pedal.
- Approximately 5 chairs
- At some venues, music stands will be available – this will be detailed in your information email sent in the two weeks before your pitch.
Any other resources/instruments you will need to bring with you, and any set-up will need to happen within your ten minutes (so it’s a good idea to tell us about your show while someone else gets things ready).
What happens after the pitching day?
Within three weeks of your pitch you will receive written development feedback by email, based on comments from the panellists at your pitching day. This feedback is entirely separate to the BEAM selection process and is not an indication of whether you will be selected for the showcase or not. It is intended to be useful for the further development of your show, regardless of showcase selection. If you would like to opt out of this written feedback, please notify us before or shortly after your pitch.
In December, we will be in touch with everyone letting you know whether you have been shortlisted for the showcase or not. From the shortlist, the showcase programme will be selected and notified by mid-January.
Please see the FAQs and Eligibility information below for more pitching info.
Eligibility
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Age and experience
- You must be over 18 and have a professional track record of past creative work, with at least one professional performing arts credit (in any discipline). If you are under 25, you do not need a professional credit but should be able to demonstrate commitment to the performing arts through university/college productions, youth theatre, etc.
- BEAM is for artists at an early, mid or advanced stage in their careers – you can be working on your first musical, have had previous shows performed in the West End, or anything in between.
- Producers, directors and creatives from non-writing disciplines are welcome to pitch, but if you’re not going to be one of the writing team, we’d expect at least one of the writers to be named in the pitch.
- Each writing team can pitch one show only. If you are part of multiple writing teams you can pitch one show with each; we would consider each team a separate entity.
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Location and availability
- At least half of the core creative team must be based in the UK.
- You need to be available in w/c 17th May 2027 to come to BEAM2027 at Royal & Derngate.
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Your show
- The show you are pitching should be intended for live performance and song should be an integral part of the show for us to consider it a musical.
- It can have been commissioned or workshopped, but it can’t have received a full professional production already (past student or non-professional stagings are fine). We define a professional production as one that was fully staged and the cast and crew were paid.
- It can be at an early stage of development (not fully written) but you will need to have a good idea of your artistic vision and the story you want to tell, and have at least one song written.
- Shows that you have pitched for BEAM before are not eligible, unless the show has been substantially revised or expanded. Please let us know if you think you fall into this category and we will agree this on an individual basis.
- We are looking for a wide range of work to be included in BEAM, representative of the broadest diversity of people living in the UK today – diverse not just in terms of whose stories are being told, but also in terms of the styles of music and art forms used to tell those stories.
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Intellectual property
- The musical you’re pitching must be wholly the intellectual property of the creatives directly involved. Adaptations of a book/film written by someone who’s not involved, or the use of existing songs written by someone else, are only eligible if you’ve already confirmed permission from those who own the copyright in these materials.
Pitching FAQs
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Who will be on the industry panel?
The panel will include representatives from MTN and MMD and at least two other relevant industry professionals, usually including an artistic director/producer/programmer from the host venue. The panel may also include other artists from the region. We will let you know beforehand who we expect to be on the panel of your pitching day, though this is subject to last minute changes.
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How accessible will the venue be?
All the pitching venues and the BEAM showcase venue are public buildings and therefore every effort has been made to ensure they are wheelchair accessible. There is step-free access at all pitching day venues apart from Upstairs at the Gatehouse, which is not suitable for wheelchair-users, and possibly the pitching room at Queens Theatre Hornchurch. If you have any particular access requirements for making your pitch, please inform us in the relevant section of the application form, and we will do our best to provide whatever access support is required.
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Do I need to bring performers with me?
This is up to you. If you want to bring performers/musicians to present your work then you are very welcome to do so – we know that not everyone enjoys being centre stage – but you will need to find those performers yourself and meet any associated costs. Any performance will still also need to fit within that ten minute slot. The panel who will be assessing your work will be made up of experienced theatre practitioners, accustomed to looking at work in early stages of development and spotting potential, so please don’t worry about the standard of the performance or think that performing the work yourself will harm your chances.
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Do I need to be a member of MMD or MTN to apply?
No. Applying to pitch for BEAM is open to any eligible writers and creatives. We hope any who are not already MMD/MTN members will consider becoming part of our networks, and a discount will be offered to BEAM pitching applicants who join. You can find out more about joining MMD (for writers) here and MTN (for producers, directors and other creatives) here.
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Do I have to pay to apply to the showcase?
We ask for a small booking fee to cover the processing of your booking, but there is no fee to pitch your work. Please note that you will have to cover your expenses in getting to the pitching venue.
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Are you looking for any particular type of work?
No. We are keen to see as wide a range of work as we can. Our definition of musical theatre is very broad, and all we ask is that the piece is intended for a live audience and that song plays an integral part in the storytelling.
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Are you still interested in me if I’ve written lots of musicals already?
Yes. We want BEAM to provide opportunities to those at the start of their careers, those with a well-established track record, and everything in between.
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Can I apply with more than one piece of work?
No. We want to create opportunities for as many artists as possible so we will be operating a strict one pitching slot/one artist or company rule. The only exception is if you are part of two different writing teams; in that instance we would consider each team as a separate entity.
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Can I book into more than one pitching day?
No, you should apply for one venue and time only.
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Can I pitch an adaptation prior to gaining copyright permission?
No. Please ensure you have secured the rights to use any pre-existing material or content that was not solely authored by your core team before pitching for BEAM.
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Do you accept work that has been created using AI?
We prioritise work led by human creativity and do not commission or promote work that is wholly generated by AI. We support artists in exploring AI as a tool, but not as a replacement for authorship.
If AI has been used, you must provide a brief description of which tool(s) were used, how they were used and the extent of use within the overall creative process. We would want to understand if AI has been used in an illustrative way (e.g. to give a fuller sense of the creative vision) or in a generative capacity (e.g. comprising the bulk of the creative work).
This may include, for example:
- Research to support idea development
- Transcription and summation of the creative development process
- Transforming writer-authored song demos into sheet music
- Transforming writer-authored sheet music into song demos
- Illustrating the writer’s conception for fully orchestrated material by generating arrangements and song demos
- Generating story, structure, script, lyrics, or melodies
Where AI use is declared, panellists may take into account the role AI has played in the work and the extent to which the work demonstrates human authorship and craft. They will also assess whether the use of AI enhances the work creatively, limits originality or voice, raises questions about authorship or integrity.
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Do I need to be based locally to my pitching venue?
No, you are welcome to pitch at whichever venue you prefer, regardless of whether you live locally or not. You might consider some venues are likely to be more popular than others and it might suit you to pitch on a ‘quieter’ day or at a venue appropriate to your project. For example, one London-based team chose to pitch their rock musical about the Brontë siblings at Leeds Playhouse and this led to a post-BEAM showcase at that venue. Where possible, an artistic director/producer/programmer at the venue will sit on the panel, so this is a good opportunity to get on the radar of a venue that may not already know your work.
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How much time will I need to be at the pitching venue?
Maximum one hour. You will be asked to arrive no less than 20 minutes in advance of your pitching slot, in case the pitch ahead of yours doesn’t arrive. We will try our very best to keep to schedule, but occasionally there may be up to a 20 minute delay in seeing you from your invited time, so we would suggest that you plan to be at the venue for up to 20 minutes before and after your allocated pitching slot.
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Will there be rehearsal room space available at the pitching day venue?
We don’t anticipate there will be a separate rehearsal or ‘warm-up’ space at the pitching venues (if there is, this will be stated in your info email two weeks before your pitching day). You should aim to arrive ready to pitch.
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How long will my pitching session be?
Pitches are scheduled every 15 minutes and each will be given a maximum of 10 minutes to pitch their work. We recommend that you prepare around 8 minutes of content in order to allow time for questions from the panel.
Please be aware that we will be operating very strict timekeeping on the day, to make sure we can see as many artists as possible. You will not be allowed to overrun, so if you are still performing once your ten minutes are up we will ask you to stop. There will be a minute or so grace either side of your actual pitching time to allow you to get into and out of the room. We recommend that you practice your pitch to make sure it fits comfortably within that 10 minutes; it is worth practicing something that lasts no more than eight minutes, especially as things can very easily overrun on the day.
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Can I pitch via the internet or send a digital pitch in?
We want to meet you in person and hear about your show/idea ‘live’ and at first hand. There are a number of pitching days around the UK so we hope one will be right for you. In exceptional circumstances, we may consider accepting an e-pitch but you would need to explain the reasons and it would need to be agreed on an individual basis.
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If I pitched for/presented at a previous BEAM, can I pitch again?
You are welcome to pitch a new project for BEAM but not the one you pitched for previous BEAMs, unless the piece has been substantially revised or expanded. Please let us know if you think you fall into this category and we will evaluate this on an individual basis.
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Can I watch other pitches?
No. Each pitch is private and only the members of each pitching team and the industry panel will be in the room.
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Can I bring scripts or demos/CDs to give to the panel?
No. The panel want to hear you pitch your idea in the 10 minutes available to each writer/team. They do not have the capacity to read or transport additional materials from all pitches, so out of fairness to all, decisions will be made based on what is shared during the ten minute pitch rather than on wider material. In rare cases, we may ask for additional materials/information afterwards if required.
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Will I get feedback on my pitch?
Thanks to the support of the PRS Foundation, we will be offering written feedback from the panel to everyone who pitches. We hope this will be useful and will ensure that pitching for BEAM is a valuable experience for everyone, whether or not your piece is selected for the showcase. Written feedback will be provided to everyone, unless you opt out.
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When will I find out if I’ve got a place at the showcase?
We don’t make any decisions about the work we are selecting for the showcase until we have completed all of the pitching days. We will then make decisions and notify all artists as soon as possible, most likely by early January 2027. Please don’t assume that just because you haven’t heard whilst others have, that you don’t have a place.
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What will happen if my work is selected?
If your piece is selected, you be offered a presentation slot at the showcase, likely to be between 10 and 25 minutes long, and a financial contribution. If you accept your slot you will need to organise your presentation (e.g. find performers/musicians) yourself, with the guidance of our BEAM mentor team who will be on hand to help you prepare. The length of presentation slot offered will take into account what format will best serve the work, its stage of development and the artists involved.
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If I’m successful in securing a place at the showcase will you be able to provide any funding to support me?
We will provide a financial contribution towards the costs of presenting at BEAM. The amount of support we can offer you will be made clear when we offer you an opportunity to present at BEAM, so you can decide to accept the offer with knowledge of the financial costs.
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Who can buy tickets to the BEAM Showcase?
BEAM is an industry event and we will invite artistic directors, producers, programmers, funders, higher education colleges, publishers, and anyone else with resources to help develop/stage your show to buy tickets to the event in order to see a diverse presentation of new musical theatre work at all stages of development, from right across the UK in one place. Writers and other creatives are also welcome to attend to connect with the new musical theatre community and see a wide range of work.
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I have more questions!
Please email us at info@mercurymusicals.com. You can also book for our online pitching event where we will answer lots of questions and give tips and advice for pitching.