The School Musicals Company has teamed up with MMD to create a brand new commissioning opportunity for members of MMD!

Open solely to members, The School Musicals Company will be commissioning a new musical for publication within its Secondary School collection. The musical should be appropriate for performance by children aged 11-16+ within schools and youth theatres, both in the UK and abroad. The initial fee for this commission is £1500 plus generous royalties.

Shows for groups of young performers in this context require specific considerations, so prior to applications opening we are holding an online masterclass with Tom Kirkham, Co-Founder and Publishing Director of The School Musicals Company. This session will explore some of these considerations and give guidance on writing a musical for secondary-age performers with a view to publication. If you’re at all interested in writing for schools or youth groups, this is not to be missed!

Members interested in applying for the commission must attend the masterclass before doing so, and information on how to apply will be given to attendees after the masterclass. Submissions requirements are likely to include a short synopsis of the show, a scene and two songs. If a member cannot attend the live session, the recording can be accessed upon request for one week after the live event (until 30th April). Aside from the secondary school commission, The School Musicals Company is also interested in meeting writers for future projects.

Topics that will be covered in the masterclass include;

• The choice and nature of the subject matter and story
• Themes
• Structure and duration
• Breadth of roles and nature of characters
• Dialogue – purpose and distribution
• Songwriting – parameters and purpose
• Incidental music
• Rehearsing and staging considerations
• Publishing process

Applications for the commission will open the morning after the Masterclass – April 24th at 10am and the deadline for submission is May 21st at 10am.