BEAM Showcase
Musical Theatre Network, Mercury Musical Developments and Oxford Playhouse are delighted to announce that tickets are now on sale for BEAM2023, the fourth presentation of the biennial industry showcase of new British musical theatre.
BEAM2023 is the UK’s biggest showcase of new musical theatre. This exhilarating two-day event showcases the most exciting, bold, diverse and high-quality new musicals being created. Selected from an extensive nationwide search, excerpts from 29 shows in development will be presented, alongside provocative and insightful panel discussions, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities. BEAM2023 will take place on 25th and 26th May at Oxford Playhouse, running from 10am to 6pm each day.
As the largest gathering of the UK new musical theatre community, BEAM2023 brings together producers, writers, composers, venues, investors, agents and development partners for two days of inspiring content. To date, over 35 musicals from previous BEAMs have gone on to be fully staged, including new West End arrival Operation Mincemeat.
Previous BEAMs, taking place in 2016, 2018 and 2021, assembled an unprecedented number, diversity and geographical spread of musical theatre writing teams from around the UK and facilitated numerous connections, commissions and collaborations. Over 60% of shows presented have gone on to further development opportunities as a result of BEAM. Writers and shows featuring in BEAM2023 will be announced in late March.
We are grateful to our funders, past and present, our 2023 host Oxford Playhouse and all our pitching day venue partners, our production staff and supporters, our members, everyone who has previously pitched or booked to attend BEAM, and most of all to our talented BEAM participant artists, for their talent and generosity – #BEAMisBack!
“After our showcase of ‘The Season’ at BEAM 2018 we found ourselves in conversation with several theatres and producers – conversations we could otherwise never have hoped to hold. As a result, two independent producers agreed to collaborate on the show, which will now receive its first production at Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and New Wolsey, Ipswich, in November 2019. We also secured an agent off the back of the event and subsequently won the Stiles & Drewe Mentorship Award 2018 – a monumental injection of energy which we might not have even applied for without the confidence and encouragement we derived from BEAM. It is almost impossible to exaggerate the significance that moment had on our careers. BEAM has inspired much-needed confidence in the potential of our material, and our ability to produce professional, individual work.”
Jim Barne & Kit Buchan, composer & lyricist/librettist
“BEAM 2018 gave our new musical adaptation of William Nicholson’s ‘The Wind Singer’ a shop window in the musical theatre marketplace, at a very early stage, and before we knew it there were producers and publishers interested. The Royal Shakespeare Company have given us research and development time and the Hosking Houses Trust gave us somewhere to stay in Stratford – that’s the kind of incentive every writer needs. We are also now working with director Lotte Wakeham and will be doing a closed workshop for the RSC. Thank you BEAM!”
Teresa Howard & Sarah Llewellyn, lyricist/librettist & composer
