Musical Theatre is a key priority for Theatre Royal Stratford East. Our vision is to break new ground with musicals that bring contemporary and urban music into the mainstream of British theatre. The aim is to revitalise the musical form, to create work that is relevant to and informed by today's modern Britain and attract new diverse audiences.
To realise this vision, in 1999 we launched our Musical Theatre Initiative, giving writers and musicians a development process to bring their own voices into the context of theatre, both using words and music or beats. Without such support, there is no natural bridge into musical theatre for much of the music-writing talent that is abundant in Britain today.
THE PROCESS
Central to the Musical Theatre Initiative is the Musical Theatre Workshop. Held every summer, it brings musicians, DJs, rappers, playwrights, spoken word artists, novelists, poets and hip hop artists from around Britain to Theatre Royal Stratford East to work closely with experienced theatre professionals. By the end of the intensive three-week programme, participants have gained the skills to move from writing individual music tracks to understanding the process of creating a full-length musical.
Led by Fred Carl and Robert Lee, two specialist tutors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts (which offers one of the only full-time graduate courses in Musical Theatre in the world), the participants develop their own skills and, through collaboration with other artists, discover what it means to write a short musical. The Musical Theatre Workshop not only provides the opportunity for young writing teams to cut their teeth in musicals, but also to form new creative partnerships.
The Workshop welcomes directors, dramaturgies and producers as observers, who often play an important role in the process. The observers maintain relationships with the participants, watch the process take shape - and with the Theatre's Associate Artists, play a crucial supporting role in continuing the development of any participants who have the potential and aspiration to take to the next step.
THE FUTURE
The Musical Theatre Initiative is a critical part of our mission to develop new voices in British theatre. It is not only critical for us, but also for theatre as a whole. Musical Theatre is an art form that has a special ability to connect with people from all walks of life, and the Musical Theatre Workshop is key to bringing the contemporary and diverse influences that will ensure its future relevance and vitality.
We are interested in hearing from music producers, playwrights, poets, MCs, DJs, novelists, rappers, composers and other professional artists who are interested in fusing their talent and skill into a new kind of contemporary musical.
For further information and details of how to apply for a future Musical Theatre Workshop, please get in touch with Karen Fisher - kfisher@stratfordeast.com.
