Fifty-eight of the new British musicals pitched have been selected to be shared at the biennial industry showcase which be held at Theatre Royal Stratford East on 1 and 2 March. BEAM is designed for anyone in a position to help develop and stage new British musicals to attend, bringing the most exciting musical theatre projects together from around the UK for industry professionals to grab the opportunity to become involved from the early stages of development.
We spoke to organisers, James Hadley and Victoria Saxton, to find out more.
BEAM2018 will showcase in March, what can you tell us about it?
BEAM2018 is a biennial industry showcase of new musical theatre in development, this time sharing 58 new musicals selected from 300 discovered at pitching days held around the UK. For two days – 1st and 2nd March – Theatre Royal Stratford East will be filled with many of the most exciting artists developing new musicals from around the country – many of them reinventing what people expect from a musical. We’re pretty sure it will be the largest showcase of new musicals there’s ever been, given 58 writing teams will be presenting, with the help of around 500 performers.
How does your application process work?
We held an open access application process for artists to pitch their ideas for new musicals, the only restrictions on eligibility were that applicants needed to have professional experience as an artist of some kind (no previous musical theatre writing experience necessary) and the new musical being pitched wasn’t allowed to have already been fully staged in an entirely professional production. An industry panel at each pitching day rated all the pitches and their comments and scores fed into an overall selection process. We were meant to select 40, but the standard was so high we felt we had to squeeze an additional 18 new musicals into the work to be shared.
What will happen on the days, and who’s invited?
The programme is organised into 50-minute-long presentations – either two 25 minute excerpts or five 10 minute pitches. Throughout both days work will be showcased in two spaces at the same time, so attendees will have a choice of what they view. BEAM is designed for anyone in a position to help develop and stage new British musicals to attend, bringing the most exciting musical theatre projects together from around the UK for industry professionals (including producers, theatre venue representatives and funders) to grab the opportunity to become involved from the early stages of development.
How are you promoting equality and diversity at this event?
The selection of work showcased at BEAM rebalances some inequalities within the sector, by ensuring that 50% of the showcased writers are female, and at least 20% of the showcased writers are of colour/BAME heritage.
How will BEAM2018 support the artists selected to take part?
All the writers presenting work at BEAM are being given financial support to participate, including a preparation fee and access to a travel bursary. Each show is given bespoke advice and support – including access to industry mentors. The 25 minute showcase excerpts are given directors, musical directors and a contribution to employ performers to present the work.
What would you say to any aspiring theatre makers reading this?
Opportunities to develop and stage new musicals are improving, but it’s still a long journey from inspiration to getting something fully staged. Sometimes you have to make things happen yourself to convince others of the potential of your project. Be prepared to play the long game – persistence is all!
More information on BEAM2018 can be found here.
