The Other Palace is pleased to announce that MTFestUK returns in 2025 to showcase four new musicals over two weeks, from 4 – 17 April, at The Other Palace Studio.
MTFestUK is a unique annual festival dedicated to spotlighting fresh and innovative musical theatre, having launched in 2019. This year’s lineup features four new productions, workshopped and presented in 1-hour sharings encouraging audiences to support, explore and engage with new musical theatre in its earliest stages of development.
Paul Taylor-Mills, Artistic Director at The Other Palace said: “I’m so proud of how MTFestUK has grown over the years, consistently bringing us new works that push the boundaries of musical theatre. It’s thrilling to see MTFestUK continuing to inspire and excite us with its annual celebration of innovative musical theatre. Each year, the festival introduces us to extraordinary new works, many of which have gone on to become fully staged productions. It’s a vital platform for nurturing creativity and inviting audiences to explore the future of musical theatre.”
This year’s pieces include a diverse variety of titles and themes including:
Love Can
Written by Charli Eglinton
Directed by Dean Johnson
Musical Directed by Jenny Deacon
A vending machine can quench your thirst.
What if it could mend your heart?
In a hidden corner of Central London, a curious vending machine “Love Can” offers something extraordinary: temporary companions to fill the gaps in your life – a partner, a parent, a great boss. Even a lost loved one…
Love Can is a vibrant, bittersweet anthology of four stories, exploring love, loneliness, and hope in a world where true connections feel impossible to find.
MORE
Written by Mahlon Prince
‘More’ reimagines ‘Great Expectations’ in modern-day London, blending hip-hop, soul and R&B as a soundtrack to this classic coming-of-age story. Pip is a young man of Caribbean descent, orphaned not by death, but by the bureaucratic nightmare of the Windrush Scandal trapping his parents in legal limbo. Raised by his sister and her partner, Pip dreams of a better life. When he encounters wealthy, eccentric Miss Havisham and her daughter Estella, he’s drawn into a world of privilege, love, and betrayal. Through his rise and fall, he pursues ambition, redemption and a place to belong.
NERDS
Music by Hal Goldberg
Book and Lyrics by Jordan Allen-Dutton & Erik Weiner
NERDS reboots the story of Bill Gates and Steve Jobs in a hilarious musical comedy about the birth of the digital age. Follow these two misfit geniuses as they battle, innovate, and rise from humble garage beginnings to global tech dominance. With sharp wit, showstopping numbers, and a story packed with heart, NERDS turns the creation of personal computing into an unforgettable theatrical experience. Whether you’re a tech enthusiast or just here for the laughs, this high-energy production will leave you inspired, entertained, and ready to cheer for the inner nerd in all of us.
Theatre Mum
Book by Rory Svensson
Music & Lyrics by Helen Greenham
Directed by Lizzy Connolly
Musical Directed by Helen Greenham
Kit is stuck in a rut. A Musical Theatre actor with an immature boyfriend, ten-years in the ensemble and one missed rent payment away from moving back in with her controlling mother, her biggest fan and critic. During a night out, Kit has a drunken fling with her gay friend Ike, and now she can’t stop thinking about him. Unable/unwilling to do a job outside of performing, Kit is determined to land a leading role with the help of her chaotic bestie Vinny and lush agent Judy. The problem is, Kit thinks she’s pregnant.
