Musical Theatre Network (MTN) and Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) have announced the 29 musicals to be showcased at BEAM2023 next month.
Over two days on 25 and 26 May, the Oxford Playhouse will play host to the UK’s biggest showcase of new musical theatre. The event which is being held outside of London for the first time will feature excerpts from the 29 shows chosen, following an extensive nationwide search alongside panel discussions, interactive workshops and networking opportunities.
Unveiling the line-up of shows, MMD’s executive director Natalia Scorer said: “BEAM is a vital platform for exciting new shows to be discovered. These 29 new musicals have been chosen from 265 pitches from around the UK and we are really looking forward to sharing this content and talent with the wider industry. BEAM is an excellent chance to bring the industry together to have important conversations about opportunities and pathways to developing new work, and to spark ideas and collaborations.”
MTN’s executive director James Hadley added: “BEAM was developed to meet the industry’s need for a more efficient way of talent spotting and gaining an overview of the most promising musical theatre writers and projects in development. The new musical theatre landscape is like an iceberg – most musicals take at least five years to develop, so the vast majority are below the surface for years. As a result, we found many in the industry are only aware of a small percentage of the talented writers seeking to bring their musicals up to the surface, and BEAM is our way of changing that.’’
On behalf of the Oxford Playhouse, interim chief executive officer Jamie Chapman Dixon said: “We are excited to work alongside MMD and MTN to bring BEAM2023 to the Oxford Playhouse this spring. We have a strong history of commissioning new work and hosting this year’s showcase seemed like the perfect fit for our goals and ambitions.”
The BEAM2023 shows are:
#50Days by Thabo Stuck
Becoming Nigella by Emily Rose Simons
Benny and the Greycats by Suzanne Gorman, Mike Gorman and Riz Maslen of MAYA Productions
The Boy Who Sailed the Ocean In An Armchair by Jordan Li-Smith based on the novel by Lara Williamson
Chosen by Dominic Varney and Taiyo Yoshida
CLIFFS by Elan Butler
Cocktails in the Departure Lounge by Lisa Kerr, Anne Odeke and Emma Jerrold
Coming Back Around by David Fallon and Fraser Scott
The Edge of Me by Finn Anderson
Feet Keep Me Flyin’ by Jack Evans, Jude Obermüller and David Gomez
FLITCH by Clare Packham and Fintan Kealy
The Garden by Chisara Agor
Heavenly Bodies by Finn Beames
The Highwayman by Kitty Morgan
Lovestruck by James Cooper and Bryn Christopher
Mallory On The Mountain by Ollie Mills
Mind Your Business! by Gemma Lees
MissAdventures by Francesca Goodridge, Daniel Lloyd, Emma Reeves and Dylan Townley
Music and Freedom by Tim Gilvin and Grace Taylor based on the novel by Zoë Morrison
Once Upon A Carnival by Leian John-Baptiste, Perry Melius and Triniboi Joocie
The Optician of Lampedusa by Tim Connor
Otto Weidt’s Brush & Broom Workshop for the Blind by Amir Shoenfeld and Caityln Burt
Pigeons by Celia Cruwys-Finnigan and Lucy Keirl
Ratburger by Robert White based on the book by David Walliams
SCHOLL by Ella Grace
Seashore Yuánfèn海缘 by Nemo杉本 Martin, Zhui Ning Chang and Nimrita Kaur
Song of the Far Isles by Matt Borgatti, Mary Erskine and Will Dollard of Goblin Theatre
The Wife of Michael Cleary by Maz O’Connor
Ukulele Days: a new musical by Amy Clare Tasker
BEAM is a key part of Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network’s mission to support the development of new musical theatre. It is a two-day showcase event, preceded by a series of pitching days through which new work and artists are identified.
BEAM is designed to encourage and develop musical theatre across the UK, discovering and supporting diverse approaches to the art form, connecting practitioners and finding champions for original work.
Previous BEAMs were held in 2016, 2018 and 2021. To date, over 60% of the musicals showcased have gone on to be fully staged or received further development support as a result of BEAM.
BEAM is co-produced by Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments, with support through Arts Council England.
Angela Thomas
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