Musical Theatre Network (MTN), Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) and Theatr Clywd have announced the first musical theatre writing team to benefit from The Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer Scheme.
Caitlyn Burt and Amir Shoenfeld will become the first Cameron Mackintosh Resident Musical Theatre Writers from June when they begin their placement at Theatr Clywd which becomes the first Welsh venue to take part in the scheme.
Commenting on their placement, the award-winning London-based writers Burt and Shoenfeld said: “We are thrilled to be selected as the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Writing Team at Theatr Clwyd. At a time when our industry’s resources are particularly scarce, we are especially grateful to Theatr Clwyd, Mercury Musical Developments, Musical Theatre Network and the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation for this rare opportunity, and their unfailing support for new writing. We look forward to developing our musical while learning from and collaborating with such a community-focused organisation as Theatr Clwyd.”
Theatr Clywd’s artistic director Tamara Harvey said: “One of the most exciting things for us as a company is having artists in our building, becoming part of the fabric of who we are and bringing their own insights to all that we do.
“Caitlyn and Amir are not only hugely exciting musical theatre writers but also bring a wealth of experience from different nations and forms of music making. It’s an amazing thing, particularly in these times, to be working with Mercury Musical Developments, Musical Theatre Network and the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation on such a forward looking and innovative residency.”
The Cameron Mackintosh Foundation-backed development scheme pairs musical theatre composers with venues giving the recipients the opportunity to be involved in a range of work which could include underscoring plays, setting text to music or creating their own new work.
Launched in 2011, the scheme has awarded paid placements to 16 musical theatre writers to date with venues involved in the scheme have including the Royal Shakespeare Company, Dundee Rep, Lyric Hammersmith, Leeds Playhouse, Curve, British Youth Music Theatre, the New Wolsey Theatre, Hope Mill Theatre and The Lowry.
Announcing the residency, Emily Gray, the executive director of MMD said: “Amir and Caitlyn are the perfect team for this residency, as they have so much to give the Theatr Clwyd community, as well as being ready and open to learn from them.
“At MMD we have supported both Amir and Caitlyn over recent years as they have developed their individual voices as well as forming a creative and productive writing partnership. We are excited to see how their new musical theatre work develops and how they embrace this opportunity with their talent and energy.”
James Hadley, MTN executive director, added: “We’ve received requests in the past from two-person writing teams wanting to apply for Resident Composer placements, but not wanted the fee to be divided in half.
“Thanks to the support of the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation, we’ve now been able to offer this placement with two individuals each receiving the full fee towards their living costs while taking up this professional development opportunity.
“Locating a placement in Wales is long overdue, and Theatr Clwyd is the perfect venue for this, with its strong track record for staging innovative new musical theatre.”
Angela Thomas
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