Paul Taylor-Mills announces MTFestUK shows

The Turbine Theatre’s artistic director Paul Taylor-Mills has announced the shows chosen to feature in the programme for next month’s MTFestUK, a celebration of new musical theatre.

Running from 3-15 February 2020 at the newly opened venue on the banks of the Thames in Battersea, the second MTFestUK will feature eight semi-staged productions.

Unveiling the line-up for this year’s festival, Taylor-Mills said: “I’m absolutely thrilled with the line-up for our second MTFestUK which will be housed in my new home: the Turbine Theatre at Battersea Power Station.

“This year sees us working with an exciting and emerging theatre, a host of first-time writers and Olivier Award-winning teams. Importantly, the content of all eight shows, and the stories we set out to tell, represent the world we’re currently living in.

“We’ve listened to over 150 musicals and have made a commitment to give over 100 hours of free space to projects that would benefit from the time to move their work forward.”

The eight pieces chosen to form the centrepiece of the festival, the Taster Menu are:

• Southern Comfort, music by Julianne Wick Davis, book and lyrics by Dan Collins, directed by Sophia Murphy
• Jet Set Go!, music and lyrics by Pippa Cleary, book and lyrics by Jake Brunger, directed by Luke Sheppard
• Soapdish, Music by George Stiles, lyrics by Anthony Drewe, book by Robert Harling
• The Assassination Of Katie Hopkins, written by Chris Bush and Matt Winkworth, directed by James Grieve, first presented by Theatre Clwyd
• Coldfront, directed and lyrics by Poppy Burton Morgan, music by Jason Carr
• Eurobeat: Pride Of Europe, written by Craig Christie, directed by Max Bex Roberts
• Tyrell, written by Alex Ratner, directed by Simon Greiff
• Works Of Art, music and lyrics by Robin Simões Da Silva, book by Annabel Mutale Reed, directed by Annabelle Hollingdale

The showcase event for new work by both emerging and established writers, also includes Tea For Two – a programme of intimate and frank afternoon conversations with Taylor-Mills and some of the industry’s most celebrated musical theatre practitioners and Night Caps – an informal late-night concerts series getting to know some of the country’s eminent musical theatre stars through the songs that shaped them, songs they might never get to sing, and songs from new works.

Taylor-Mills previously oversaw the inaugural MTFestUK at his previous home The Other Palace in February 2019.

Presented by Bill Kenwright and founded and led by Taylor-Mills, the Turbine Theatre is an intimate theatre space under the Grosvenor Bridge railway arches at Circus West Village, part of the first chapter in the regeneration of the iconic Battersea Power Station.

The venue’s inaugural season opened in August 2019 with a hit production of Harvey Fierstein’s classic Torch Song followed by the UK premiere of Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity and the venue’s first family show, The Cat In The Hat.

Angela Thomas