Book Music & Lyrics
About Book Music & Lyrics
A programme of ongoing workshops for the creation, crafting and development of musical theatre writing.
www. bookmusicandlyrics.com
Book Music & Lyrics Description
The BML Workshop is the UK’s premier training ground for emerging musical theatre writers. Participants of the programme hone their skills in songwriting, storytelling and stagecraft in a collaborative and professionally orientated workshop series. The workshops' focus is developing participants' individual creative voices, through instilling both an excellence of craft knowledge and the confidence to approach creative challenges in a personal and distinctive way.
The programme was established by musical theatre veteran David James, a former member of the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Workshop in New York. The workshops are led by David, Jason Carr, David Firman and Tim Sutton, and guest facilitators have included Terry Davies, Charles Hart, Jeremy Sams, Susan H. Shulman, David Spenser, George Stiles, Richard Stilgoe and Mark Warman.
Members and alumni of the workshop have worked with a wide range of theatres (RNT, Soho, Lowry, Watermill, Jermyn Street, Watford Palace, the Lyric Hammersmith), production companies (NITRO, DreamArts, YMT, Tete a Tete, Iris), and schools (E15, Guildhall, Goldsmiths, St Paul’s CE Primary in London, The MTA). Members of the workshop live and work throughout the UK.
Supported by the PRS for Music Foundation and Mercury Musical Developments.
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Calling all Composers! Come to BML!
The 20th Anniversary Cast Recording of “Alice The Musical” was released in December and is sold in aid of Children’s Heartbeat Trust (Northern Ireland’s children’s heart charity). It is available to download online in all the usual stores (iTunes https://apple.co/2RrWe6a
Applications are OPEN. Make sure you apply by January 25th!
Dear Natasha,
I would love you to catch Drip, a one-man musical comedy by writer Tom Wells and composer Matthew Robins, and if you can also support us by spreading the word among your networks or on social media that would be wonderful.
Drip is a wilfully silly show that also has an ache at its heart – the ache of being an outsider. We made it with LGBTQI young people in Hull for Hull UK City of Culture.
... We have set up a discount code for this week: you can get £5 off tickets with the code DRIPMATES.
Best, Jane
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BOOK Music & Lyrics is now accepting applications for its 2019 Librettist & First Year Composer/Lyricist workshops. Apply before 25th January 2019 at http://www.bookmusicandlyrics.com/apply Or Email admin@bookmusicandlyrics.com for application forms and more information. *BOOK Music & Lyrics* is the UK’s only professional development programme for musical theatre, running weekly 2 hour workshops to develop and foster craft skills specific to musical theatre for emerging and ...experienced practitioners. Whether you’ve written hundreds of musicals or just starting out and looking to work more collaboratively, this is a place hone your craft with your peers. Regular and guest facilitators include: Jason Carr, Tim Sutton, Mark Warman, David Firman, David James, George Stiles, Jeremy Sams, Sir Richard Stilgoe, Charles Hart, Sarah Travis, Elliot Davis, Gary Yershon, Jonathan Butterell and Anthony Drewe. ‘I can thoroughly recommend BML’s programme. Not only is there a very high standard of writing from many of the participants – but my own interaction working as a facilitator with fellow writers has revealed much about the process of my own writing. Even if you’ve had some success, the learning goes on forever if you’re going to stay fresh. There are some great facilitators, fascinating writers and nothing beats the pressure of a new song each week.’ – George Stiles Contact admin@bookmusicandlyrics.com with any questions and don’t forget to apply before 25th January 2019!
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Streetwise Opera seeks an Artistic Director
We are seeking an experienced and inspiring Artistic Director
Streetwise Opera is an award-winning performing arts charity for people who are or have been homeless. We run creative p...rogrammes in five regions across England and stage critically-acclaimed operas.
Our most recent production, Tell Me The Truth About Love (Sage Gateshead, April 2018) in partnership with Royal Northern Sinfonia, was described as ‘a powerful and inspiring show’ (The Guardian) and ‘a joyous and passionate celebration’ (The Stage).
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• BOOK Music & Lyrics, the only professional development laboratory for musical theatre practitioners in the UK, will be holding free open ‘Taster’ sessions on Tuesday, 20th November and November 27th 2018 from 6-8 p.m. The first session on 20th November will be held at the KODO Studio at Diorama Arts Centre, 201 Drummond Street, Regents Place, London, NW1 3FE (nearby tubes include Warren Street, Euston Square, Great Portland Street, Euston Underground & Overground, Regents P...ark, Kings Cross Underground & Overground) before it begins accepting applications for next year’s programme on 1 December. The venue for the session on the 27th November is TBC.
• BML (www.bookmusicandlyrics.com) currently runs regular groups for 1st year composers & lyricists, 2nd year composers & lyricists, advanced composers & lyricists, and librettists,
• This session will include Mark Warman (regularly leader of the advanced workshop) and Elliot Davis (Loserville, etc)
• If you would like to reserve a place, please contact admin@bookmusicandlyrics.com
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LAST MAN STANDING
In Flanders fields, where poppies blow
Between the headstones, row on row,
... I stumble through the scarlet snow
In search of friends I used to know...
Dear Friends and Colleagues
As some of you are aware, I am fortunate enough to have been commissioned by the outstanding British composer Cheryl Frances-Hoad to write the libretto for her new Song Cycle for the baritone singer Marcus Farnsworth and the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Our World Premiere is at the Barbican Hall in London on Friday 30th November at 7.30pm, as part of the national season of Armistice centenary commemorations. Also on the programme are Vaughn Williams's 4th Symphony (1935), which draws on his experiences in the Great War and Arnold Bax's tone poem 'November Woods', written in 1917 - the year of Verdun and Passchendale. The concert will be conducted by Martyn Brabbins.
It is an honour to be in such august company, both in terms of composers and artists, and Cheryl and I are very excited to hear our work performed by such outstanding musicians.
If you are interested in coming to the concert, then tickets can be purchased via the Barbican website on this link. https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats…/2018 /event/bbc-sobrabbins
I am very proud of our piece and do hope that some of you will be able to join us at the Barbican for the premiere.
If not, wish us luck - this is a big deal!
All best to all,
Tamsin C x
www.tamsincollison.co.uk
@lovearhyme
'Last Man Standing'
Marcus Farnsworth & BBC Symphony Orchestra
Friday 30th November 2018. Barbican Hall, Silk St London EC2Y 8DS
Composer: Cheryl Frances Hoad. Librettist: Tamsin Collison.
https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats…/2018 /event/bbc-sobrabbins
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Apply today for the BML Directing Musical Theatre Workshop!
BOOK Music & Lyrics (BML) is launching the UK’s first ongoing professional development workshop for directors wanting to explore the specific craft skills for directing musical theatre, with a grant from Arts Council England
The programme of 8 sessions, to be led by eminent directors Jonathan Butterell and Jeremy Sams, will run on Saturday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. between 27 October and 15 December. Sessions will be ...held in the Platform space at the Young Vic London.
The sessions will immerse the members in the form and the repertoire, how the scene and the song can be expressed in dramatic momentum. Working with a musical director and appropriate performers, various musical scenes will be put on their feet. Later in the term, a choreographer might sit in to add to the collaborative dialog.
While this module will focus on estabilshied texts, a further module is foreseen for next year, focusing on developing new work.
There are eight places in the workshop and we would like a lively mix in the room. The closing date for applications is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 October, and there will be short interviews for finalists either 13 or 14 October. The cost of the programme is £160 for the 8 sessions. Please send a CV and a short letter of why you’re interested in musical theatre directing to admin@bookmusicandlyrics.com. Successful applicants must commit to all 8 sessions.
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BOOK Music & Lyrics (BML) is launching the UK’s first ongoing professional development workshop for directors wanting to explore the specific craft skills for directing musical theatre, with a grant from Arts Council England
The programme of 8 sessions, to be led by eminent directors Jonathan Butterell and Jeremy Sams, will run on Saturday afternoons from 1-4 p.m. between 27 October and 15 December. Sessions will be held in the Platform space at the Young Vic London.
The se...ssions will immerse the members in the form and the repertoire, how the scene and the song can be expressed in dramatic momentum. Working with a musical director and appropriate performers, various musical scenes will be put on their feet. Later in the term, a choreographer might sit in to add to the collaborative dialog.
While this module will focus on estabilshied texts, a further module is foreseen for next year, focusing on developing new work.
There are eight places in the workshop and we would like a lively mix in the room. The closing date for applications is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, 10 October, and there will be short interviews for finalists either 13 or 14 October. The cost of the programme is £160 for the 8 sessions. Please send a CV and a short letter of why you’re interested in musical theatre directing to admin@bookmusicandlyrics.com. Successful applicants must commit to all 8 sessions.
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BML's administrator Paul Alexander Boyd is stepping down from his post in the next few weeks, and here he is hard at work on one of the projects he is moving on to!
All of our workshop leaders have the most incredible musical legacies, and the joy of BML membership is weekly access to these amazing people passing their legacies on to the next generation of writers, composers, and lyricists!
Currently on Netflix, the complete two series of the seminal "Victoria Wood - As Seen on TV", musically directed by Second Year Composer/Lyricist workshop leader David Firman!
Congratulations to BML members Jim Barne, Kit Buchan, Gavin Brock - announced as finalists for this year's Stiles and Drewe Mentorship Award!
Further congrats to Jim and Kit, and to Rachel Bellman - finalists in this year's Stiles and Drewe New Song Prize!
A request from member Michael Conley!
Congratulations to BML writers Michael Conley and Richie Hughes whose musical SUPERHERO won "Best New Musical" at last night's Offies awards! Michael Rouse also won "Best Male in a Musical" for his performance in the show.
We are so proud of everything our writers achieve!
You can read about the show online at http://www.bookmusicandlyrics.com/superhe ro
Great work from all 6 of our writers/writing teams that presented a showcase of their work today at Crazy Coqs at Live At Zedel!
Our second year showcase is underway at Crazy Coqs! A packed house is enjoying great new material from last year’s second year workshop participants!