Australia's Short, Sweet, & Song Fest Accepting Submissions

Australia's Short & Sweet, the self-dubbed "Biggest Little Play Festival in the World" led by Artistic Director Mark Cleary, has launched Short, Sweet & Song, an offshoot showcase for short original musicals. The showcase's inaugural outing was this past February, and consisted of ten mini-musicals culled from all over the world. The musicals were presented as a group for a seven-performance run at the Parade Playhouse in the Kensington district of Sydney, Australia.
 
Press releases state, "In six years, Short & Sweet has gone from a means of keeping Cleary's 100-seat Newtown Theatre active to a six-week, ninety play, international extravaganza. 'It's like a virus,' he said, with a laugh, of the festival's rapid growth. Cleary's next step is to create versions of Short & Sweet for New Zealand, China, the United Kingdom and the United States, in addition to producing the festival's Sydney, Melbourne and recently launched Singapore editions."
 
Short, Sweet & Song will remain solely a part of the Sydney festival, overseen by Cleary's associate Avigail Herman, a cabaret and musical theater performer who was in the original Australian cast of CATS. Herman currently serves as head of the Music Theater program at the National Institute of Dramatic Art.
 
Submissions to Short, Sweet & Song are short-listed by the festival's staff, and the final program is selected by a group of participating directors. The musicals are fully staged and choreographed with a five-piece band, and are also eligible for Judge's Choice and Audience Choice awards given out on the last evening of the festival. Last year's winners were American entry Building a Wing, book & lyrics by Amanda Yesnowitz (2001 Jonathan Larson grant recipient), music by Michael Ficocelli (Judge's Choice) and A4 2 A3 – Love in a Photocopy Store, book & lyrics by Tom Taylor, music by Simon Barlow (Audience Choice).

Musical theatre writers should submit one copy of the libretto (lyrics included), as complete a demo recording as possible and the festival application form, to soon be posted on www.shortandsweet.org. There are no restrictions on the style or theme of the musical, and the festival will accept submissions from now until late October. Send your entry to:

Short, Sweet & Song
Entries
P.O. Box 462
Newtown, NSW 2042
Australia