BEAM2020 Returns as the UK's Leading Industry Showcase of New Musical Theatre

Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments, in partnership with Royal & Derngate, Northampton, today announce the dates of BEAM2020, the third presentation of their biennial industry showcase of new British musical theatre, and that it will take place outside London for the first time.

The decision for BEAM2020, a key fixture within the development of new musical theatre in the UK, to happen in Northampton reflects the nation-wide re-balancing of where new musicals are developed and discovered, with the vast majority of new British musicals first staged outside London, and regionally produced premieres responsible for most British musicals playing in the West End ('Six' premiered in Cambridge, 'Everybody's Talking About Jamie' in Sheffield, 'Matilda The Musical' in Stratford, and 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole 13 ¾' in Leicester). BEAM has previously been staged in London in March 2016 and 2018, both significant for bringing together an unprecedented number, diversity and geographical spread of musical theatre writing teams from around the UK, to present their new musicals in development to those in the industry with resources to further develop or stage these musicals. To date over 20 of the musicals shared at BEAM have gone on to be fully staged, and writers have found producers, venue partners, investors, agents and development partners as direct results from their presentations at BEAM.

Alongside presentations of around 35 new musicals in development, BEAM includes masterclasses, networking opportunities, and panel discussions. It's the largest marketplace of its kind - bringing together key industry figures and talent. BEAM will contribute to three years of developing new musical theatre by a consortium led by Royal & Derngate, funded by an Ambition for Excellence grant from Arts Council England.

What sets BEAM aside from other showcases of new work is that the producers travel around the UK to find promising new writing talent and musicals. The first stage of BEAM is made up of 17 pitching days spread across venues around the UK where creative teams developing new musicals can pitch their ideas (around 300 new musicals are expected to be pitched). From these a nationally representative selection will be offered financial assistance to present their work to the industry at the BEAM2020 showcase at Royal & Derngate on 26th and 27th March 2020. BEAM pitching days will begin on 18th September at the Bush Theatre, London, and include venues in Leicester, Glasgow, Ipswich, London, Cardiff, Leeds, Southampton and Manchester. MMD and MTN are also delighted to announce the addition of several new Pitching Day venues including Birmingham Hippodrome, Hackney Empire and Graeae Theatre Company.

MMD and MTN want to hear from anyone with an idea for a new musical, or who is already developing one, to pitch for inclusion in BEAM2020. The only eligibility criteria is that at least 50% of the writing team must be resident in the UK, and at least one of the writers must have a track record as a professional artist - but no previous experience of developing a musical is necessary. Please see below for full information on locations and dates of pitching days. More information and online registration forms to pitch can be found at http://www.mercurymusicals.com/what-we-do/beam-2020/ to apply before 9th September. The organisations are also holding two free 'How to Pitch Masterclasses' in Manchester on 23rd July and in London on 10th September.

"After our showcase of 'The Season' at BEAM2018 we found ourselves in conversation with several theatres and producers - conversations we could otherwise never have hoped to hold. As a result, two independent producers agreed to collaborate on the show, which will now receive its first production at Royal & Derngate, Northampton, and New Wolsey, Ipswich, in November 2019. We also secured an agent off the back of the event and subsequently won the Stiles & Drewe Mentorship Award - a monumental injection of energy which we might not have even applied for without the confidence and encouragement we derived from BEAM. It is almost impossible to exaggerate the significance that moment had on our careers. BEAM has inspired much-needed confidence in the potential of our material, and our ability to produce professional, individual work." - Jim Barne & Kit Buchan, writers of 'The Season'

"BEAM2018 gave our new musical adaptation of William Nicholson's 'The Wind Singer' a shop window in the musical theatre marketplace, at a very early stage, and before we knew it there were producers and publishers interested. The Royal Shakespeare Company have given us research and development time and the Hosking Houses Trust gave us somewhere to stay in Stratford - that's the kind of incentive every writer needs. We are also now working with director Lotte Wakeham and will be doing a closed workshop for the RSC. Thank you BEAM!" - Teresa Howard & Sarah Llewellyn, writers of 'The Wind Singer'

Executive Director of MMD, Victoria Saxton, said today "Showcases like BEAM are vital for writers of new musical theatre to get their work in front of the right people. People often ask 'where is the British Hamilton or Fun Home?' Well, you'll find it at BEAM! The issue in the UK is no longer the talent, the issue now is how to nurture and develop that talent. BEAM 2018 and 2016 demonstrated there is enough exceptional new work in the UK to fill theatres twice over. The two previous BEAM's have been enormous successes, with over two thirds of work presented going on to be workshopped, produced or commissioned. BEAM2020 is going to be even bigger and better. We can't wait to show the industry the talent we have here in the UK and for the industry to come together to work out how to effectively develop and produce that work. "

Executive Director of MTN, James Hadley said today, ''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 around 5 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.''

James Dacre, Artistic Director of Royal & Derngate, said, "We are delighted to be partnering with Musical Theatre Network and Mercury Musical Developments to be welcoming BEAM2020 to Royal & Derngate, Northampton as part of our wider commitment to developing and premiering original musical theatre for mid-scale touring. This marks the first time BEAM has taken place outside London, reflecting the key role regional producing theatres throughout the UK play in developing and staging new musicals and championing new musical theatre voices. BEAM is a truly national endeavour with dozens of pitching days taking place all across the country and hundreds of industry professionals giving up their time to ensure the widest possible range of work is represented. We at Royal & Derngate can vouch for the value and quality of work found through this nationwide search: we first became aware of The Season by Jim Barne and East Midlands writer Kit Buchan when it was showcased at BEAM2018 and less than a year later were able to announce that it will premiere here at Royal & Derngate in November."

Tickets for BEAM2020 can be booked by calling Royal & Derngate Box Office on 01604 624811 or online at www.royalandderngate.co.uk.

To post a comment, you must register and login.