Kate Marlais Announced as The Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer at the Lyric Hammersmith

Musical Theatre Network & Mercury Musical Developments & Lyric Hammersmith are delighted to announce that Kate Marlais will be The Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer at the Lyric Hammersmith commencing March 2018.

"Being selected as the next Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer is an invaluable opportunity for me at this stage in my composing career. The Lyric really is an incredible place - not just a theatre producing and welcoming eclectic, bold, provoking work, but also a buzzing community hub for engagement and education. I'm so excited to be working in such an inspiring environment, and hope to gain a huge amount from my time there. Thank you to the Lyric, the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer scheme, to Musical Theatre Network, and to Mercury Musical Development who are a constant support within the industry for emerging composers." Kate Marlais, Composer

"We are delighted that a composer as talented, multi-faceted and passionate as Kate Marlais will be joining us as a Cameron Macintosh resident composer in 2018. We look forward to her creative response to the exciting range of work that awaits her here at the Lyric" Sean Holmes, Artistic Director, Lyric Hammersmith.

Through this scheme musical theatre composers are paired with a venue, and given the opportunity to be involved in a range of work which could include underscoring plays, setting text to music or creating their own piece of new work. Recent venues have included the Royal Shakespeare Company, Curve, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Bristol Old Vic, the Mercury, Colchester and New Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich. Kate Marlais is the fifth of five placements that MTN and MMD have facilitated over 2015-18 thanks to the generosity of the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation.

Kate studied Music with a Composition Major at King's College London, under the mentorship of classical composers Robert Keeley and Silvina Milstein, having previously studied under tuition of composer-in-residence Bernard Hughes at the Lady Eleanor Holles School. Whilst at university, her works were performed by several classical instrumentalists, including oboist Chris Redgate, and conducted by award-winning Odaline de la Martinez. She also trained as a classical singer at King's, singing with the National Youth Choir of Great Britain and the Bach Choir, then later gained a postgraduate degree in Musical Theatre at the Royal Academy of Music.

Recent compositional works: Here, a folk/classical musical co-written and co-composed with Alex Young, won the S & S Award in 2015, in conjunction with Curve Leicester and Mercury Musical Developments - judges included Nikolai Foster (Curve Leicester), Nica Burns (Nimax) and Kent Nicholson (Playwrights Horizons, New York). Here is inspired by German dada artist Kurt Schwitters, who invented his own collage-
based art form, Merz. When he was declared 'degenerate' by the Nazis, he found refuge on a small farm in Cumbria, and began what would be his final art piece. Recent showings and developments of Here include - Curve Leicester, The Other Palace, University of Cumbria, Guildford School of Acting and the Royal Academy of Music.

The pair's new musical F**ked In Marrakech is currently in development. Kate is also creating a song cycle with synth-pop artist Grace Lightman, and her own electronica musical I Cannot Make Noise When I Scream exploring psychosis and the dream state.
Recently, Kate was Music Assistant to composer/producers Karl Hyde (Underworld) and Matthew Herbert on Frantic Assembly's Fatherland (created by Scott Graham, Simon Stephens and Karl Hyde - commissioned and produced by Manchester International Festival, the Royal Exchange Theatre, Lyric Hammersmith and LIFT.

Performing credits include: War Horse (New London Theatre, West End), The Human Comedy (Young Vic), Extra Yarn (Orange Tree), The Immortal Hour (Finborough Theatre) and The Busy Body (Southwark Playhouse). Kate has also been Musical Supervisor on various musical and theatre projects.

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