London Playwrights' Workshop Launches Women's Musical Theatre Initiative

London Playwrights' Workshop is partnering with musical theatre writing team Barlow & Smith to create the Women's Musical Theatre Initiative (WMTI), a new development programme for female musical theatre writers.

The WMTI will launch with a cabaret 'Celebrating Female Songwriters' at The Pheasantry on 12 February 2018. The evening will be hosted by songwriters Barlow & Smith and will bring together a group of accomplished female songwriters to showcase new writing and to raise funds to support the initiative.

In 2017, The Stage reported that male writers outnumber female writers 9:1 in musical theatre, with women underrepresented as lyricists, bookwriters, and particularly as composers.

The Women's Musical Theatre Initiative (WMTI) aims to redress that imbalance.

The WMTI programme will have three strands:

1. Showcases for talented women artists - gaining exposure for female writers and helping those in the industry find and connect with new talent

2. Masterclasses for intermediate/advanced artists - helping them develop their skills and build their networks

3. An introductory writers workshop - encouraging more women to get into writing musical theatre, and give them the support and challenge to develop their skills

The writing showcases will launch in 2018, with the masterclass and workshop programmes starting in 2019.

The launch cabaret, 'Celebrating Female Songwriters' on 12 February features an impressive lineup of artists. The full songwriter lineup includes:

• Rebecca Applin (Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer 2017, BAFTA nominated)
• Bella Barlow (Dream Queen Cabaret with Janie Dee at Globe Theatre)
• Izo Fitzroy (Skyline album - gospel/blues)
• Rosabella Gregory (City Stories - Brits Off Broadway Festival NYC)
• Kate Marlais (Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer 2018 at Lyric Hammersmith)
• Maimuna Memon (Electrolyte; as performer - Mary Magdalene in Jesus Christ Superstar at Regent's Park, Lazarus)
• Zara Nunn (PRS For Music Foundation Award Winner, In Versions)
• Susannah Pearse (Jabberwocky with YMT)
• A.C. Smith (Lock and Key at VAULT Festival)
• Alex Young (Winner of S&S Award 2015; as performer - Young Sally in Follies at National Theatre)

The evening will feature new material, showcasing the talents of these songwriters, alongside some more established beloved classic songs written by female songwriters that have provided influence or inspiration.

They will be joined by special guest Caroline Sheen (Mary Poppins, Helen Hayes Award).

Other performing guests will be announced nearer the date of the cabaret.

All profits will go to support the running of WMTI workshop programmes.

London Playwrights' Workshop Director A.C. Smith says: 'I was shocked to read the statistics reported in The Stage. It seemed like female musical theatre writers were practically invisible. My immediate thought was: we have to do something about this. As someone who works in 'straight' theatre and as also a book/writer lyricist, it's been consistently surprising to me to see how far behind musical theatre has lagged in terms of achieving more equal representation of women and BAME artists. It saddens me to think how many talented voices aren't being heard - either because their talents weren't taken seriously and developed, and may never have been tapped in the first place."

A.C. Smith reached out to her songwriting partner, composer Bella Barlow, and they agreed they could do something about this.

Bella Barlow says: 'We've been developing this idea for six months. We wanted to do something a bit different and mix things up. We also want to make sure that some of the incredible writers we've met get their work seen more widely. We've already had amazing support from people in the industry. We're really looking forward to a great night of music at the launch, and hopefully seeing genuine change in the industry as the programme finds its feet.'

London Playwrights' Workshop felt like a natural home and partner for the WMTI.

A.C. Smith says: 'London Playwrights' Workshop was set up to encourage and develop writers. Our team has loved being to be able to support writers' development through events like the Dark Horse Festival, which was funded by the Arts Council, and our active blog which has over 5,000 writers visit each month. LPW's viewpoint is that no writer should be left without the resources to develop their craft, and encouraging writers from all backgrounds is the best way to ensure the most artistically vibrant theatre scene possible. It's exciting be able to expand this platform into an area where support is needed through establishing the Women's Musical Theatre Initiative."

London Playwrights' Workshop is a not-for-profit company run by playwrights for playwrights, that was set up to support emerging writers in achieving their artistic and career goals. It is run by Director A.C. Smith and Head of Writer Development Kimberley Andrews, who together co-founded London Playwrights' Blog in 2013. In 2016, they produced the Dark Horse Festival at London Writers' Week with support from Arts Council England, showcasing work from writers Sonali Bhattacharyya, Sophia Chapadjiev, Eva Edo, John Murray and Ash Sohoye. LPW runs workshops and events targeted and emerging writers, and the organisation's popular blog, which shares advice and opportunities, is visited by over 5,000 writers per month. In 2017, the organisation launched a members scheme, where for the price of a cup of coffee per month writers can gain access to special advice, online masterclasses and workshop initiatives (with a skillshare option available for those unable to pay). LPW works daily to empower writers to support each other and create their own work. The organisation's hope is to democratise the industry, ensuring that the most talented voices can access advice and support regardless of their background, and providing an encouraging community for writers at all stages of their careers.

Website: www.londonplaywrights.org

Composer Bella Barlow & Bookwriter/Lyricist A.C. Smith have been writing together since 2014. Their work has been called 'exceptionally clever' by the Musical Theatre Review. They have contributed songs to events including two-time Olivier Award winner Janie Dee's 'Dream Queen' cabaret at The Globe Theatre, Kerry Ellis's Pheasantry cabaret series (as guest songwriters), an H.R.H.'s 90th Birthday Gala at Theatre Royal Haymarket. Their new musical LOCK & KEY will premiere at VAULT Festival from 14-18 March directed by Adam Lenson (ticket link: https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/lock-and-key/). Their work has received support from Old Vic New Voices, Criterion New Writing, Theatre Royal Stratford East, HIghTide Festival, and St James Theatre's RE:act. Their debut album 'Christmas in the City' was produced by Ian Shaw, and released in 2015, and they were selected as Artists of the Week ('Duvet Date Icons') on JemmThree Radio, a station devoted to musical theatre. They are represented by Rachel Daniels at Berlin Associates.

Website: www.barlowandsmith.com

Twitter: @smith_barlow

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