Our rich history of developing new Music Theatre is evidenced by the numerous original productions that have premiered under the NYMT banner. From ground-breaking works tackling contemporary issues to timeless stories with universal appeal, NYMT’s repertoire reflects the diversity and dynamism of the UK musical theatre landscape.
NYMT’s New Writing work has a reputation for being of exceptional quality, with productions garnering critical acclaim and attracting audiences and performers from across the UK and beyond. Many of NYMT’s previous commissions have gone on to have successful youth theatre and school productions as far away as Beijing!
Looking to the future, our aims are twofold: to take the lead in nurturing the next generation of music theatre creative voices, and to grow our catalogue of pieces developed specifically with and for young people.
If you are a writer or team of writers with a piece currently in development, we want to hear from you, as we are actively looking for pieces to Workshop in our 2025 season.
THE SUBMISSION WINDOW FOR INCLUSION IN OUR 2025 SEASON IS CURRENTLY OPEN.
If you have a piece that you’re interested in developing with NYMT, please get in touch.
The Benefits and Criteria for Submission
We offer a week-long workshop process with a professional creative team and up to 30 of our Young Company Members. There is no pressure to put on a public performance at the end of the week, so it’s a great opportunity to test out the material and improve the piece surrounded by time, space and care. A workshop process is different to rehearsals for a production, as the piece is often unfinished, and so our young performers play an active role in interrogating and inputting into the finished product.
What we offer
• One week’s fully funded closed workshop as part of the NYMT 2025 season with the possibility of being fully produced by NYMT in 2026.
• Ongoing Mentorship from an NYMT creative team who are specialists in new music theatre writing.
• Strategic advice and guidance about possible next steps for the piece and the writers.
Application Criteria
• Submissions may be made by a single writer/composer or by a team.
• The piece should be suitable for a company of 30 or more performers. The roles do not have to be equally weighted but, if the piece has a principal/ensemble structure, the ensemble must have equal opportunities to the principals.
• The piece should not have been previously produced professionally.
• Content should be suitable for a company of young performers within our age range.
• Submissions that offer significant roles for younger cast members (10-15 years) are particularly welcomed.
Extra Information.
How to submit
We welcome submissions at any stage of development, and are used to receiving materials in draft format.
Please send us a Dropbox or Google Drive link to the following -
• Brief background notes about the writer(s) and the inspiration for the piece
• A synopsis/ treatment.
• A casting breakdown indicating roles and voice types (if known)
• Two contrasting scenes from the show, one of which contains a song and shows how the relationship of text and song will work.
• Links to Soundcloud or other recordings of two songs from the show. These do not have to be of professional quality.
N.B. If samples are, as yet, unavailable, we would welcome extracts from other works by the same writer/team.
• Indication that the rights have been secured, if the piece contains any copyrighted material.
If a full script/ score already exists, you are very welcome to submit more!
PLEASE NOTE – As with our talent search for performing company members, we are looking for potential rather than finished pieces. We understand that the business of creating new musicals involves being open to change, and that things could change considerably before, during and after the workshop process.
Don’t let a lack of experience put you off from applying – new voices are exactly what we are looking for!
Timeline
- All applications for inclusion in the 2025 season must be received by midnight on 21st July 2024.
- If you have been shortlisted we will aim to let you know by 1st September.
- We expect interviews to take place on Zoom during September and early October.
- Workshops will be announced as part of the NYMT Season announcement in Autumn 2024.
- Casting for workshops will take place in January and February.
- The workshop week will take place in either Easter or Summer holidays 2025
If you can’t meet the deadline for this year, we can still consider your piece for inclusion in future seasons, so do please get in touch.
If you have any questions you can get in touch and email [email protected]
Please note the above is subject to change, but we will keep you updated at all times.