Select Committee on Culture, Media and Sport Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by Jenifer Toksvig

ARTS DEVELOPMENT: MUSICAL THEATRE

I LIKE TO BE IN AMERICA

Comparisons between support for the development of new musical theatre writing here in the UK and the situation abroad, particularly in the US.

  I lived in New York for two years whilst studying for an MFA in Musical Theatre Writing at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. In developing Mercury Musical Developments' website, I had to research all the opportunities for financial and developmental support offered to writers of new musicals in the USA and the UK. For the purposes of this document, I have done further research into this subject. Attached to this document is a list of the opportunities that I've been able to find, for the development of new musical theatre in both the USA and the UK. There are over 30 opportunities in the USA, and only a dozen or so in the UK. One might argue that the USA is significantly bigger than the UK. However, 15 of the USA opportunities that require a location (ie: are not purely financial awards) are based in New York. Eight UK opportunities are based in London.
New YorkEd ProdFest Sup
Amas Musical Theatre­ ­
ASCAP Foundation­
BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop ­
Dramatists Guild­
Genesius Guild­ ­
Graduate Musical Theatre Writing MFA Program, NYU ­
Harold Prince Musical Theater Program­
Inneract Productions ­
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts ­
NAMT Annual Festival of New Musicals ­
National Music Theatre Network NMTN­ ­­
Playwrights Horizons ­
Theatreworks/USA­
Wings Theatre­
York Theatre­
London
Bridewell Theatre­
Greenwich Theatre Musical Futures ­
John Caird Co. ­
Mercury Musical Developments­ ­
National Student Drama Festival ­
National Theatre Studio ­
NITRO­
Theatre Royal, Stratford East­ ­

Ed = workshops or education programmes. Prod = production opportunities. Fest = festival of new musicals. Sup = support of some kind for the development of new musicals (financial, venue, etc).

  That doesn't look too bad . . . until you start considering it from my point of view. I have a new musical that is currently in first draft stage and needs developing. It's an hour long, and requires five actors and simple staging. Let's assume, for now, that it's a good piece of writing and I'm successful when I submit it to a company.

  In New York, I could take it to Amas (who receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts) or Lincoln Center (who also receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts). I could submit it to NAMT (National Alliance for Musical Theatre, who receive funding from the National Endowment for the Arts). I could take it to Playwright's Horizons, or the Wings Theatre, or the York Theatre, any one of whom would help me workshop it and then possibly produce it. The NMTN might also help me with script/score evaluation, or a showcase of some kind. At all of the aforementioned places, I believe I'd get to work with a professional director and musical director who can guide me in development.

  Seminars and such might help me with it, and I could attend those at the Dramatists' Guild (if I join, which I could) or the Genesius Guild (who might also help me develop the piece). Having graduated from the Tisch MFA program, I can always ask for their support in terms of meeting with one of the tutors and discussing the work. They also offer alums the chance to showcase some of their material occasionally, and they offer at least one developmental workshop for which alums can apply each year. The only financial support I could get in New York would be from the Kleban Award, since one has to be resident in the US for all the others. If I lived over there, I could apply for at least four financial awards for musical theatre, to help me develop the piece.

  It's also possible I could find a theatre company and together we could get funding from the National Endowment for the Arts on terms of a one-off project. (See Annex A for an internet link to the National Endowment of the Arts' list of Musical Theatre Grants for 2003, which includes 27 new musicals supported in development and production and 11 musical theatre projects supported to increase the accessibility of musical theatre as a genre.)

  In London (see Annex B), there's MMD. I could have entered it into the MMD Festival ("The Works") and worked with a professional director, musical director and actors. MMD also offer me some seminars and craft workshops that will help me develop my writing. If MMD had funding, they could offer me the MMD Development Programme or the MMD Reading Service, both of which are currently on hold until subsidy or sponsorship can be secured.

  If I enter it into Greenwich Festival, I just get given a venue to use and have to provide everything else myself (which would cost me money), so I wouldn't learn all that much from the process. This is a collaborative artform. To learn, I need to work with someone who can see the work objectively. The John Caird Co. has musical theatre as part of its policy, but has only done one musical reading in the last year, and has no other financial support on offer at present.

  The National Theatre Studio is rumoured to do readings of new musical theatre pieces, but they apparently don't make that information widely available. I could submit it to the main theatre as unsolicited material and hope for the best. There are no UK financial awards that are specifically focused on musical theatre, either from the private sector or the Arts Council.

  The Bridewell will certainly support me as best they can, but they don't have any money right now. I could give it to a youth theatre to do, and then I might be lucky and get it into the National Student Drama Festival—but with my own director and cast, so unless I know a great director who would work for nothing, I won't get much out of that process either. And again, I'd have to put my own money into it. My show is not `black' musical theatre, so NITRO is out. My show doesn't fall into the musical categories that Stratford East supports.

  If I give up on the idea of learning about my craft through the development of a specific show (try learning how to be an architect without ever building an actual building), I could attend multiple educational programmes in New York. In London, there's MMD, who do the best they can on limited funding.

  Oh, to be in New York.

  So, I'll develop it myself. I'll find a space (possibly free) and hire some decent actors from whom I can really learn (at a minimum of £50 a day for five days, for five actors, which = £1,250) and a good director from whom I can learn (another £250), not to mention a good musical director from whom my composer and I can learn (another £250). All I have to do is find a minimum of £1,750.

  I'm the MMD Administrator. Part of my job seems to be receiving emails from writers and composers who ask me how to develop their work and learn about their craft. I urge them, constantly, to find amateur companies, youth theatres, even a group of friends—anyone who can read the material through, perform it at some level, just so they can see their work on its feet. There is only so much one can do on one's own.

  This is a collaborative artform. I cannot develop my own work, on my own, up to the point where Cameron Macintosh would produce it in the West End. I'm just one part of a whole team: director, designer, lighting, sound, musical director, arranger, cast and so on. A musical theatre production isn't My Work, it's Our Work. I can't do it without them.

  In my own career, I've done as much as I can on my own. I was lucky that I found a theatre with a good youth department and a great director, and there I learnt some of the basics of my craft. I was lucky to be accepted at Tisch and be able to take out loans to pay the ridiculous fees there. I developed my craft skills, learnt how to use the basics. I was lucky to find MMD and be given the chance to share what I've learnt with others, as well as benefit from whatever MMD can afford to give its writers. I'm lucky to know some good actors, directors, musical directors who will sometimes work for much less money than they should be getting, in the name of furthering the artform.

  No matter how lucky I have been, it is still endlessly frustrating to me that MMD has no funding, that the Bridewell has very little funding, that NYMT is going down, that others have funding reliant on specifics that rule out most of what I write.

  But then, this is just musical theatre we're talking about. Why should we care so much about the fluffy confection that is musical theatre?

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF MUSICAL THEATRE AS A GENRE

  In a play, some of the most moving moments are those when the character can no longer speak about how they feel. The unspoken emotion is what touches the audience. In a play, those moment are often more quiet, reserved. Even a character who shouts about his emotions only has his spoken voice with which to express them. If I write a speech for a character in a play who is shouting, obviously angry, I risk alienation of the audience because of the instinctive reaction we all have to someone who is demonstrating an inability to handle their own emotions. The expression of emotion within a play is a subtle craft that allows the audience to have a quiet, more private catharsis within their connection to the character and the moment. Sometimes, it's a more intellectual study of that emotion, from the audience's point of view. We are allowed a distance from the action, if we wish it.

  In a musical, the normally unspoken emotion is dragged out of the character and enhanced with music. Characters in musicals not only show how they feel, they let their feelings out on a glorious wave of music, and the audience can sail along with them. It's also a catharsis, but of a vibrant and immediate nature. The audience is rarely alienated, because singing is not an everyday occurrence. We have no instinctive reaction to defend ourselves from it. Rather, we instinctively allow it to move us in some way.

  Here's an example for you. A snippet of dialogue, from a play called "Liliom":

        Marie: May he rest in peace, poor man, but as for you. Please don't be angry with me saying it, but you're better off this way. He's better off, the poor fellow, and so are you. Much better, Julie. You're young, and one of these days a good man will come along, am I right? A year from now you will have forgotten all about him, won't you?

  This play was the original source material for the musical "Carousel". The dialogue I've quoted, and that moment in the play, became the song "You'll Never Walk Alone". Listening to that song, you can clearly see the difference between the two. In the dialogue I've quoted, the pain of loss is hidden by a "chin-up" attitude. It's implied, not revealed. Anyone who has ever seen the musical will know how openly emotional the song is, specifically because of the music. Anyone who has heard Liverpool football fans singing the song will know how moving the song can be, just on its own. That's the difference between a play and a musical.

  These differences are not all that obvious unless you really analyse the affect plays and musicals have on audiences, which I have only done in a limited capacity as a writer trying to understand my craft. However, they are vital differences. One of the first questions I ask myself when beginning a new musical is this: Why should this story be told within a musical? What is it about the use of song that will enhance the telling of this story in a unique way? If I can find no answer, I'll write the story as a play.

  Musical Theatre has served many purposes within society, over the years. The `fluffy confection' of musical theatre, the jolly singing and dancing, has brought us joy through war and despair. The comedy of musical theatre comes to the fore as a coping mechanism at such times. The drama of musical theatre helps us to have that emotional catharsis we seek from art in general, as well as an intellectual understanding of the life we live and the choices we make. The music of musical theatre allows us to open ourselves up to that emotional catharsis. The lyrics of musical theatre give us a concise and structured form to follow. Songs please the ear and facilitate an easier way to connect with and remember the characters, the emotions, the moments.

  Some of these things are true of plays, some of orchestral music, some of film, some of pop songs. Only musical theatre combines them all. That's why it's a collaborative artform, ultimately between the stage and the audience. That's why it's a rich artform, full of craft-tools and brimming with potential.

  Surely no-one needs to ask why art is an important part of the culture of any country? Art is our cultural expression, our emotional catharsis, our individuality as a nation and as a human being. Art is exploration, wonder and enlightenment. Musical Theatre is a powerful artform. It is also a unique artform, and therefore deserves an equal place in the art world.

  Opera is musical theatre. Music, lyrics, drama. Writers of musical theatre look jealously upon the world of opera. We feel that we are separated from it, segregated, treated like the poor cousin. We use music, lyrics and drama too. It's very hard to understand why an opera company can spend millions on a production when I am trying to scrape a couple of grand together to do a five day development workshop.

  Musical Theatre isn't just about some characters who suddenly stop what they're doing and spontaneously break into a song and dance routine that everyone just happens to know. It has been that in the past. It might continue to be that if no-one funds the development of new work so writers and composers can explore the endless possibilities of the collaboration of music and drama.

  I can't talk about the amount of revenue generated by musical theatre in the West End. I'm sure someone else can tell you all about that. I'm guessing it's a lot of money. I can't tell you facts and figures about amateur, community and youth theatre who produce musicals in this country. I'm guessing it generates a lot of happiness and good community feeling. I know I get a lot of positive feedback and thanks from people who do my shows.

  I can tell you that as an artform, musical theatre deserves respect and requires development. The desire is out there. We just need some encouragement. Of the financial variety.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF YOUTH MUSIC THEATRE IN TERMS OF BOTH THE BENEFIT TO YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF NEW MUSICAL THEATRE WORK.

  We should give young performers the opportunity to learn more about their craft. Absolutely. That surely goes without saying. We should also give young people the opportunity to experience performance. Having worked with young people, I can attest to the extraordinary ability drama has to help young people gain self-confidence, learn about the power of communication, work as a team towards a common goal, and spend time in a safe environment that gives them the freedom to be creative, and explore emotions and interactions they might otherwise not have the opportunity to explore. These things are pretty easy to both understand and argue for.

  I wish I could make the development of new work tie in nicely with the need for a National Youth Music Theatre, especially in light of the fact that the Arts Council would plainly prefer to spend taxpayer's money on something that very obviously benefits the community. However, it is absolutely true that young people can gain just as much from performing established works as they can from performing new works. With one notable exception. I think it's a difficult one to grasp without having experienced it.

  I've developed four new musicals, written by myself and composer David Perkins specifically for performance by children aged 8-13. These were first produced by Act 2 Youth Theatre, part of the Youth Department of the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford, Surrey. The Yvonne Arnaud's Youth Theatre offers an extensive array of workshops, classes and theatre activities for all people between the ages of 6 and 19. They have four production groups that each perform in the Mill Studio with a team of professionals at the helm and a summer musical on the main stage which is open to all members of the Yvonne Arnaud Youth Theatre. Everyone who wants to do some drama can do some drama. The department is currently run by Julia Burgess, who also directs many of the shows.

  When we wrote shows in collaboration with Julia and Act 2, my composer and I did not just hand the script and score to the director and then leave them to it. We worked with them during the rehearsal process, collaborating with the kids involved, including them in the development of the show. Our shows would not have been as successful as they were if we had not had the opportunity to do so. The composer and I would not have learned as much about the craft of writing a musical without that opportunity. You can't fool kids, and kids can't fool you. A kid isn't going to believe you that the character should be annoyed if they don't see why that character should be annoyed. A great adult actor can make an ineffective piece of writing seem okay onstage. An untrained kid can't do that. Writing shows for young people to perform is all about doing the basics. There's no room for complex, experimental drama. It's got to be good storytelling, plain and simple. Working with the Arnaud Youth Theatre is where I learnt the basics of my craft.

  The kids who were part of the process knew that they were being given more than the chance to be in a show. They would eagerly answer questions we asked them about their characters. They would offer suggestions. They are proud to say that they were the first person ever to play a certain character. Indeed, many of the characters have glorious characteristics that could not have come from anywhere other than the kid who played them.

  For all of us, the entire company, the experience was so much broader than simply being part of a musical production. The kids were our partners in creating this new, exciting piece of entertainment. Together, we explored the art of communicating with an audience; the art of theatre, and the way it can mean more than just making people laugh or clap. Imagine how it feels to the kid to be told they are not only playing a part in a show, but they get to help create and shape that character, and therefore the show as a whole. Learning must be about discovery. A pro-active journey. For all of us, children and adults alike.

  It's hard to explain how exciting that is, how much more proud we all were of the final production, how much it enabled all of us to discover more about ourselves and each other.

  I have also taken part in drama workshops with teenage groups within the Arnaud's youth theatre, a few years ago now. This weekend, a young woman I did not recognise came up and said hello to me. She had been part of one of those workshops, a one-off occurrence in which I happened to be visiting Julia Burgess and happened to have a partially written script in my bag. We gave copies to the kids and they read a scene. Then we discussed the characters and the action. I asked them to tell me what they thought about it, how they might change things, what it meant to them. At the time, it was very helpful to me.

  I had forgotten about the session, but this girl had clearly not. She told me how nice it was to see me, and how much she had enjoyed the experience. Having the opportunity to involve young people in the creation and development of the artform really does make a significant difference. After all, young people are just adults with less experience. Why overlook the chance to give them so much more of an experience?

  The reason the Yvonne Arnaud's Youth Theatre is such a fantastic environment for the exploration and development of new work is a simple one: they are willing to collaborate. James Barber, the Artistic Director, and Julia Burgess, the Youth Theatre director, have been nothing but welcoming and supportive towards my composer and myself. That's all it takes. It didn't cost them anything extra to let us work on a new show. They didn't pay us anything. We'd have paid them, if we could! Audiences of parents and friends come to see the show no matter what it is.

  However, it's possible that regional venues and youth theatres are reluctant to be as open to collaboration because they fear some financial repercussion when doing a non-commercial new show. If funding could be found specifically to support Youth Theatre groups who produce new work, both Youth Theatre and the development of new work would be encouraged.

  UK-based writers and composers of new musical theatre are in desperate need of the chance to see and develop their work "on its feet", with a cast and a production and an audience. They could work with their local community theatre, but what they lack in such circumstances is a guide. When we first worked with her, Julia Burgess didn't know much about the process of writing a new musical, but she did know about Youth Theatre: what works for the kids in the show, and what works for the kids in the audience. We had a guide who could help us find the places where there were problems within the piece. As writer/composer, it was then our job to find ways to fix those problems. That's what collaboration is all about, and that's the kind of collaboration we need to develop our craft. If more writers and composers had the chance to develop new work for Youth Theatre, it would benefit everyone involved.

  Kids love musicals. I get emails from kids all the time, telling me that they're doing one of my shows, and which character they're playing, and how much they love the songs. As a steward of public money, that is surely part of the NYMT's objective: to encourage young people to make discoveries through the unique medium of musical theatre. The NYMT has demonstrated to UK Youth Theatres that new musicals can be enormously successful. The NYMT should be the Government's flagship for Youth Music Theatre in England. If that is allowed to fall because of a lack of funding, what hope is there that other Youth Theatres will want to continue to do musicals, let alone take part in the excitement of developing new work?


 
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