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 York | Ed
| Prod | Fest |
Sup |
| Amas Musical Theatre |
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| ASCAP Foundation | |
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| BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop |
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| Dramatists Guild | |
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| Genesius Guild | |
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| Graduate Musical Theatre Writing MFA Program, NYU
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| Harold Prince Musical Theater Program |
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| Inneract Productions | |
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| Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts |
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| NAMT Annual Festival of New Musicals |
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| National Music Theatre Network NMTN |
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| Playwrights Horizons | |
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| Theatreworks/USA | |
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| Wings Theatre | |
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| York Theatre | |
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| London | |
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| Bridewell Theatre | |
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| Greenwich Theatre Musical Futures |
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| John Caird Co. | |
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| Mercury Musical Developments |
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| National Student Drama Festival |
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| National Theatre Studio | |
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| NITRO | |
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| Theatre Royal, Stratford East |
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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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