Supplementary memorandum submitted by
Mercury Musical Developments
As Executive Director of MMD I have been actively
involved in the arena of new musical theatre writing and production
for seven years, and prior to that as a general manager and fundraiser
in commercial and subsidised theatre for over 20 years. I was
awarded an MA degree in Arts Policy and Management (City University
Business School) in 1996, since when I have also researched and
consulted on issues of arts funding, policy and management.
I consider that my experience and engagement
with the issues under discussion enable me to comment with some
authority on the current state of musical theatre in the UK and
its possible future. Much has been said and written recently about
the importance of musical theatre as an art form, its popularity,
and its unique role in providing entertainment, education and
social benefits to a wide range of participants and audiences.
Although these arguments are fundamental to this discussion, I
do not intend to repeat them here.
The purpose of this submission is to:
(1) present an overview of current activity
in new musical theatre development;
(2) describe the current national funding
situation for new musical theatre development; and
(3) present a case for increased and broadened
funding for new musical theatre development.
1. AN OVERVIEW
OF CURRENT
ACTIVITY
Neither qualitative nor quantitative research
has ever been undertaken to gather information about new musical
theatre activity taking place in the UK.
There follows a brief outline of the organisations
and industry sectors currently involved with new musical theatre
writing and production:
The Bridewell Theatre—Has received limited,
project-based, ACE funding. Produces new musicals and provides
support and facilities for writers.
The Caird Company—Receives no ACE funding.
A new company formed in 2001 principally to develop and showcase
new dramatic writing but with an artistic policy that also covers
musicals. In its first two years has showcased one new musical
and held two new musical readings.
Greenwich Theatre—ACE funded. Holds an
annual three day festival of new musical works to which writers
are invited to present work at their own cost.
International Festival of Musical Theatre in
Cardiff—Not ACE funded. Launched in 2002, the second festival
will be held in 2005. In 2002 the Festival mounted UK premieres
of new (American) musicals. Mounted a competition for, and showcased,
six new musicals, five of which had American authors.
MMD—Receives no ACE funding. Provides
writer training, support, resources, development, workshop and
showcase opportunities.
National Theatre Studio—NT receives ACE
funding. Mounts occasional new musical workshops.
The National Youth Music Theatre—Youth
Music (ACE) funded. Provides training and experience for young
people in musical theatre. Occasionally produces new work.
Nitro—ACE funded. New musical production
involving black writers.
Theatre Royal Stratford East—ACE funded.
Provides writer training, workshops and some new musical production,
all involving black and Asian writers.
Regional theatres—Most are ACE funded.
Limited new musical production.
Fringe and small-scale theatres—Most are
not ACE funded. Some new musical production and some experimental/developmental
work takes place.
Commercial and independent producers—Not
ACE funded. Development and production of commercial product,
principally mainstream "populist" musicals. Occasionally
new work is produced, but more common are revivals and compilation
(ie back catalogue) musicals.
Music/drama colleges—There is a growing
interest in new musical production and workshopping.
2. THE CURRENT
NATIONAL FUNDING
SITUATION
Musical theatre, apart from a handful of populist
productions mounted by commercial theatre producers, is not self-financing.
The costs for producing even a small-scale musical are high and
cannot be reduced through cost-cutting exercises—actors,
musicians, sets, technical expertise, are all fixed costs within
a musical budget, even one with modest production values. These
high costs put musical production beyond the means of many regional
theatres. Some however do produce musical theatre and even, occasionally,
new work, but invariably are obliged to "play safe"
and select well-known, popular musical works in order to ensure
audience capacity and box office income.
This low-risk producing policy permeates musical
production across the UK—from the smallest fringe theatre
to the National Theatre, and as a result the artform is stagnating—very
little new work is produced and there is no incentive for British
writers to embark on a musical theatre writing career or for those
committed to the artform to try out new ideas within the genre.
In the USA, where substantial development and
production opportunity exists for new writing, one can see a raft
of successful new work being produced—"Rent",
"Ragtime", "Urinetown", "Hairspray"
"Thoroughly Modern Millie", "The Producers"
to name just some new musicals which have enjoyed Broadway
success in the last few years, many of which originated in US
regional or fringe theatre. In addition there exist many more
touring and regional productions of new musicals which generate
healthy income for their producing theatres and writers. This
successful model presented in the USA is a result of long-term
commitment to writers, development and new production which in
turn has created new and receptive audiences for new musical theatre.
(See Annex A for an overview of organisations involved in new
musical theatre in the USA.)
Whilst comparing the USA situation with that
of the UK, a snapshot of musical theatre on Broadway and the West
End proves useful. In October 2003, of 22 Broadway theatres then
open 10 were occupied by new musicals with music and script created
specifically for them (45%). In the West End's 41 theatres there
were two such musicals less than 10 years old which began their
life in the United Kingdom (5%). These statistics are particularly
meaningful when the economic argument for successful commercial
theatre as a key element of tourism and as a contributor to the
UK economy (an argument well-documented elsewhere) is considered.
Invigorating and attractive West End theatre which attracts tourists
relies heavily on writing and product nurtured in regional theatre.
Until this year, musical theatre has not been
recognised or dealt with as a discrete artform by the Arts Council
of England (ACE) and no funding has been available specifically
for musical theatre projects. Some established theatre companies,
under the category of "music theatre" which includes
classical opera, contemporary opera and music theatre, that met
specific ACE criteria, received core funding. None of these were
musical theatre organisations.
In the seven year period 1996-2003 ACE granted
funds to national touring of musical theatre totalling £517,470
for five productions, of which three were new musicals (ACE report
to the Select Committee, Appendix C).
According to figures given by ACE in oral evidence
to the Select Committee, in 2003-04 ACE will distribute £41.6
million to the category of "music theatre". Of that
figure £38 million will go as core funding to the large-scale
opera companies "which leaves £3.6 million for musicals".
It should be noted, importantly, that this statement is misleading—this
£3.6 million will not in fact go to musicals, but as earmarked
"music theatre" funds, will go to medium and small-scale
opera and music theatre, and as funding to companies who may produce
musical theatre as part of their overall policy. It would be helpful
to have clarification from ACE as to how much funding, if any,
will go to new musical development or production.
A quick survey of the written report "Musical
Theatre" submitted by ACE to the Select Committee reveals
that:
— Of the 28 key theatre organisations
funded by ACE across the UK (Annex A) [6]that
produce musical theatre, only three, to my knowledge, occasionally
undertake musical theatre development. Very few produce new musicals.
— None of the large-scale opera companies
(Annex B) [7]supported
by ACE have ever mounted a new musical theatre production.
— Of the 10 companies and agencies
that are listed as having identified musical theatre as a specific
area for development within their broader artistic programmes
(Appendix E), seven have been supported in some way by ACE. Of
these seven, three have received funds for performer or producer
training, two for new musical theatre work involving diversity
and ethnic groups and one for a new opera programme. Only one
of these companies (The Bridewell Theatre) has received funds
to support new writing intended for a wide audience.
— The seven higher education institutions
listed (in Appendix F) [8]which
"offer accredited professional training in musical theatre"
all offer performer training, none offer training to writers.
The funding situation for new musicals compares
unfavourably with that for new drama. ACE has funded for many
years numerous writing programmes and development projects and
provided specific funding for new dramatic writing via writer
organisations and theatre companies in London and the regions.
No such support has been provided for musical theatre writing.
Similarly, film receives seed money, development and investment
funding from the Government funded UK Film Council and ACE National
Lottery Funding.
Under the new ACE "Grants for the Arts"
scheme launched in 2003, musical theatre writers (and directors,
producers, companies, etc) may apply for one-off project grants
in competition with all other artforms—performing, visual
and media-based. It is to be hoped that ACE will now be supporting
new musical theatre and that new writing particularly will benefit
from this change in funding strategy.
3. THE CASE
FOR INCREASED
FUNDING
The evidence of this report shows a historic
lack of funding to musical theatre at its creative grass roots,
so it is hardly surprising that the result is stunted growth and
a dearth of new work reaching UK stages. New musical work that
is produced in UK theatres, as The Bridewell Theatre will be the
first to acknowledge, has originated principally in the USA, not
in the UK.
Musical development is by its very nature a
private activity which involves the trying and testing out of
new work behind closed doors, and occasionally in front of a small
invited audience. This usually makes it ineligible for most forms
of funding. MMD for example has so far been unsuccessful in securing
ACE project funding (under the 2003 Grants for the Arts scheme),
grants from major arts trusts and foundations or from quasi-government
bodies such as Arts and Business because of the perceived lack
of "public" benefit. Equally sponsorship is difficult
to achieve because of the limited audience for development events
and the accompanying lack of publicity and promotional opportunity
for sponsors and their products.
New musical theatre urgently needs government
support through ACE. The new young writers that could provide
the musicals of tomorrow are abandoning the artform for more secure
and certain careers in film, television and new media. In the
USA, by contrast, where musical development opportunities exist
in a range of organisations and more importantly a culture of
development exists in regional theatre, new writers and new musicals
are being encouraged, supported and given development and first
performance opportunities.
Support for new musical theatre is not costly,
for example:
— a reading of a new musical costs
in the region of £2,000;
— a series of six writing seminars/masterclasses
costs in the region of £3,500;
— a two week workshop of a medium size
musical costs in the region of £15,000;
— a showcase festival of five new musicals
costs in the region of £50,000.
With modest funding available, regional theatre,
independent and fringe producers can be encouraged to champion
musical development and offer in-kind support. Studio theatre
spaces for example, which are often not used to full capacity,
could be used to try out new work and mount readings and workshops.
This would provide a significant development opportunity for writers.
What is urgently needed, in popular parlance,
is a joined-up strategy for the future development of musical
theatre:
— support for musical theatre writer
training;
— support for writer/musical development—labs
and workshops;
— support for first platform performances
(in fringe, studio and regional theatres);
— support for medium-scale performance
(The Bridewell and regional theatres); and
— an investment/payback scheme similar
to that operated for film by the UK Film Council.
The potential outcome of such a strategy is
evident:
— writers will be motivated, energised,
and develop their writing skills;
— there will be an increase in the
quality and quantity of new works;
— works will be developed to a high
standard and made ready for production;
— higher quality work will mitigate
against the financial risk of new musical production;
— regional producers will become more
confident and active in producing new musicals;
— audiences for new musicals will be
developed; and
— some new work will achieve regional
and West End success, with accompanying economic benefits.
6 See p Ev 29. Back
7
See p Ev 29. Back
8
See p Ev 32. Back
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