Making a Musical: The Future of British Musical Theatre

A special live recorded episode as part of London Podcast Festival, King’s Place.

Raising Gays is an original 90-minute musical inspired by interviews with parents of queer people. In the Somerset town of Little Malden, Jenny Bennet’s world shifts when her thirty-year-old son comes out of the closet. Finding google rather lacking (absolutely terrifying), she’s determined to support him and help others, so she launches a support group for local parents also navigating their own journeys of acceptance. Told through the parents' eyes, ‘Raising Gays’ captures the struggle (and the desire) to understand from the outside. It’s a musical for anyone who’s ever had a kid (or a parent).

Featuring songs ‘Get This Right’ and ‘Please Don't Stop Coming Home’ performed by Jordan Paul Clarke.

Jordan Paul Clarke (he/him) Music & Lyrics
Jordan Paul Clarke is an award-winning writer, composer, musical director and improviser. He's a musical director of Olivier Award Winning Showstopper: The Improvised Musical ["incredible... defies belief" The Telegraph], and has toured with multi-award winning Mischief Theatre (Olivier-Nominated Mischief Movie Night). Other MD Credits include Broken Wings (Assistant MD, Dubai Opera House), AIDS Baby (Barbican), Animal Farm(National Youth Theatre), Ride (Garrick Theatre), Cinderella (Newbury Corn Exchange) and music supervisor of British Youth Music Theatre. As writer and composer, original musicals include: Happy at Waterloo Vaults and The Kings Head ["profound, modern theatre at its best" Boyz], Building Paulus (UK Tour), Friday Night Sinner at Soho Theatre ["would do Mel Brooks proud" Chortle] ["flawless music" Musical Theatre Review], and Angry Salmon at Theatre Royal Plymouth [“is it really all about salmon?” Claude-Michel Schönberg] and currently in development Raising Gays. With writing partnership ‘Forristal and Clarke’ - P.S. I’m a Terrible Person (currently in development, shortlisted for the Charlie Hartill Award, Pleasance Theatre, and the Stiles and Drewe Mentorship Award 2021), and Public Domain (Vaudeville Theatre) ★★★★★ Everything Theatre ★★★★★ GScene - The Times' Pick of the Week [The Times Hotlist, 2021]; featured on BBC RADIO 2 [“INNOVATIVE" The Daily Telegraph, “ORIGINAL AND EDGY" The Guardian] for which they were nominated for The Stage Debut Awards 2022 for best composer, lyricist and book writer.
Instagram: Jordanpaulclarke

Micha Mirto (she/her) Book & Director
Micha Mirto is a director and writer making predominantly new work ('Plenty of vision, never a dull moment' Time for theatre). She's worked on large immersive projects with Penguin Random House, Disney and The NHS. She's the Artistic Director of Dolls In Amber - a queer female lead theatre company exploring real world issues through genre/sci-fi and spectacle on stage. Most recently DiA's play Beard was awarded funding for a two week exploratory R&D at the Arcola. She's also currently writing The Tell Tale Hound with composer/lyricist Louis Barabbas (The Bedlam Six). Rep: Jethro Thompson @ Curtis Brown.

Special credits: Suzanna Rosenthal, for Suzanna Rosenthal Productions. Workshop cast: Sarah Ingram, Michael Matus, Alex Young, Damian Humbley, Debbie Kurup, and Melanie La Barrie.

Follow The Other Palace: @TheOtherPalace

Are you writing a new musical in the UK? Consider submitting your show for the podcast:
https://theotherpalace.co.uk/making-a-musical-podcast/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Meet Edna: she’s 14, she’s a misfit, and she’s in love with Harry. There’s just one problem: Harry’s in the world’s biggest boy band, has 38 million fans, and doesn’t know she exists. When Harry’s band announces a tour stop in Edna’s hometown of Sydney, Australia, she knows this is her destiny – her one chance to meet him. But how on EARTH will she get Harry’s attention?! And exactly how far is she prepared to go in the name of love?

Featuring songs ‘Learning to be Lonely’ performed by Yve Blake & Zara Stanton and ‘Concert Medley’ performed by Blake Appelqvist, Chika Ikogwe, Kimberley Hodgson, Sharon Millerchip & Yve Blake.

Yve Blake (she/her) Book, Music & Lyrics
Yve Blake is a playwright, screenwriter, and songwriter, born and raised on Gadigal land.

She's best known for writing the Book, Music and Lyrics for the musical FANGIRLS, which has been awarded the 2019 Sydney Theatre Award for Best Mainstage Musical, 2019 Matilda Award for Best Musical or Cabaret, 2020 AWGIE award for Music Theatre, 2021 Green Room award for New Australian Writing for Musical Theatre, and also scored an ARIA nomination for Best Original Soundtrack or Musical Theatre Cast Album. After premiering at Belvoir and Queensland Theatre in 2019, FANGIRLS returned in 2021 for a national tour, and returned by demand in 2022 at the Sydney Opera House. In 2024, FANGIRLS will premiere in the UK at the Lyric Hammersmith, produced by Lyric Hammersmith and Sonia Friedman Productions, directed by Paige Rattray.

Yve is an alumni of the Royal Court Writers’ Programme, and was the inaugural recipient of the ATYP Rebel Wilson Theatre-maker scholarship. She is also a 2024 Women in Music Australia Soho House Fellow, and has been a visiting artist at Princeton University. She's also developed and presented her own work in London at Soho Theatre, Southbank Centre, Old Vic New Voices, the National Theatre Studio and The Barbican. Her 2019 TEDxSydney talk about Fangirls has been promoted to an official TED talk on TED.com, where it has been viewed more than 1.4 million times.

She is currently developing a screen adaptation of Fangirls with Fremantle, a movie musical for Mark Gordon Pictures, a new spooky musical, and various other projects. For more info, head to yveblake.co

A Lyric Hammersmith and Sonia Friedman Productions co-production
Directed by Paige Rattray

Follow The Other Palace: @TheOtherPalace
Follow FANGIRLS: @fangirlsmusical
Follow Lyric Hammersmith @lyrichammer
Are you writing a new musical in the UK? Consider submitting your show for the podcast: https://theotherpalace.co.uk/making-a-musical-podcast/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Inspired by Sir Thomas Malory’s 15th-century prose Le Morte D’Arthur, Avalon follows the classic tale of the tragic destiny of soon-to-be King Arthur and his half-sister Morgan, through the lens of our wizardly narrator, Merlin.

After the death of King Uther, the knights and nobleman of the land devise a plan to fill the power vacuum left in his stead. They agree that whoever wields the power to pull the late king’s sword, “Excalibur”, from a stone, shall be their new leader. The ever-ignored daughter of the king, Morgan, finally sees her chance to earn respect from her kingdom and dreams of filling her father’s shoes.

Meanwhile, Arthur, a humble young man from the country, journeys to the kingdom to assist his older brother in a royal tournament. Unbeknownst to him, Arthur is King Uther’s only male heir. In a twist of fate, or predetermined act of destiny, Arthur miraculously pulls Excalibur from the stone. The siblings realize that their destiny is weaved together like a tapestry, and both become determined to protect their future at all costs.

Featuring songs ‘It’ll Find Me’ performed by Casey Cott (recorded and produced by Write Out Loud) and ‘Soul Fly’ performed by Martha Boon.

Callum Shannon (he/him) Music & Lyrics
Callum is a young British/Irish songwriter, based in London. After enjoying a successful career as a Vocalist, Callum has left turned onto the creative side of the table, with his first big writing project. Callum is a recipient of Taylor Louderman’s “Write Out Loud” songwriting award.

Follow The Other Palace: @TheOtherPalace
Follow Avalon: @avalonmusical
Are you writing a new musical in the UK? Consider submitting your show for the podcast: https://theotherpalace.co.uk/making-a-musical-podcast/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaz’ parents have vanished. Now, with the help of teenage inventor Melanie, she must work out where they’ve gone and how to get them back. And what’s going on with those ninja teddy bears. And who they really work for. And how she ended up in the middle of a plot for world domination. And how to get out of this mess. Eek.

This is a completely bonkers musical adventure for childish grownups - the epic lovechild of The Powerpuff Girls and Rick and Morty, brewed in vitro in Dexter’s Lab.

Follow Jaz, Melanie, and a host of ludicrous sidekicks to learn how the planet was almost changed forever.

Featuring songs ‘A Little Bad’ performed by Ellie Nunn (BVs by Alex Simpson) and ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet’ performed by Nancy Zamit, Ellie Nunn, Chris Fearn, Danni Ashby and Parisa Shahmir.

Oli George Rew (he/him) Music
Oli is a musical director and composer. He was the recipient of the Lesley Hayes Award whilst at Mountview, and has worked extensively as a musical director and supervisor, in the UK and abroad. Alongside Andy Room, he wrote ‘The Night Our Parents Disappeared’, and a number of songs for new plays. @oli.rew

Andy Room (he/they) Book & Lyrics
Andy is a writer and director. Collaborating with Oli George Rew, their song “The Inventor’s Daughter” was a finalist for the Best New Song Prize, and their debut musical was selected for the Rewrites Festival at the Lowry in 2022. Andy is also a member of MMD’s Advanced Writing Lab. @andydroom

Follow The Other Palace: @TheOtherPalace
Are you writing a new musical in the UK? Consider submitting your show for the podcast: https://theotherpalace.co.uk/making-a-musical-podcast/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s 1967 – There’s a change in the breeze. A new contraceptive pill is available, same-sex relationships are legal and second-wave feminism is in full flux. Against this new era, four friends navigate life at St Anne’s Convent School. But as opinions collide and feelings towards one another shift, the group’s final year doesn’t play out as planned.

A poignant, new coming-of-age musical that explores struggles surrounding Irish emigration, sexuality, and faith, We’ll Have Nun of It prompts important questions about growing up in a divided world and highlights the vitality of sisterhood during dark times.

Featuring songs ‘Daydream Days’ and ‘Vines’ performed by Finola Southgate.

Rosie Dart (She/Her) Book, Director & Producer
Rosie has created work for Gilded Balloon at Edinburgh Fringe, VAULT festival and NYMT. Within casting she has worked in-house at Netflix as well as on projects such as Girl From the North Country (UK Tour), Enola Holmes 2 (Netflix) & Luther (Netflix). @heyrosiedart

Finola Southgate (She/Her) Music, Lyrics and Book
Finola is a songwriter and composer across soul, pop and musical theatre. She has performed original music across venues including Sportspaleis Antwerp and released albums with The Monroes and Sister Sister Productions. @finola.music

Follow The Other Palace: @TheOtherPalace
Are you writing a new musical in the UK? Consider submitting your show for the podcast: https://theotherpalace.co.uk/making-a-musical-podcast/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.