CURVE, MERCURY MUSICAL DEVELOPMENTS AND MUSICAL THEATRE NETWORK ANNOUNCE APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN FOR THE CAMERON MACKINTOSH RESIDENT COMPOSER SCHEME

Curve is delighted to announce it is now seeking a musical theatre composer for the next Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer Scheme placement, which will be based in Leicester from October 2017 for a six month period.

Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network are generously funded by The Cameron Mackintosh Foundation to place five musical theatre composers in producing theatres around the country over 2015 – 18, each on a six month resident composer placement.

In a joint statement Curve Chief Executive Chris Stafford and Curve Artistic Director Nikolai Foster said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with MTN, Mercury Musical Development and the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation on the Resident Composer Scheme. Music plays a major role in our work on and off our stages; it brings new people into the theatre and breaks down boundaries. Supporting a talented composer through this prestigious scheme furthers these aims, in addition to providing a unique opportunity for an extraordinary emerging talent.”

Applications are invited from composers from a broad diversity of cultural heritages, who have already had at least one professionally produced musical theatre production (including paid work for a drama college or other training institute), along with other work.

Applicants must be UK residents, and ideally based in Leicester for the duration of the placement period. They will need to be self-sufficient, adaptable and able to take initiative to make the most of working within a large staff in a busy producing theatre. Applicants should also note they will need to be a member of Mercury Musical Developments to receive the award, but needn’t be a member to apply.

Key opportunities are likely to include:

• Creating incidental music for this year’s Christmas production for children, Roald Dahl’s George’s Marvellous Medicine, in the 300-seat Studio
• Assisting the Composer Leslie Bricusse, and Orchestrator Sarah Travis, on this year’s Christmas musical – Bricusse’s Scrooge – in the 900-seat Theatre
• Assisting in the development process for a major new musical currently in development at Curve
• A period of R&D on the successful applicant’s own musical theatre work
• An opportunity to present ideas for a project to the Artistic Director and Programming team
• Composing incidental music for a production in early 2018

The successful applicant will also receive an all-inclusive fee of £11,000.

Curve Associate Artist Dougal Irvine won the residency in 2012, and was based at the Royal & Derngate in Northampton. An award-winning Composer, Lyricist and Writer, Dougal has since worked on range of productions in recent years, including Made At Curve productions The Twits, The Importance of Being Earnest and The Witches. He said: “My Resident Composer placement came at a pivotal stage in my career. It removed me of financial strain for six months, enabling me to spend working hours on creative work and not day jobs to pay the bills. Spending time in a working producing house also made me feel part of a team, and opened up my view of the industry from the inside.

“I’d be thrilled and a little envious of whoever receives the Cameron Mackintosh/Mercury Musicals Resident Composer placement at Curve. I’m sure the recipient will be challenged and thrilled to be at the centre of one of Britain’s leading producing houses. To contribute first hand to a top regional theatre serving both its community and the UK/International market will grow their artistic vision and expand their horizons. In Nikolai Foster the recipient will have mentorship from one of the kindest, most intelligent, theatrically knowledgeable and passionate people working in the industry today. Nikolai is top of the game, and I expect anyone working with him for six months to leave at the same level.” 

TO APPLY
Those interested in applying for this opportunity should complete the online application form at http://www.mercurymusicals.com/cameron-mackintosh-resident-composer/cameron-mackintosh-resident-composer-curve-leicester-composer-brief/. Applicants will also be asked to upload examples of their work via SoundCloud that reflect the diversity of their work and abilities as a musical theatre composer. 

Applications must be received by midday on Tue 2 May. Those shortlisted will then be notified by Mon 5 Jun, and required to write two short pieces of music/song to a specific brief, to be submitted by Midday on Mon 26 Jun. From this process, a final shortlist of candidates will be selected for interview with representatives of Curve, Mercury Musicals Development and Music Theatre Network, taking place on Wed 26 Jul at Curve.

For further information about the application process, please email [email protected], or call 020 7395 5461.