BEAM2027 to Host Nationwide Pitching Days Across 14 UK Cities for New Musicals

Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) and Musical Theatre Network (MTN) have announced the details of their nationwide search for the UK's most exciting musicals in development to present at BEAM2027, the UK's biggest showcase of new musical theatre.

The BEAM Showcase is a key part of Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network's mission to support the development of new musical theatre. BEAM2027 will be held on 20th and 21st May 2027 at Royal & Derngate, Northampton. This is preceded by a series of pitching days at which new work and artists are identified. MMD and MTN have partnered with theatres and arts organisations around the country to host 22 pitching days in fourteen towns and cities across the UK between September and December 2026 and are expecting over 300 new musicals to be pitched.

Each creative or team has 10 minutes to share their idea with an industry panel and up to 40 musicals will be selected for BEAM2027. Around 50 diverse industry experts, including producers and programmers of new musicals, contribute to the selection process through sitting on the pitching day panels. Bespoke development feedback from the panels will be shared with every pitching team at a later date, thanks to funding from PRS Foundation. This year the first pitching day will take place at Leeds Playhouse, with an expert panel including Artistic Director, Tom Wright. Other pitching venues include Birmingham Hippodrome, Bristol Old Vic, Stratford East, Royal & Derngate, MAST Mayflower Studios, The Lowry, The Exchange Twickenham, Wales Millennium Centre, Regent's Park Open Air Theatre, Liverpool Everyman, Hoxton Hall, Watford Palace, Southwark Playhouse, and Edinburgh's Capital Theatres (for dates see Notes to Editors).

BEAM is designed to encourage and develop musical theatre across the UK, discovering and supporting diverse approaches to the art form, connecting practitioners and finding champions for original work. To date, over 60% of the musicals showcased have gone on to be fully staged or received further development support as a result of BEAM. Over 150 new musicals have been presented at BEAM showcases to date, including current West End and Broadway hit Operation Mincemeat, Hot Mess (currently playing at London's The Other Palace), A History of Paper (soon at Scotland's Pitlochry Festival Theatre & Dundee Rep) and Tony nominee Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) currently on Broadway.

BEAM is one of the most inclusive and accessible ways for a new musical to be discovered. It aims to showcase the breadth and variety of new musical theatre throughout the UK, and creatives of all backgrounds are encouraged to bring forward their ideas for new musicals. To book a pitching slot and for more information on the pitching process, candidates can visit www.mercurymusicals.com.

A free online event will be held on Tuesday 1st September with an expert panel giving advice and tips for pitching and answering any questions. Additionally, this year there will be networking events for musical theatre creatives to come together after pitching days at Birmingham Hippodrome (1st October) and Capital Theatres, Edinburgh (7 December), as well as a BEAM alumni focused event in London on 30th November.

“The BEAM pitching process is the most wide-reaching development opportunity for new musical theatre in the UK. We are delighted to be providing each team with feedback so that this is a useful experience for everyone, regardless of the showcase selection. We are really looking forward to meeting artists from around the country and finding the most exciting new work out there.” Zaylie-Dawn Wilson, Mercury Musical Developments

“Given financial realities, it's significant and important to us that the BEAM pitching days are one of the most accessible industry entry points. For ten minutes someone with no prior musical theatre experience can find themself sharing their ideas with an artistic director or producer on a pitching day panel, and if selected they get financial support to share their ideas with a venue full of people who can help make them a reality. That's a rarity worldwide.” James Hadley, Musical Theatre Network

“BEAM plays a crucial role in the development of the UK musical theatre artform to create and promote new musicals from the ground up. I am producing two BEAM shows, including 'Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)', which I discovered at BEAM2018 and is now playing on Broadway.” Tim Johanson, Producer

“BEAM is a bit like Cannes – for musicals. And the results are astonishing... brilliantly diverse material that proves musical theatre is alive and well in the UK... it is a celebration of the range and power of British writing talent.” Kate Golledge, Director

BEAM is co-produced by Musical Theatre Network & Mercury Musical Developments, with funding support from Arts Council England and PRS Foundation.

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