Cove Park and Dundee Rep Launch New Musical Theatre Writing Residency and Call For Applications

Cove Park and Dundee Rep Theatre have announced a new residency for musical theatre writers to take place 4-17 March 2024. The Musical Theatre Writing Residency is a two-week international exchange programme for emerging and established book writers, composers, and lyricists from the UK, India, and the United States. At Cove Park, six writing teams will be provided with an immersive and creative space to freely connect, develop, collaborate and create ideas for new music theatre works. This pilot residency is majority-funded as part of the British Council & Creative Scotland Partnership: Connect & Collaborate.

Dundee Rep has long been associated with new musical theatre, notably being the originating producer of new musicals including No Love Songs, Sunshine on Leith, Hi My Name is Ben (with Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut), A Christmas Carol and Oor Wullie. Development, progression and learning sit at the heart of the organisation placing value on the collaboration and nurture of a diverse range of creative voices at different ages and stages of career.

Just one hour north of Glasgow, Cove Park is based on an outstanding 50-acre rural site on Scotland's west coast. Often working in partnership with leading organisations to develop commissions, exhibitions, and international residency exchanges, Cove Park's residency programme provides professional and creative development opportunities that support research, experimentation, and collaboration. Cove Park provides uniquely designed private accommodation, studios, and workspace to create an inspiring context in which artists can progress ideas, acquire new skills, and develop work for audiences throughout the UK and beyond.

Partners include Capital Theatres, Citizens Theatre, Macrobert Arts Centre, National Centre for the Performing Arts (Mumbai), National Theatre of Scotland, Octopus Theatricals (New York City), Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh and Traverse Theatre. Associate partners include A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Playwrights' Studio Scotland and Tron Theatre.

With their rich and varied expertise, the partners will work with Cove Park and Dundee Rep and play a valuable role in this project. Providing mentoring, support and feedback as required during the residency, they will help enrich the writers' experience. All partners are committed to developing the musical theatre landscape, both in Scotland and further afield.

The residency has been devised by Andrew Panton, Artistic Director of Dundee Rep Theatre, and will include facilitated sessions with Dramaturg Jeanie O'Hare (formerly Director of New Work Development at The Public Theater), Music Supervisor Nigel Lilley (Next to Normal at Donmar Warehouse, Caroline, or Change on Broadway), Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director of Goodspeed Musicals and David Greig, Artistic Director of Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh.

The programme also includes networking opportunities and workshop sessions, in-person and digital, with industry professionals including writers, composers, producers, directors, and other theatre practitioners – such as Tony Award-winning director John Doyle, Tony and Grammy Award-winning producer Mara Isaacs, Tony Award-winning producer Rashad V. Chambers, and more.

Applications to take part in this residency are being accepted from UK-based teams of up to three collaborators who have a musical theatre idea in need of development and would benefit from the residency experience to take it to the next stage in its creation. To apply, individuals or teams must be based in the UK – Cove Park and Dundee Rep are particularly interested in receiving applications from teams based in Scotland. The participating artists from India and the United States will be selected separately through nominations via international partners.

Please visit https://www.musicaltheatrewritingresidency.uk/ for more information and how to apply.