JAMES CLEEVE AT THE BATON

Workshop member JAMES CLEEVE will be Musical Director for the new musical 'San Domino, by Tim Anfilogoff & Alan Whittaker, that will be performed at the Courtyard Theatre, N1 on 21 and 22 May at 7:30.

'SONGS FOR THE HEAD, HEART AND TOES'

Workshop member LIZZIE FREEBORN will be presenting a showcase of new songs, entitled 'Songs for the head, heart & toes' on Sunday, June 8, on the Battersea Barge (www.batterseabarge.com) at 7 pm ; and on Sunday, 15 June, in the lounge of the Leicester Square Theatre, at 2pm, with a cast of five terrific singers, including KATE HUME, who has often tried new work for BML. For further details on reserving tickets, see her website: www.lizziefreeborn.com

Lizzie was also shortlisted for the 2014 Stiles & Drewe Competition.

CHRISTMAS AT THE IRIS

Six BML writers will have entries in the Iris Theatre competition of new Christmas songs at St Pauls Church, Covent Garden, on Friday, 6 December. LUKE BATEMAN (working with lyricist Mary Evans) will be represented with 'Christmas Swapping'. KATE INGBER and YUVAL HAVKIN have written 'Christmas at My Mum's House', and RAPHEL SMITH and JOSEPH FINLAY have written 'A Christmas Caution'. S.E. HOOKS is contributing 'Joseph's Lullaby'. We'll look forward to a wonderful evening.

A musical splash!

Team DreamArts will be taking part in the Westminster Big Splash on Sunday 3 November!

Members, staff (including BML writer GRAHAM WHITLOCK) and Trustees will swimming 100 lengths to raise money for DreamArts’ Weekend Company, which will loose all of its £12,500 of funding from Westminster City Council Arts Unit in April next year after the Council decided to axe funding for the arts.    

What we do

DreamArts’ weekend company gives 100 children and young people living in some of the UK’s most severely deprived areas the chance to express themselves, develop their teamwork and communication skills, and learn from top creative professionals.  The majority of members are from families on benefits and have English as a second language.  They live with the West End on their doorstep but it is usually a world away; however, through DreamArts they get to display their achievements every year on a West End stage, and you can see some of the results below.  

How to sponsor!

Every pound will make a difference.  To donate online go to https://www.charitycheckout.co.uk/1070614/donate and you can choose the 5^th option (I would like to make a single donation).  If you are a UK taxpayer also please tick the second to last option (Yes I am a UK taxpayer) and we can claim an extra 25% of Gift Aid on your donation.

'RAVEN BOY' SEEKS FINAL INVESTORS

BML Composer/ Lyricist DARREN CLARK has been developing a new show, 'Raven Boy', about a boy who was raised by the ravens of the Tower of London during the Blitz, for the past three years with Arts Council Funding, and with Jackson's Lane Theatre as a co-producer. There will be a final preview performance next month, and most of the funding is in place for a tour in the spring of 2014. They still need a final £2000 to make this project happen. If you'd be interested in investing, or know someone who would, and want to see a bit more about it and hear some of the music, please look at the website:

http://www.sponsume.com/project/raven-boy-tour-preparation

TWENTYFOUR SEVEN

DreamArts' new musical, an adaptation of Shane Meadows' film 'Twentyfour Seven' (Book and lyrics by BML member GRAHAM WHITLOCK, Music by Wayne Roberts) will be presented Tuesday, 3 September through Friday, 6 September, at the CSSD Embassy Theatre. For tickets, go to www.wegottickets.com/DreamArts. DreamArts always does excellent work, so do come along.

New projects for FLEUR MELLOR

BML choreographer FLEUR MELLOR is working on the new production of 'The Crocodile', an opera by Llewelyn A.P. Myrddin, as part of the next Tete a Tete season, to be presented on 15/ 16 August at Riverside Studios. For info, see: http://www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/the-crocodile/

She is also working on the Uhuru Summer Ball Gala (www.awarenessthroughdance.org/gala), which will be Saturday, 31 August, at Rich Mix, to support the dancers who recently climbed Mt. Killimanjaro for charity. All money from the event will go to the charity and to build a new school.

COMMISSION FOR DAVID

DAVID JAMES, Facilitator for the Librettist Workshop, has been commissioned by Joseph Weinberger Ltd to write a new, original jukebox musical, BANDEMONIUM. He plans to get a first draft written over the summer BML break.

David has also just finished dramaturging a workshop of a new musical in development, THE BOGGITS, book by Martin Riley (non-BML member), music and lyrics by FELIX CROSS, for NITRO, that had a rehearsed reading at The Albany in Deptford on 17 July. The cast included ADEY GRUMMET, also from BML.

JULY GIGS

YUVAL HAVKIN will be performing original songs (including some from BML) at a World Music/ Jazz event on Tuesday, 30 July. Entry is a fiver. See:

https://www.facebook.com/events/657845880910932/

DARREN CLARK has a song in a cabaret of new musical theatre writing on Wednesday 31st July. £7 in advance or £7.50 on the door. See:

 

http://www.scenicroutetheatre.co.uk/#/cabaret-submissions/4572506642

 

DARREN will be singing it himself, and JOSEPH FINLAY, also from the BML, will be playing for him. 

 

Emily Rose at the Fringe

EMILY ROSE SIMON (BML Composer) is taking two shows to the Edinburgh Fringe this summer.

On the 27th of July, she'll be trying them out at the Balham Fringe at the Bedford, London, SW12 9HD  ('Confessions of a Rabbi's Daughter, a one woman musical at 16:45, and 'Synagogue Slut' a cabaret show at 22:05); and also doing 'Confessions' on the 28th in York at the York New Musical Festival.

She'll be performing these shows in Edinburgh from 3-24 August, every day except Mondays.

'Confessions' will be at Mood at 13:20, and 'Synagogue Slut' will be at Fingers Piano Bar at 19:50.

Sponsorship from The Garrick Charitable Trust

BML has been awarded a grant from The Garrick Charitable Trust toward paying for the Librettists Workshop for the autumn term. It all starts with strong storytelling, and we're very grateful for their support for this.

LUKE AND MICHAEL GET A NEW GIG

BML team MICHAEL CONLEY (book and lyrics) and LUKE BATEMAN (music) have been commissioned to write the next Christmas show for the Jermyn Street Theatre, 'The Little Beasts (What Happens to Naughty Children)', which will play from 26 November through 19 December, 2013. Luke is also the theatre's resident composer.

'The Grumpiest Boy in the World'

Join Paper Balloon for a rehearsed reading of this hilarious piece of new writing by international award-winning playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer, with original songs by DARREN CLARK (BML composer/ lyricist). Join Zachary Briddling, (allegedly the most normal person that there has ever been) on his journey to discover his own unique gifts.

Catch the piece in its final stage of development before full production and premiere this autumn. We'd love to hear your views, whether theatre professionals, parents, children or people who've never seen any theatre before!

Shows 29th June at 2pm and 4.30pm as part of the RADA Festival 2013. Further details and tickets here http://www.rada.ac.uk/whats-on/rada-festival

TimeWave Festival

BML librettist Katherine Hayes is one of the innovators on this project.  You can either stream it or attend.

Timewave Festival 2013 at Innovation warehouse London.Farringdon on the 19th through to 22nd June involving a new digital platform technology - Vidyo.
This technology enables artists to stream acting talent live from Los Angeles to interact with London actors on set in Innovation Warehouse. A co-production between UK LA and New York - Carpe Diesal is a comedy in 4 parts about LA Copywriters creating a campaign to sell jeans and hiring London models to be in their campaign.
Carpe Diesal, a LoNyLa collaboration between Dylan Southard (Los Angeles), David Simpatico (New York) and Katherine Hayes (London)
With Toyin Ayedun-Alase (London), Elizabeth Greer (Los Angeles), Max Lesser(Los Angeles), Jesse Gassongo - Alexander (London), Nick Korsah (London), Katherine Templar (London), and JB Waterman (Los Angeles)

TimeWave Festival 2013 http://timewavefestival.com/events.html

New Commissions for Tamsin

BML Lyricist TAMSIN COLLISON has two commissioned projects in the upcoming Tete a Tete season in August. 'DART'S LOVE' (with composer Kerry Andrew) is Tete a Tete's main commission for the season. 'CAT-ASTROPHE' (with composer John Webb) will be a 'Lite Bite'. Check Tete a Tete's website (http://www.tete-a-tete.org.uk/) for dates and ticket details. Congratulations!

'Amen Corner' group outing

TIM SUTTON (Facilitator) is Musical Director for the National Theatre's production on James Baldwin's 'The Amen Corner', which opens next week.  He arranged for members of all four workshops to attend yesterday's dress rehearsal. Besides being a rich theatrical event, it was a great chance for workshop members to meet and get to know each other.

Tim Sutton Wins Stiles & Drewe Award

Congratulations to BML Facilitator TIM SUTTON who won the Stiles and Drewe 'Best New Song' Prize yesterday at the Garrick Theatre for 'That Once-in-a-Lifetime Feeling'. Also in competition was BML Composer/ Lyricist DARREN CLARK's 'The Only Prince Around', which was sung by Turlough Convery, who went on the win the Stephen Sondheim Society 'Student Performer of the Year' competition at the same event.

Orchestrations from Jen Green

Composer JENNIFER GREEN has done some of the arrangements and orchestrations for 'Friday Night is Music Night: Dambusters 70 Years On', which will be broadcast on BBC radio on Friday, 17 May (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01sd1cr). Also, 'Titanic: Minute by Minute', for which she also did arrangements, won a bronze in the 'Best Feature or Documentary' category at the Sony Awards last night. 

'Passport to Pimlico'

GRAHAM WHITLOCK (librettist and lyricist) and ALAN BERLYN have gotten an ACE GfA grant to fund a promenade performance of their new musical 'Passport to Pimlico', through the actual streets of Pimlico on 13 and 14 July. Before that, there will be a showcase at the St. James Cabaret on 21 May.

Grant From the Noel Coward Foundation

We're very grateful for new support from the Noel Coward Foundation, which will partially fund the facilitators for the spring term of the 1st year group. Looking forward to adding their logo and a link to our site!