The inaugural winner of the MTI Europe Mentorship Award, The Wicker Husband, has been selected to take part in the NAMT 2018 Festival of New Musicals, held in New York in October. The two day industry-aimed event is held at New World Stages.
A committee of 17 theatre professionals chose eight musicals to be presented in 45-minute concert presentations at this year’s festival. All production costs for the shows are underwritten by NAMT, at no cost to the writing teams.
The Wicker Husband, by Rhys Jennings and Darren Clark, is based on an original short story by Ursula Wills-Jones about love, redemption and revenge, with folk music, story-telling and puppetry.
Sean Gray, Managing Director of MTI Europe commented: ‘Many congratulations to Rhys and Darren on the announcement that their musical The Wicker Husband will feature at NAMT this year. It's a real feather in the cap of George and Anthony's Mentorship Award and of their work on the show with the writers and will be, hopefully, an important further step in the show's life.’
The MTI Europe Mentorship Award sees British writers George Stiles and Anthony Drewe oversee a 12-month period of workshops, readings and development. Benefits include:
1) A fully funded, one week development retreat to work on the winning musical.
2) Guaranteed free access to MMD’s monthly Advanced Writers’ Lab.
3) Participation in two Progress Labs. In each of these, the Mentorship Award-winner will present a section of their musical and receive feedback from MMD peers and a panel of professionals.
4) Access to work shadowing opportunities – either on a Stiles and Drewe show or with alternative industry contacts (subject to availability and production schedules).
5) After 12 months, the above culminates in rehearsal provision for a workshop with an industry showcase presentation at the end. This is with a professional Director and MD.
