Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre have launched the second round of the Musicals Commissioning Hub – a talent hub designed to nurture Scottish musicians and writers. The aim of the programme is to collaborate with musicians, writers and artists to develop Scottish talent, support the future of musical theatre and create new musicals that could ultimately be seen on stages across the country and develop great new Scottish musicals for international stages.
Following the success of the first Musicals Commissioning Hub in 2021, applications are now open for artists to submit their ideas for a new musical to be explored and developed alongside Capital Theatres and Pitlochry Festival Theatre. Shortlisted applications will be awarded seed commissions and supported in the next phase of their development, including scratch performances for an invited audience in Edinburgh and Pitlochry. The applications will be reviewed by a panel of leading creatives, actors, directors and producers including:
Barbara Dickson, singer and performer
Katy Galloway, producer, Katy Galloway Productions
Hamish Greer, producer, ROYO
Claire Grogan, singer and performer
James Hadley, Musical Theatre Network
Emilie Israel, performer
Shonagh Murray, musical director and previous successful applicant to the Musicals Commissioning Hub
Margaret-Anne O’Donnell and Gill Garrity, producers, Raw Material
Charles Simmons, performer
The first new musical to emerge from the Musicals Commissioning Hub is Nessie, created by Glasgow-based composer and musical director Shonagh Murray. The story of a brave young girl and a notorious mythical underwater creature, Nessie was one of three ideas selected for development from round one of the Musicals Commissioning Hub and has been taken forward for production. Nessie will be performed at The Studio and at Pitlochry Festival Theatre in 2025. Dates and further details will be confirmed later in the year.
Chief Executive of Capital Theatres, Fiona Gibson said “…. I am delighted that Shonagh Murray’s beautiful new musical Nessie will be performed in both Edinburgh and Pitlochry in 2025, marking a full-circle moment since Shonagh first submitted her wonderful idea in 2021. It is a fantastic achievement for both Shonagh and the Musicals Commissioning Hub that Nessie will be enjoyed by audiences across the country next year, and I can’t wait to discover more musical theatre gems from the next round of applications
Artistic Director of Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Elizabeth Newman, said “We are so excited to continue our partnership with Capital Theatres. It is a very important partnership for us, and we are so inspired by all the brilliant work that Fiona and the team are making happen in Edinburgh. It feels like a very important moment to be announcing the second round of our Musicals Commissioning Hub together. We created the Hub to enable both organisations to support the creation of new musicals together, and since 2021 we’ve been doing just that! …”
For further details or to apply to the Musicals Commissioning Hub, visit www.capitaltheatres.com/musical-commissioning-hub.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 