The University of Winchester is gaining a reputation as an incubator for new British musicals in need of a place to grow and develop.
A special workshop performance of one of the University’s latest projects, The Stop, takes place on the campus next week (8 November).
One of its songs will also feature in a concert at The Stage Door in Southampton that same evening when it will be performed by West End star Courtney Bowman.
The Stop is being workshopped this Autumn for the second-year students’ New Musical Theatre Project module.
The show has been written by Emily Garsin and Anna Shields, who studied Drama, Theatre and TV at Winchester, graduating in 2006.
It’s the story of 13 passengers stuck on a broken-down tube train between stops. This is Jules’ worst nightmare - she has a phobia about travelling on the underground and was only supposed to ride the train for one stop as part of an exercise set by her therapist.
The campus performance is directed by Dr Adam Rush, Programme Leader and Senior Lecturer in Musical Theatre.
Adam said: “It’s a unique opportunity for students to understand the process of creating new musicals and to play an exciting part in a show's journey from page to stage. It’s a fantastic experience for students and creatives alike.”
Anna Shields said: “Having the opportunity to workshop new musicals with students at The University of Winchester is invaluable to the writing and development process of new work. Getting new songs, scenes and ideas up on their feet, sometimes only hours after writing them, is an incredible testing ground for us as writers.”
As the students are making last minute preparations for their campus show, ten miles down the road in Southampton Courtney Bowman (star of Legally Blonde and Six) will be rehearsing her rendition of Jules’s big number, ‘Just One Stop’, for Showtime at the Stage Door.
The concert will feature music from 19 new musical theatre writers, including the University’s Musical Director Teddy Clements and his writing partner, Stephanie Jayne Amies.
The Stop is one of two musicals currently taking shape at the University, alongside Lust Loves to Lie by composer Jack Miles. Miles has recently returned from New York, where his earlier musical, In Clay, was performed as part of the prestigious NAMT festival (National Aliance for Musical Theatre).
New musicals have been developed at Winchester since 2016. The latest to hit the London stage will be Cliffs the Musical, to be performed in a workshopped reading and concert version at The Other Palace on 22 and 23 November. Among the cast will be Cleve September, a member of the original cast of Hamilton.
Cliffs, by Elan Butler (Masters of the Air, Funny Woman), blends hip-hop and folk to tell the story of a young girl, Teddy Thomas, who mysteriously disappears on her way to school.
It follows hard on the heels of Just Be(e), by Carlo Bosticco and Matt Randall, which was performed at The Other Palace in October as part of its Musical Bites programme. The show began life at Winchester in 2022.
The BA (Hons) Musical Theatre programme welcomes expressions of interest in workshopping pieces of new musical theatre with students for 2025 and beyond. Contact adam.rush@winchester.ac.uk.
For more details about Showtime at the The Stagedoor and for ticket information follow this link.
Pictured top: Co-writer Anna Shields with student cast of The Stop.
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