Theatr Clwyd today announces the talented individuals that will be in residence over the next year.
See dates and times 4 Apr 2022
News Story
The Writers in Residence are part of Theatr Clwyd’s TYFU|GROW Creative Development Programme. Writers’ residencies have been awarded to Jennifer Lunn, Hannah Daniel, Kristian Phillips, Wyn Mason and Lisa Parry.
The five 2022 Writers in Residence will be connected with Theatr Clwyd’s in-house productions of Milky Peaks, Celebrated Virgins, and APretty Sh*tty Love. The residencies give writers the chance to build relationships with the company of each production and with the Theatr Clwyd team, to spend time observing rehearsals, and to develop ideas in a supportive environment. The residencies are made possible through the generous support of Gladstone’s Library, in whose beautiful rooms the playwrights stay during their time in North Wales.
After two years without our Writers in Residence, it feels so exhilarating to know they’re going to be back in our building. Whilst we, in partnership with the wonderful Gladstone’s Library, are able to give these writers the time and space to write, they give us so much more in return – different perspectives, new ways of thinking, and a confirmation of how important it is that we continue to be a nurturing and supportive home for artists in Wales.Tamara Harvey, Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd today said.
Theatr Clwyd have also, for the first time, teamed with Musical Theatre network (MTN) and Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) on the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Musical Theatre Writing Team placement. They are delighted to announce that the placement at Theatr Clwyd commencing in June 2022 has been awarded to Amir Shoenfeld & Caitlyn Burt.
Amir Shoenfeld
Caitlyn Burt
Mercury Musical Developments and Musical Theatre Network run The Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer scheme, which is made possible by funding from the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation. Through this, musical theatre composers are paired with a producing organisation, and given the opportunity to be involved in a range of projects including developing their own new work, shadowing other composers, musical direction and composing songs, sound & music for new productions. In this placement, for the first time, it was decided to seek a two-person musical theatre writing team for the opportunity, recognising the highly collaborative approach that many musical theatre writers take. This is also the first Welsh-based placement in the scheme’s history, which began in 2011 and has now awarded paid placements to 16 musical theatre writers. Recent placements have included the Royal Shakespeare Company, Dundee Rep, British Youth Music Theatre, Hope Mill Theatre and The Lowry.
Amir and Caitlyn are the perfect team for this residency, as they have so much to give the Theatr Clwyd community, as well as being ready and open to learn from them. At MMD we have supported both Amir and Caitlyn over recent years as they have developed their individual voices as well as forming a creative and productive writing partnership. We are excited to see how their new musical theatre work develops and how they embrace this opportunity with their talent and energy.Emily Gray, Executive Director, MMD, said.
We’ve received requests in the past from two-person writing teams wanting to apply for Resident Composer placements, but not wanted the fee to be divided in half. Thanks to the support of the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation, we’ve now been able to offer this placement with two individuals each receiving the full fee towards their living costs while taking up this professional development opportunity. Locating a placement in Wales is long overdue, and Theatr Clwyd is the perfect venue for this, with its strong track record for staging innovative new musical theatre.’James Hadley, Executive Director, MTN, said.
One of the most exciting things for us as a company is having artists in our building, becoming part of the fabric of who we are and bringing their own insights to all that we do. Caitlyn and Amir are not only hugely exciting musical theatre writers but also bring a wealth of experience from different nations and forms of music making. It’s an amazing thing, particularly in these times, to be working with Mercury Musical Developments, Musical Theatre Network and the Cameron Mackintosh Foundation on such a forward looking and innovative residency.Tamara Harvey, Artistic Director of Theatr Clwyd, said.
