NEW MUSICALS AUSTRALIA – NEXT ROUND OF WORKSHOPS ANNOUNCED

New Musicals Australia has announced the next round of works selected to undergo workshops for further development.
“New Musicals Australia is very excited about the announcement of the Workshops selections. The panel had a tremendously difficult task in selecting these wonderful works – a testament to the incredible, untapped talent we have here in Australia. We have an interesting and diverse selection of workshops from some very talented teams of people,” said Director of New Musicals Australia, Kris Stewart.
New Musicals Australia is an initiative dedicated to the production of original Australian musical theatre. All works submitted were read by members of the New Musicals Australia advisory panel and all shortlisted works will now receive further consideration by NMA artistic staff, representatives of the Australia Council Music Board and other industry professionals. From this shortlist, works are selected to receive workshopping opportunities within the New Musicals Australia initiative. Advisory panel members who read submitted works included Will Conyers, Peter Cousens, Neil Gooding, Roger Hodgman, Anne-Maree McDonald, Guy Noble and John Senczuk.
Four different works are receiving the Workshop Presentation, which will grant each project a one week’s rehearsal period with a professional cast and production team, followed by a presentation of the work in November and December 2011. The four recipients of the Workshop presentation are:
Truth, beauty and a picture of you
By Tim Freedman & Alex Broun
The fascinating and tragic story of the three original members of the Whitlams.
Transport
By Larry Kirwan &Thomas Keneally
Transport tells a universal story of immigration, loss, hope and redemption and the Irish Diaspora to the Australian penal colony.
The Good Fight
Music by David King, book and lyrics by Nick Enright, with further material by James Millar
Set against the background of the 1^st World War, The Good Fight concerns the life of legendary boxer Les Darcy and his meteoric rise and fall.
Carnival Joe
By Mark Jones & Anthony Crowley
An exuberant and tragically comical tale about the spring racing carnival of 1933
As part of the Musical Snapshots initiative, a twenty to forty minute portion of four different works will be presented in concert to an industry panel and general audience. All four shows will receive feedback from a panel of industry professionals and a chance to perform a sample of the show in front of an audience. Those selected for a Musical Snapshot are:
Sugartown
By Katie Weston, Dean Gourley& Katy Roose
The dealer, the drug lord, the undercover cop and the rest of Sugartown all lead sweet but sour lives.
Soul Music
By Marcus Cowora, Stephen Lloyd Helper and Leeroy Bilney
The story of Jim, an indigenous man who tries to climb the corporate ladder
Do Good and You Will Be Happy
By Phillip Johnston & Hilary Bell
Drawing on our heritage of Australian vaudeville and music hall, enter the fanciful world of Edward William Cole.
Artemisia
By Paul Keelan& Gary Young
A story of the passion and power of a woman’s fight against the odds to be recognized and respected as an artist.
New Musicals Australia also supports a variety of other initiatives targeted at developing new works, establishing networks and providing support for independent writers.

New Musicals Australia is an initiative dedicated to the production of original music theatre in Australia. The program focuses on providing writers and composers with the opportunity to have their scripts and songs workshopped by professionals and presented to high level industry peers, creative industry leaders and general audience members. New Musicals Australia also supports a variety of other initiatives targeted at developing new works, establishing networks and providing support for independent writers.
Tickets for some of the presented workshops will be available- keep an eye on the NMA website
Submissions for the 2011/12 workshop season open in April 2011.
For more information on New Musicals Australia
www.newmusicals.com.au