Annual Conference 2009

Producers, managers and and industry professionals are
invited to join us for our second annual conference,
where we will be discussing:

The Creative Business of Musical Theatre

Friday 6 March, 9.30am-6.00pm

(Optional: Saturday 7 March, 10.00am-12.00pm)
Leicester Square Theatre, London

Discussions Include:

  • The Future: Changing Lives, Changing World, Changing Priorities. How can Musical Theatre inhabit and serve the needs of a changing world? Can we be collaborators in social innovation and support empowering educators?
  • Encouraging Investment and Business Innovation. The 2008 MTM working party report back on UK and US tax systems. How can we harness these systems to attract support for new productions and new initiatives – big and small?
  • Strategies for New Work Development. How and where do we create safe spaces to try out and the right to fail? Exporing a nurturing community for new work and trans-national development.
  • Two Musical Theatre Superpowers. Understanding other musical voices, facilitating artistic relationships across nations, reproducing major repertoire and building awareness of wider repertoire, and understanding international potential.
  • Building Collaborative Business. Identifying existing business models, managing risk and award, exploring collaboration in business internationally, touring audiences for new work and developing relationships with studios, Fringe spaces and Festivals.
  • “We know Musical Theatre Matters, but how do we ensure MTM:UK Matters?” After 3 years of being a catalyst for new projects and forging connections, MTM:UK is ready to tackle bigger issues, look at the wider world, encompass a wider gathering of business and creative folk, and ask questions which look at the fundamental potential of the artform we work in.

Download the full Conference Programme (PDF)

Speakers & Facilitators (subject to final availabilty): 

  • Pippa Bailey – Total Theatre
  • Clive Belgeonne - Empowering Educators / Manchester University
  • David Benedict – Variety critic and author
  • Ken Bennett-Hunter – Producer Impropera and consultant
  • Bill O'Brien -  Director of Theater and Musical Theater, National Endowment for the Arts (Washington)
  • Laiz Chen - Open Space for Dialogue and Enquiry / Nottingham University
  • Tony Gibbs – CEO, NODA
  • Iain Gillie – Producer, The Curve Leicester
  • Nancy Golladay - Librettist Workshop Moderator, BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop
  • Sam Levy - Director of Programming, Summer Play Festival NYC
  • Kerry Michael – Artistic Director, Theatre Royal Stratford East
  • Vernon Mound – director and professor at University of Gothenburg
  • Jeremy Newton – CEO Prince’s Foundation for Children and The Arts
  • Laurie Sansom – Artistic Director, Royal and Derngate Northampton
  • James Seabright – Producer
  • Chantelle Staynings - Producer, Primavera Productions
  • Tim Sutton – composer and member of the Magic Circle
  • Peter Watts - Partner Bourner Bullock Accountants

Download Full Biographies (PDF) 

A light buffet lunch, morning and afternoon tea/coffee breaks will be included, and these will offer time for one-on-one connections to be made. Vegetarian options available.

MMD & MTM Joint Session:
Optional: Saturday 7 March, 10.00am-12.00pm

Hot topic discussion between members of the two networking organisations. Join us and meet writers of Musical Theatre.