Perfect Pitch and Royal & Derngate launch new £12k musical theatre award

Perfect Pitch, the organisation dedicated to supporting new musical theatre writing, has announced a new £12,000 award to support a new musical, in association with the Royal & Derngate Theatre in Northampton.

The Perfect Pitch Award will be given to a British writer, or team of writers, and the winning team will be awarded £12,000 to complete a full draft of a new musical over a twelve month period. They will be given a cast, MD, director and rehearsal space by Perfect Pitch, as well as receiving support and mentoring from them and Royal & Derngate.

The musical will be developed through readings and workshops, and at the end of the year, the winning show will be presented in a professional staged reading.

Applicants will be whittled down to four finalists, who will 'pitch' ten minutes of their show to a panel of judges including actors Michael Ball and Janie Dee, director Rachel Kavanaugh, playwright Samuel Adamson and Kerry Michael on 14 March 2014 at the St James Studio.

Stephen Fry, patron of Perfect Pitch said: "This award is the perfect opening for emerging writers to gain a foothold in this industry and cut their teeth while creating something truly original, and we hope it will become a touchstone for writers and composers alike who wish to gain more experience and showcase their skills."

No professional writing experience is necessary to apply, and applications close on 31 October 2013.