|
|
|
|
Articles
|
|
|
Articles |
The Inernational Music Theatre Festival in Cardiff: A ResponseSir, We read with interest Peter Lathan's comments on the Global Search for New Musicals, but have to correct him on a number of factual inaccuracies. Firstly, the Global Search for New Musicals is only part of the International Festival of Musical Theatre in Cardiff. It is an important part, but only a part. The full programme will be announced at our press launches in London, Cardiff and New York on the 14th February. Secondly, the Global Search has nothing to do with the Vivian Ellis Prize. (Agreed. I merely said that, with the demise of the VE Prize, there was a place for something like the Festival.) Thirdly, Mr Lathan has clearly taken a rather insular approach to the entire site when he writes "To be totally honest, I get no sense from the website that it is being organised in the interests of the development of music theatre in Britain." The Global Search for New Musicals has been designed to create as level playing field as possible for submissions from across the Globe - not only from Britain. We feel that the development of music theatre in Britain will be much enhanced by the opportunity to see what is happening in many other countries around the world in this area. With regards to the return of materials, this would be easy if we were only dealing with the UK, but we are not. There has not yet been an entrant who has contacted the office suggesting that the non-return of materials is a problem for them. Anyone who is serious about getting their new musical produced understands that most producers do not return materials and that a considerable number of materials will have to be sent off in order to try get a production. As this is the inaugural Festival we are forced to charge an Entry fee. We are currently raising sponsorship to cover the costs of all of the events in the Festival. We were adamant when setting up the Search that the showcases should be produced at as high a standard as possible to show the musicals at their best advantage, with a full rehearsal period and showcasing a full 45 minutes of the show. We hope that in future years the Global Search will not carry such a fee but until we have sufficient sponsorship this is not possible. As the website clearly states all applicants will be informed at every round of their progress. Mr Lathan also manages to criticise the site for having too much information, then says that too many questions are left unanswered. We have tried to make the website succinct, but as this is the first Search, we have tried also to answer questions that have been put to us so that as much information as possible is available to those who wish to access it. Whether or not Mr Lathan believes us, the Global Search is designed and run by professionals who work within the field of new musicals. It is designed to bring the best new musicals to the attention of producers and directors. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating. We hope that in the future the showcased shows will be produced around the world. If that happens the Search will have succeeded. Those working on the Search and the rest of the Festival are certainly not doing this as a PR exercise. As mentioned above, the full Festival will be launched on February 14th - after that date we will be happy to provide a press pack with a considerable amount of information about the Festival as a whole. Perhaps once Mr Lathan has read all of this information he can then make more informed judgements on our plans. Joanne Benjamin Julian Woolford I still believe that my original comments are justified as they were based on what is on the Festival's website. However, judge for yourself! The website is at www.cardiffmusicals.com and you'll find my original comments here. Articles Indices:
|
|
|