News: MTFestUK 2021 to run at The Turbine Theatre from 17 to 29 May

MTFestUK 2021 is set to run live at The Turbine Theatre from 17 to 29 May, before embarking on a digital tour from 31 May to 4 July.

Paul Taylor-Mills will present the highly-anticipated annual festival of new musical theatre at the Battersea venue, before it transfers digitally across the country.

The festival will be streamed via Norwich Theatre Royal, the Belgrade Theatre, Coventry and Birmingham Hippodrome from 31 May to 6 June; Mayflower Theatre, Southampton and Mercury Theatre, Colchester from 7 to 13 June; Curve, Leicester and Dundee Repertory Theatre from 14 to 20 June; New Wolsey Theatre and Theatre Clwyd from 21 to 27 June; and Royal & Derngate, Northampton, Sheffield Theatres and The Lowry, Salford from 28 June to 4 July. 

Paul Taylor-Mills, Artistic Director at The Turbine Theatre said “It goes without saying that the last year has brought immense challenges. At The Turbine Theatre we’ve tried our best to be resilient and to try and use this time to redefine the way we work. This has involved exploring how we can extend our reach and bolster our commitment to developing new work.

This will be the third time we’ve had to reschedule this year’s MTFestUK. It was important that when we came back, we came back with an even louder bang. With this in mind, I’m so thrilled to share that MTFestUK will be going on a digital tour after its two-week run at The Turbine. Simply put, all 8 musicals will be filmed at The Turbine and will then live on digitally at 11 of the UK’s leading regional venues.

The Digital Tour will be unique in a number of ways and I’m thrilled with the openness and support I’ve received from our fellow theatre makers around the country. Each venue will have bespoke social content that will support the 8 musicals. This will include special interviews with writers and actors on the creative process and how musicals are developed or indeed refined.

It highlights our commitment to ensure that the heartbeat of The Turbine Theatre is heard beyond our Battersea Power Station base. We have a truly international ensemble of actors that reflect the diversity of stories across the festival and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you in the near future.”

MTFestUK sets out to promote quality artistry and showcase new British musicals to UK audiences with a view to elevate them to a  full production.

The festival was originally launched at The Other Palace in 2019, followed by a season in February 2020 at The Turbine Theatre.

A huge mix of exciting creative talent is involved in this year’s festival including: Tasha Taylor-Johnson, Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, Jack McManus, Drew McConie, Caroline Kay, Matt White, Thabo Stuck, Scott Frankel and Poppy Burton Morgan.

The 2021 festival line-up includes an exciting and diverse selection of eight new musicals – read more here!

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