George Stiles and Anthony Drewe. Photo: Alastair Muir

Acclaimed writing team George Stiles and Anthony Drewe are to host a concert featuring emerging musical theatre writers at the St James Studio on 19th April. The event will provide a development and showcase opportunity for a selection of new writers and writing teams.

Stiles and Drewe are founding board members of Mercury Musical Developments, a charitable organisation that nurtures new musical theatre writing in the UK. Their credits include Mary Poppins, Just So, Soho Cinders, Honk! and Betty Blue Eyes and they are currently developing a new musical of Wind in the Willows with Julian Fellowes. The concert is produced and directed by Katie Pesskin, who created The New Musical Project (a new musical theatre writing development programme at the Leicester Square Theatre) and whose credits include Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years starring Danielle Hope and Jon Robyns, for which she was nominated in the BroadwayWorld UK Awards for Best Direction.

The concert will showcase songs by emerging British musical theatre writers, performed by a cast of West End stars with musical direction by Michael Riley. Casting is yet to be announced.

Submissions are still open for writers to put forward their music and lyrics for inclusion in the concert. Email [email protected] with subject line ‘MT Writers’ for more information.

British Musical Futures – a night of new writing hosted by Stiles & Drewe

St James Studio, London

19th April 2015, 7pm

Tickets available now – www.stjamestheatre.co.uk or  0844 264 2140