AUBREY & MARLA DAN FUND FOR NEW MUSICALS
Submissions are closed for The Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals.
Stay tuned to learn about the 2025 selected commissions.
The Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals is Canada’s first-ever fund dedicated exclusively to the commissioning of new Canadian musical works. This opportunity is managed by The Musical Stage Company, thanks to funding from the Aubrey & Marla Dan Foundation. The fund offers financial and dramaturgical support to creators in creating and developing a first draft of a new musical. Ideas that exemplify the most potential will be awarded an $8,000 commission and a reading of the first draft.
The Musical Stage Company is committed to the development and production of new Canadian musical works. As such, commissioned projects may subsequently be offered additional development or production opportunities upon completion of the commission. The commission contract will outline the terms of these continued opportunities.
Sponsors
AUBREY & MARLA DAN FUND FOR NEW MUSICALS
Submissions are closed for The Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals.
Stay tuned to learn about the 2025 selected commissions.
The Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals is Canada’s first-ever fund dedicated exclusively to the commissioning of new Canadian musical works. This opportunity is managed by The Musical Stage Company, thanks to funding from the Aubrey & Marla Dan Foundation. The fund offers financial and dramaturgical support to creators in creating and developing a first draft of a new musical. Ideas that exemplify the most potential will be awarded an $8,000 commission and a reading of the first draft.
The Musical Stage Company is committed to the development and production of new Canadian musical works. As such, commissioned projects may subsequently be offered additional development or production opportunities upon completion of the commission. The commission contract will outline the terms of these continued opportunities.
Eligibility & Terms
Eligibility
Individual musical theatre creators, teams of musical theatre creators, and theatre creation collectives are all welcome to apply. Projects should be in an early phase of conception or development. If a completed first draft already exists, the project may be too far along for this program unless writers are looking to do substantial reconceiving, essentially generating a new first draft.
Commission Terms
We stress that selection results in a commission and not a grant. Standard terms for commissions will apply including billing in future productions, and a share in future proceeds from subsidiary rights and royalties to be received from commercial production box office receipts pending continued development and production from The Musical Stage Company.
Commission Schedule
- Upon signing the Commission Agreement, creators will receive $4,000 (of the total $8,000 commission amount).
- Creators will select a writing period falling within eight months of notification of selection to dedicate their time to the writing of a first draft.
- At the end of the writing period, creators shall deliver the first draft to The Musical Stage Company, defined as a minimum 50-minutes of material along with synopses of missing scenes and a minimum of eight (8) songs.
- Upon completion of the writing period and first draft, The Musical Stage Company shall fund an informal two-day reading of the first draft with a cast of professional actors.
- Upon The Musical Stage Company’s receipt of the first draft, creators shall receive the remaining $4,000 (of the total $8,000 commission amount).
- Following the receipt of the first draft, The Musical Stage Company may exercise the right to pay an additional development fee of $2,000 to the creators in order to acquire further development rights.
Streams
The fund is granted via two streams:
A) INVITATIONS
- The Musical Stage Company may identify prospective projects and directly invite creators to submit a proposal and subsequently present more information about the project to The Musical Stage Company team at any time of the year.
B) OPEN CALL
- An Open Call for submissions shall be announced and broadly circulated in the spring of each calendar year with selected projects receiving an invitation to meet a TMSC jury for a presentation (taking place Aug 12-13, 2025).
- Submissions are currently open for The Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals. Applications are due at 11:59 PM on July 25th, 2025. Please visit the Submission Guidelines for full information on how to apply.
All submissions are reviewed and assessed by The Musical Stage Company jury. Each year, a maximum of two projects will be selected for commission. While The Musical Stage Company endeavours to select at least one project for commissioning through each stream, there is no guaranteed minimum.
Because the commissions will be awarded through either stream, funding decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Funding decisions may not be immediate and further follow-up may be required. However, feedback from presentations will be available in written form upon request.
Funded Projects
HALF MAGIC
Book & Lyrics by Rosamund Small
Music & Lyrics by Britta Johnson
Co-commissioned by The Musical Stage Company & Soulpepper Theatre, with funding from the Slaight Family Foundation and The Aubrey & Marla Dan’s fund for New Musicals.
JOHANNES
Book by Morris Panych, Music & Lyrics by Ryan deSouza & Darren deSouza
BLACKOUT (aka CYGNUS)
Book by Steven Gallagher, Music & Lyrics by Anton Lipovetsky.
KELLY v. KELLY
Book by Sara Farb, Music & Lyrics by Britta Johnson.
IN REAL LIFE
Music & Lyrics by Kevin Wong, Book & Lyrics by Nick Green.
DIXON ROAD
Book, Music & Lyrics By Fatuma Adar. Arrangements and Orchestrations by Adam Sakiyama.
MONOCEROS
Music & Lyrics By Ben Elliot and Anton Lipovetsky, Book By Josh Epstein and Kyle Rideout.
THE PREPOSTEROUS PREDICAMENT OF POLLY PEEL
Book by Julie Tepperman, Music & Lyrics by Kevin Wong.
YOU ARE HERE
Book by Brian Hill, Music & Lyrics by Neil Bartman.
STARWALKER
Book, Music & Lyrics by Corey Payette.
NIGHTINGALE PARTY
Book, Music & Lyrics by Veda Hille and Amiel Gladstone.
COWBOY TEMPEST CABARET
Book by Niall McNeil, Lucy McNulty & Anton Lipovetsky, Music by Anton Lipovetsky, Lyrics by Niall McNeil.
MEAT
Book by Aaron Jan & alaska b, Music & Lyrics by alaska b.
THE TRIALS & TRIUMPHS OF A TAR BABY
Book, Music & Lyrics by Jewelle Blackman. Book by Meghan Swaby.
SOFT MAGICAL TOFU BOYS
Book, Music & Lyrics by Kevin Wong
THE 7 FIRES, A NEW MUSICAL
Music & Lyrics by Landon Doak
Book & Lyrics by Dillan Meighan Chiblow