THE AUBREY & MARLA DAN FUND FOR NEW MUSICALS
The Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals is the first ever fund exclusively for the commissioning of new Canadian musical works. This opportunity is managed by The Musical Stage Company, with 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 to cover a 5-week writing period, and a private 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.
The 2021-22 Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals commissioned projects are MEAT & THE TRIALS & TRIUMPHS OF A TAR BABY.
Sponsors
THE AUBREY & MARLA DAN FUND FOR NEW MUSICALS
The Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals is the first ever fund exclusively for the commissioning of new Canadian musical works. This opportunity is managed by The Musical Stage Company, with 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 to cover a 5-week writing period, and a private 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.
The 2021-22 Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals commissioned projects are MEAT & THE TRIALS & TRIUMPHS OF A TAR BABY.
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
Commission terms will include billing in future productions, and a small share in future proceeds from subsidiary rights and commercial productions 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 5-week 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.
- On the final days of the writing period, 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.
The 2021-22 Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals commissioned projects are MEAT & THE TRIALS & TRIUMPHS OF A TAR BABY.
Submission Streams
The 2021-22 Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals commissioned projects are MEAT & THE TRIALS & TRIUMPHS OF A TAR BABY.
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
- Open Call for submissions shall be announced and broadly circulated in Winter of each calendar year with selected projects receiving an invitation to meet a The Musical Stage Company jury in person for a presentation.
All submissions are reviewed and assessed by The Musical Stage Company jury. Each year, 2 projects will be selected for commission. While The Musical Stage Company endeavours to select at least 1 project for commissioning through each stream, there is no guaranteed minimum.
Funded Projects
BLACKOUT
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.
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.
REBELLION
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I send in an existing work?
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.
Can I re-submit a project that was reviewed by The Musical Stage Company last year?
Yes, although our preference is for newly conceived early stage works, if you are re-applying with a piece that was submitted and not selected in a previous year, we ask that you address any new developments with the piece since its previous submission.
Can I send some work samples for pre-review/advice prior to submitting?
Due to the large volume of interest in our program, our artistic staff is sadly not able to pre-review work samples prior to submission. Remember that we are seeking works in their early stages in development and are not expecting production-ready work samples at the submission stage.
Should I submit work samples from the project I am submitting or higher quality samples from other works in my repertoire?
We prefer that you share two audio samples from the proposed project. If that is not possible or feasible for you, we will accept audio samples from a previous work.
Can I submit multiple projects?
There are no restrictions on the number of projects submitted provided the writing teams of each submission are different and each submission is made independently of the others.
Is a successful commission a promise for a future production?
A commission from the Dan Fund is not a promise of future production. The fund offers financial and dramaturgical support to creators in creating and developing the first draft of a new musical. Ideas that exemplify the most potential will be awarded an $8,000 commission to cover a 5-week writing period, and a private reading of the first draft.
For any additional questions about the Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals, please contact Artistic Director Ray Hogg at rayhogg@musicalstagecompany.com.