Paul Vale, critic for The Stage newspaper has written a review of last Sunday’s Student Competition at the Garrick Theatre.
Of the winner, Turlough Convery, he writes that he is “a force to be reckoned with on stage and yet his voice, a high baritone, is surprisingly light and lilting, adding an extra level of melancholy to the sweet Ariadne number from The Frogs.”
Read the full review HERE.
With just a week to go until this year’s Stephen Sondheim Society Performer of the Year Competition, our Press Officer Katy Auker finds out more about the twelve Finalists.
Click HERE, or select 2013 Finalists Profiles from the Student Competition menu above.
After a long and gruelling but amazing day on Sunday, during which time we saw 64 students, the judges (Edward Seckerson and Mark Etherington) have selected 12 finalists and two standby students. The list of finalists is below, in the meantime many thanks to all the students and colleges who took part; you were all amazing.
We’re looking forward to working with the finalists and hope that they enjoy the experience and get a great deal out of it.
In the meantime, do buy your tickets to come along and support them; it’s always a great atmosphere and everyone is so supportive of all of the entrants, irrespective of their college affiliation.
| Student name | College Name |
| Turlough Convery | Guildford School of Acting |
| Laura Darton | Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts |
| Nina Logue | Bristol Old Vic Theatre School |
| Brooke Markham | LAMDA |
| Dylan Mason | ArtsEd |
| Kara-Ami McCreanor | Performance Preparation Academy(PPA) |
| George Mercer | Oxford School of Drama |
| Maud Millar | Guildhall School of Music and Acting (Music) |
| Beth Peach-Robinson | Royal Academy of Music |
| Phoebe Pryce | RADA |
| Alistair Toovey | RADA |
| Michael Watson-Gray | Drama Studio London |
| Ryan Ferrie (Standby 1) | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Musical Theatre) |
| Tafline Steen (Standby 2) | Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (Drama) |
Tickets are now on sale for the 2013 Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Competition (SSSSPOTY), combined with The Stiles & Drewe prize for best song. (For booking details see the end of this article). This is the seventh year of the competition which goes from strength to strength and gives musical theatre students from the UK’s leading drama schools a platform to showcase their work before graduation. This coming Sunday, March 17th, sees the SSSSPOTY heats with 37 colleges and 67 students participating in what is sure to be a fascinating and emotionally charged day of auditions.
The final 12 (plus one stand-by) will participate in the final, taking place at The Garrick Theatre at 3.00 pm on Sunday May 19th. They will sing one Sondheim song and also a new song written by members of Mercury Musical Developments, an organisation dedicated to the craft of writing book, music and lyrics for musical theatre. The winner receives £1000, a silver salver and a chance to appear in a very special Sondheim event. The runner up will receive £250.
Stephen Sondheim, who is a patron of both The Stephen Sondheim Society and MMD, was keen to incorporate a prize for new writing in musical theatre within the event and with support from UK writers George Stiles & Anthony Drewe there will be a presentation of the sixth Stiles and Drewe Best Song Prize, which also has a prize value of £1,000 for the best new song of the evening.
The twelve finalists will be judged by Michael Grandage, Imelda Staunton, Musical Director Mike Haslam, Matthew Scott (Head Of Music at The National), and Bert Fink (Rodgers and Hammerstein Theatricals Europe). The chairman of the judges will be journalist Edward Seckerson, and the prize will be presented by Julia McKenzie and a representative from Overtures: The Bunnett-Muir Musical Theatre Archive Trust. The event is being hosted by Jenna Russell, who will also be performing during the afternoon, with musical direction by Mark Etherington. Last year’s SSSSPOTY winner Kris Olsen and runner-up Emma Salvo will also be performing.
The Best New Song Prize will be judged by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (Honk, Mary Poppins, Betty Blue Eyes. Peter Pan, Soho Cinders), Adam Cork (London Road) and Reece Shearsmith (Betty Blue Eyes, The Producers).
Sondheim Society members and MMD members get a special rate which can booked via their administrators. Sondheim Society members should email sondheimsociety@sondheim.org. Otherwise tickets, can be booked online at http://www.nimaxtheatres.com/garrick-theatre/student_performer_of_the_year_best_new_song_prize_2013 or via telephone on 0844 482 9673 (24hrs).
If you have any queries or need more help / information, please email Lynne Chapman, Administrator, The Stephen Sondheim Society sondheimsociety@sondheim.org
The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Competition (SSSSPOTY) and the Stiles and Drewe Prize for the best new musical theatre song were the subject of a featured article on the Broadway World website today.
The article states:
The Stephen Sondheim Society Student Performer of the Year Competition (SSSSPOTY), now in its seventh year, was created to give musical theatre students a platform to showcase their work before graduation.
To read the whole article, go to http://westend.broadwayworld.com/article/Jenna-Russell-to-Host-Sondheim-Society-Awards-on-May-19-20130314
The seventh SSSSPOTY will be held at the Garrick Theatre, 2 Charing Cross Road, London, WC2H 0HH on Sunday 19th May 2013.
Details of time, ticket prices and how to book will appear shortly.
How to get there
The Garrick Theatre is located on Charing Cross Road, near to Leicester Square in London’s West End.
Public Transport: Leicester Square (Northern, Piccadilly) Charing Cross (Northern, Bakerloo) Embankment (District, Circle) Bus Routes: 3, 6, 9, 12, 13, 15, 24, 29, 30
The judges will be Edward Seckerson, Michael Grandage, Imelda Staunton, Mike Haslam, Matthew Scott, Bert Fink
Compere: Jenna Russell
Award presented by Julia McKenzie
Musical Director: Mark Etherington
Director: Chris Hocking
Presented by Neil Marcus for Mercury Musical Developments, The Stephen Sondheim Society and Sam Joseph
Get your diaries out! This year’s SSSSPOTY will be taking place on the afternoon of Sunday May 19th and we have a different home this year – The Garrick Theatre.
The heats will be held at The Royal Academy of Music during the day on Sunday March 17th and invitations will be going out shortly to colleges, inviting them to submit a pair of students to participate in this exciting major event for students of musical theatre. As ever, the finalists will be judged by a panel of industry specialists. If you are a student or a college tutor and you aren’t sure if your college is participating or not, or you want to encourage them to do so (!) then do email Lynne (sondheimsociety@sondheim.org) so she can put you on the list.
As a reminder, the 12 finalsts will sing two songs, one Sondheim song and one new song by a writer or writers from MMD (Mercury Musical Development). It’ s a fantastic experience and one which all of our students have told us has meant so much to them and was a great boost to their CV.
So do come along and offer your support. See you there!
