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