From process to progress: Completion?

As a composer/performer with a background in practice as research, I propose a study of two works in progress, The Dressing Room (2014–) and Beyonsense (2015–), both of which are at different stages of ‘completion’ and ongoing in terms of their performance history. My approach combines perspectives taken from both the creative process and the performative experience, together with a more reflective position of analysis regarding their future integration. This discussion is placed within a context that argues for the vital role played by festivals, arts organizations and academic institutions in facilitating the presentation of new forms of music theatre that are at different stages of development. Drawing on my own experience of these, I evaluate the importance of a work’s exposure, as a work-in-the-making, to both colleagues and cross-disciplinary audiences alike.