The long road to recognition: New musical theatre development in Britain

In the wake of the ‘megamusicals’ at the end of the twentieth century, this article explores the current state of new British musical development. The article outlines the challenges faced by producers, venues and writers engaged with new musicals that do not conform to the demands of the West End and examines recent developments that have started to address these hurdles. The article draws on interviews conducted by the author in 2012 with thirteen contemporary practitioners (including producers, writers, teachers and theatre programmers) to create a snapshot of the current and potential future state of new British musical theatre development.