REWRITES – the showcase for new musicals started by The Lowry, Salford in 2017 is expanding next year by linking up with three new partner venues – Birmingham Hippodrome, MAST Mayflower Studios and Norwich Theatre – to create a new twice-annual touring platform for new musicals in development, starting with Sheep Soup’s new work Nel’s Place.

REWRITES was launched by The Lowry to support and promote new musicals at the start of their journey to the stage. It’s a platform that puts shows on their feet and in front of an audience for the first time via presentations including scratch nights, works-in-progress workshops and concerts.

Now The Lowry is teaming up with Birmingham Hippodrome, MAST Mayflower Studios and Norwich Theatre to showcase work under the REWRITES banner, offering audiences a chance to be part of the journey from the very start. The quartet of venues have a history of collaborating on the development of new musicals.

The hit West End musical Operation Mincemeat started out at a scratch event at The Lowry as part of REWRITES and other musicals featured previously include: No Miracles Here by The Letter Room, A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Sad) by Jon Brittain and Matthew Floyd Jones, A Mother’s Song by Finn Anderson and Tania Azevedo and Snowflake by Lewis Cornay.

Nel’s Place is a new musical from Sheep Soup, examining what material things really mean to us, and how easily we can become buried by the past.

Trapped in a hoard of memories and music, Nel yearns to make space for granddaughter Molly’s 16th birthday celebrations. Can Nel find a way through grief to let her family in?

Matt Eames, Head of Theatres (Contemporary & Commissioning) at The Lowry, said: REWRITES has played a really important role in the growth in new musical theatre in recent years and, together with our close friends and partners at Birmingham Hippodrome, MAST Mayflower Studios and Norwich Theatre, we felt that it would have an even bigger impact as a national platform. Artists and companies now have an opportunity to test and develop their ideas at venues across the country as well as building audiences for potential future productions.”

Reflecting on REWRITES role in the development of its hit West End show Operation Mincemeat, SpitLip said: “Operation Mincemeat would never have existed without the support of The Lowry, and being able to try out material at Rewrites honestly shaped the course of the show. We sang untested, wriggling new songs in front of a supportive audience – some of those songs made into the final show and are sung every night on a West End stage, (others….not so much but we don’t talk about them, ((RIP “Trout Ticklers”)). We couldn’t be more grateful to the Lowry Rewrites for giving us that space, support and sheer rocket fuel to chase our dreams. This may very well be where the next West End hit will be found – and we cannot wait to see them.”

REWRITES: Nel’s Place will run at Birmingham Hippodrome from 19 to 20 Mar 2024. Tickets can be booked here or by calling 0844 338 5000*

*0844 calls will cost you 4.5p per minute plus you phone company’s access charge.