We're back, and this week I talk to singer-songwriter Benjamin Scheuer. Ben's shows include 'The Lion' & 'Mountain for Elodie' and has won several awards including the Kleban Prize for Lyrics.

Instagram/Twitter - benjaminscheuer

Songs featured:

1. 'The Lion' from The Lion

2. 'Cookie Tin Banjo' from The Lion

3. 'Weather The Storm' from The Lion

4. 'Hello Jemima' from A Mountain for Elodie

5. 'A Mountain for Elodie' from A Mountain for Elodie

6. 'Hibernate with Me' from Hibernate With Me (book)

This week I chat with the fantastic singer-songwriter, actor and musical theatre writer Caroline Kay.

Instagram/Twitter - carolinekay117

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'A Million Things' from Daisy

2. 'Light The Way' from Daisy

3. 'Beyond The Common Ground' from Deaf West Musical (title TBC)

4. 'Half of My Heart' from The Space Between

5. 'Holding onto Hope' from The Hardest Part (film currently in development)

6. 'Better Than You' from her 2nd EP 'Tricks'

This week something a little different... I talk to Orchestrator, Composer and Musical Supervisor Tom Deering about his life and work.

Tom has orchestrated such shows as 'Standing At The Skies Edge', the wildly different 'Carousel' at Regent Park 2021, 'Wonder.Land', working with such artists as Damon Albarn and Richard Hawley.

Listen to the soundtrack of 'Standing At The Skies Edge' on Spotify to hear Tom's beautiful work.

We're back! This week I talk with Mark Anderson and Lee Freeman.

We talk about their show 'Proud', a musical about conversion therapy.

Instagram - leeandmarkmusic

Music featured in this episode, all from 'Proud':

1. 'Make Them Proud'

2. 'We Love You s You Are' - Sung by Rebecca Lock & Chris Draper

3. 'The Man Inside'

4. 'Just Us'

5. 'You Almighty'

6. 'The Temptation of Me' - Sung by Jordan Luke Gage

This week I talk to Annabelle Lee Revak about her writing and process.

We also talk about her musical 'Train on Fire' recently performed at MT festival 2023.

Twitter - AnnabelleLRevak

Instagram - annabelleleerevak

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'Sing to Fill the Silence' from Windsong

2. 'Mad Woman' from Train on Fire

3. 'Lullaby for the Burning Girl' from Train on Fire

4. 'Broken Though it Be' from Windsong

5. 'Listen' from Train on Fire

6. 'The Last Tale I Will Ever Tell' from Windsong

This week I interview composer and passionate new musical supporter Neil Bastian.

We discuss his writing process as well as his musical 'The Rise and Fall of Vinnie and Paul', based on the true story of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin's 'friendship'.

Songs featured (all from The Rise and Fall of Vinnie and Paul):

1. Sunflower Power

2. Our Little Yellow House

3. A Fistful of Brushes

4. Me and My Mind

5. Way Past Midnight

6. Red is the Colour

This week I talk with Hilmi Jaidin and we really get into some detail, especially with lyrics!

Twitter - @HilmiJaidin

Instagram - hilmijaidinmusicals

Songs featured in this episode:

1. 'Our Unnamed Southeast Asian Country' from Cruel, Inhuman & Degrading
2. 'Deserve To Die' from Shift+Alt+Right

3. 'A Good Guy With A Gun' from Airbourne
4. 'My Mom' from Shift+Alt+Right
5. 'Speak Now' from Cruel, Inhuman & Degrading
6. 'The World Goes Away When You Sleep' from Airbourne

The Craft of Writing is back for season 2 and what better way to kick things off than with creator of 'Treason', Ricky Allan.

Twitter @RickyAllanMusic

Instagram - rickster_gram

Songs featured (all from Treason):

1. Take Things Into Our Own Hands

2. The Inevitable

3. No Happy Ending

4. All We Dreamed & More

5. The Cold, Hard Ground

6. Caught In the Crossfire

In this episode I put out an open submission call for original 'I Want Songs' from new British musicals.

Featured in this episode are:

1. Rachel Bellman & Josh Bird

2. Sophie Boyce & Veronica Mansour

3. Neil Bastian

4. Jordan Li Smith

5. Eliza Waters

6. Bobbi Zion

7. Helen Arney & Jenna Dyckhoff (Demo sung by Nora Perone and Charlotte Hannan, piano by Rob Gathercole, mixed by James Hughes).