What is Beat-by-Beat?
Beat-by-Beat is an incubation program for the generation of new musicals.

How does it do that?
a) It matches writers with composers.
b) Mentors, directors, and other specialists in musical theater help guide the incubation process.
c) It creates a community of musical theater enthusiasts so that there are opportunities to interact with one another.
d) Workshops and seminars are organized as an integral part of the incubation process.
e) It will do a no-frills black-box staging of highlights of the musicals.

What are the stages in the incubation process?
There are three stages in this process:

Stage 1: Initial matching of writers and composers leading to the first draft of the musical. This is then presented to the other teams as a round-the-table playreading with song.

Stage 2: The musicals are workshopped, rewritten and the music arranged. Up to eight musicals are then selected for a 45-minute highlights, no-frills, no choreography, demonstration in a black box setting. The exception to the “no choreography” rule may be made if the musical is a dance musical. The public are invited to this “mini-festival of new musicals”.

Stage 3: One or two out of the above musicals are then selected for a further development into a full 90-minute performance with choreography in a theater.

Who are the organizers?
Beat-by-Beat is a joint project between Musical Theatre, UAN, The Next Stage, and the Singapore Repertory Theatre's Second Stage.

What are the musicals submitted so far?

1. Roses & Hello
Words by Luke Kwek; Music by Esther Yang
A spunky flower shop owner fights the acquisition of her property by a law tycoon, whose son falls in love with her. Broadway style music.

2. Love is in the Air
Words: Sim Siying; Music: August Lum
Comedy about two couples about to be married. Contemporary music style.

3. Peter and Pierre
Words: Stella Kon; Music: Desmond Moey
Two singers talking about growing in maturity, learning to trust again, and rediscovering hope and love. Ballads, soliloquies and duets.

4. Samsara
Words: Musa Fazal; Music: Sean Wong
A comedy about a swami, a cow, and a spaceman. Comedy songs, ballads.

5. One More Day
Words: Mohamad Shaifulbahri; Music: Frederick Lin
Heart-tugging drama about a house-cleaner mother and her son. She has lost her husband to liver cancer and her eldest son to Aids. They learn to survive. Ballads and jazz.

6. Ten Days of Mourning
Words: Carolyn Camoens; Music: Nawaz Mirajkar
A 20-year-old Singaporean returns to India with her mother, and discovers her own identity. Ethnic Indian style.

7. City of the Gods
Words: Darius Lim; Music: Michelle Loh
How the ancient South American Teotihuacans empire came to an end in
the 2nd Century BC. New age and ballads.

8. Vanity Victorious Virtue Vanquished
Words: Dwayne Lau; Music: Kevin Fok and August Lum
Comedy about four ladies obsessed about their external appearances, but learn about internal appearances. Ballads, pop.

9. Blue Willow House
Words: Stella Kon; Music: Kenneth Lyen
A tender love story set in a Singapore brothel around the turn of the 19-20th century. Sweet-sour drama. Schonberg & Boublil style.

10. Swingle
Words: Lionel Chok; Music: Iskandar Ismail
A jazz musical dramedy about being single and swinging. Kander and Ebb style.

11. I Love Harajuku
Words: Justin Kan; Music: Bang Wenfu
A quiet and meek Singapore girl goes on a student exchange program in Tokyo and stays with a loud, brash and very alternative Harajuku girl. Music style: rojak.

12. Beautiful Young Things
Words: Jack Tan; Music: Michelle Loh
Drama about the lives of six young university graduates struggling with their careers and their loves. Pop songs and ballads.

13. Setting Him Straight
Words: Chet Woon; Music: Michael Koh
A wiimp has to change his image and prove he is not gay in order to avoid being disowned and unfinanced by his parents.

14. Red Threaded Hearts
Words: Megan Chia; Music: August Lum
Comedy about love set in an undertaker's shop. Broadway style.

15. Memory (working title)
Words: Tan Kok Keng; Music: Darren Ng Tzer-Huei
A surrealistic reflection of a man’s entire life. Techno style.

16. Flights of Passage
Words: Wong Chen Seong; Music: Kenneth Lyen
Trapped in an airport because of a terrorist bomb threat, a group of travelers reveal their personal problems, and as they share their experiences, they learn about themselves which will ultimately change the course of their lives.

22 November 2005