A new initiative dedicated to developing Australia’s next generation of musical theatre writers has launched, with the Australian Musical Theatre Incubator (AMTI) holding its inaugural five-day intensive at Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) in Sydney from 4 – 8 January 2027.
Created by New York-based Australian musical theatre writer Carmel Dean and London-based Australian theatre producer Maryann Wright, AMTI will give Australian bookwriters, composers and lyricists access to specialist training, mentorship and industry expertise to help take original musicals from idea towards the stage.
AMTI has been founded in response to a longstanding gap in Australia’s musical theatre ecosystem: while Australian artists have produced acclaimed work at home and gone on to forge successful careers internationally, opportunities to develop the specialist craft of writing new musicals has historically been limited.
For Dean and Wright, that gap is personal. Both left Australia in their twenties to develop their careers internationally. After many years working across Broadway, the West End and the wider international theatre industry, they are now bringing that experience back to Australia.
“We wanted to create the opportunity we wished we’d had when we were starting out,” said Carmel Dean, co-founder of AMTI. “Australia has extraordinary musical theatre talent, but writing a musical is a highly specialised craft. AMTI is about giving Australian writers the space, tools, mentorship and industry knowledge to develop ambitious original work here.”
Across five days, participants will work with leading Australian and international practitioners on the craft and business of writing new musicals, including book-writing dramaturgy, musical structure, character and story development, song structure, rewriting and responding to critical feedback, and the practical business of getting new work produced. The programme will culminate in a pitch afternoon, giving participants the opportunity to present their developing work to industry professionals.
Confirmed guests include Laura Murphy, writer of The Lovers and Zombie! The Musical; Darren Yap, director of Yong and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat; Hayden Tonazzi, CEO & Artistic Director of ATYP; and George Kemp, Producer, Artist Development & New Writing at ATYP, with further guests to be announced.
“One of the most exciting things about new musical theatre is what happens when writers have the time, support and community to take risks,” said Maryann Wright, co-founder of AMTI. “We want AMTI to become a place where Australian writers can find their people, develop their voice and create work that can ultimately travel from Australia to the world.”
ATYP is hosting the initiative and providing three full-fee bursaries for emerging artists who are under 26 or within their first five years of professional practice, helping remove financial barriers to participation.
“ATYP has a long history of developing new Australian musicals, from Fangirls to The Deb and Converted!, and we’re passionate about creating the conditions for emerging storytellers to take flight,” said Hayden Tonazzi, Artistic Director & CEO of ATYP. “Supporting AMTI is a natural fit for us because it opens another pathway for Australian writers to build their craft, connect with industry and develop new Australian stories.”
The Australian Musical Theatre Incubator (AMTI) runs at Australian Theatre for Young People (ATYP) from 4 – 8 January 2027. Applications are now open and close 16 November 2026. For more information and to apply, visit: www.australianmusicaltheatre.com for details.
Image: Carmel Dean and Maryann Wright (supplied)