Research finds gender imbalance in theatre writing

There is a large discrepancy in the gender balance of composers, lyricists and playwrights credited for main stage theatre productions in the UK, according to new research.

Data compiled by writers Kate Marlais, Meg McGrady and Sarah Middleton, with the support of Mercury Musical Developments (MMD), analysed 500 productions with runs of two weeks or more, across 132 UK venues with a capacity of 200 or more. 

They found within musical theatre across the UK, 83% of composers were male, as well as 78% of lyricists and 65% of librettists. It also found that during 2022, 60 male, 24 female and three non-binary musical theatre writers were commissioned to create new shows. 

The gender imbalance was largest in London, with males credited for 77% of productions based in the capital, compared with 69% outside the capital.

In the West End specifically, composers were 91% male, lyricists were 90% male and playwrights/librettists were 77% male. 

MMD, the UK’s membership organisation for musical theatre writers, has committed to five years of initiatives to support and champion female and non-binary writers, funded by the Jane Goodman Charitable Trust. 

In 2023, it will host a free five-day residential to support a group of female-identifying MMD members and writers. It also plans to launch the Jane Goodman Writing Fund in January, which will fund female-identifying and non-binary MMD members by covering costs for writing time, equipment, assistance or career-enhancing opportunities.