PREMJU NOMINATION
BEST INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT
LUKE SAYDON
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
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This website contains resources and media to support the Premju Għall-Arti nomination. All content, be it text, images, music or videos- belongs to Luke Saydon and co-creators. Despite there being photo permissions for every item on this page, those permissions were gathered for the particular project and not for general distribution. Kindly avoid unauthorised sharing, respecting our copyrights. Your confidentiality safeguards our creativity and our communities.
Thank you for understanding.
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© Luke Saydon 2023
LUKE SAYDON
UK CREDITS BETWEEN 1.10.21 - 31.08.23​
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Throughout this season, the esteemed Maltese composer, Luke Saydon, has established his innovative artistic expression and theatrical craftsmanship within the United Kingdom.
As he embarks on his eighth year of artistic endeavours within the United Kingdom, Luke Saydon's multifaceted artistic portfolio encompasses a diverse spectrum, encompassing commissioned compositions, theatrical score compositions, playwriting, and live performances.
Luke Saydon keeps training and growing through all this, including prestigious mentoring from Les Miserables composer Claude-Michel Schönberg as well as the prestigious BML-Book Music Lyrics Workshop, the course that writers like Alan Menken (Beauty and the Beast/Little Mermaid), Ahrens and Flaherty (Anastasia/Ragtime) and Kristen and Robert Lopez (Frozen/Book of Mormon) also trained at.
Luke’s work in making the arts accessible to communities has also garnered him a Civic Award from the Hertsmere Borough in the UK.
He is the founder of Saydon Studio - a new theatre collective that makes new musical theatre within communities. His work revolves around empowering communities and celebrating their stories through his writing. On a national and international level, Luke Saydon is an LGBTQI+ activist and his work so often reflects issues within the LGBTQI+ landscape.
Luke has established himself as a most versatile creator, director and performer. Despite a 7 year catalogue of work in the UK, the following works only include the projects by Luke throughout the eligible timeframe 1 October 2021 - 31 August 2023
Luke Saydon in a Claude-Michel Schönberg masterclass.
June 2022
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CIVIC AWARD
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Luke Saydon receiving a Hertsmere Civic Award from the Mayor for his artistic work in the community.
April 2022
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THE NAUGHTY CARRIAGE
ON THE ORPHAN TRAIN
The Dundee Rep Theatre, Scotland, British Youth Musical Theatre, August 2023
Composed, co-written and created by Luke Saydon, The Naughty Carriage on the Orphan Train is a new musical which explores themes of home and belonging, inspired by the experiences of looked after children (CLA) and those with non-traditional families. It is the true story of the American Orphan Train which relocated 250,000 children without adoption procedures.
The production was produced by British Youth Musical Theater with a cast of over 40 young people and premiered at the Dundee Rep Theatre in Scotland.
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BURST
CANDOCO Dance Company, British Youth Musical Theatre, August 2023
Candoco is a dance company which creates distinctive performances and far-reaching learning experiences. They celebrate different ways of seeing, of being and of making art, putting them at the forefront of conversation around dance and disability.
Luke composed their first musical project called BURST, bridging the creative gap between musical storytelling and contemporary dance.
GOOD VIBES/ ELECTRIC DREAMS CONCERT
Some Voices Choir, HERE at OUTERNET, APRIL 2023, JULY 2023
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Performing at the heart of London’s West End, Luke musically directed the pop-choir Some Voices. Some Voices choir includes over 12,000 members all over the UK, and Luke got to direct 500 voices from this community choir for this event.
LEEDS MUSIC CONSERVATOIRE
R&D WEEKS
LEEDS MUSIC CONSERVATOIRE, JULY 2023, OCTOBER 2022 AND OCTOBER 2021
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Luke was chosen by the Leeds Music Conservatoire to be a guest composer to work with the conservatoire’s Musical Theatre BA students. For these three week-long R&D processes, Luke devised new work from his catalogue with musical theatre students, and with them developed his musical The Naughty Carriage on the Orphan Train.
MUSEUM OF LONDON- RIVER RHYTHMS
Museum of London, Ongoing Project
Luke was commissioned by the Museum of London to create and perform an exclusive, sensory-oriented performance piece designed for Key Stage 1 and Early Years children, drawing inspiration from the Docklands Museum. To date, this project has enchanted over 800 children and their families, standing as an ongoing project that the Museum continues to embrace.
This meticulously curated experience breathes vibrant life into the gallery's exhibits, ensuring their accessibility to children, including those who are neurodivergent. Moreover, it serves as a gateway, potentially introducing children to the world of museums for the very first time.
BYMT AUDITION TOUR + DISCOVER MUSICAL DAYS
British Youth Musical Theatre, October 2022 - August 2023
Luke was recruited as both musical director and composer to work with British Youth Musical Theatre for their auditions and outreach workshops. British Youth Music Theatre is a national performing arts education charity and the largest commissioner of new musicals in the UK. They engage over 2000 11-21 year olds in our auditions, workshops, Young Company and projects; helping young people and developing artists to navigate and further their training and careers in the arts.
With BYMT Luke toured the UK (including cities like Edinburgh, Plymouth, Bristol, Leeds, Glasgow, London, Manchester and Yorkshire) serving on the audition panel as well as one of the workshop artists, inviting young talent into the industry.
THE BRITISH LIBRARY - GOLD EXHIBITION / ALEXANDER EXHIBITION / 50 Year Anniversary
The British Library - May 2022, September 2022, July 2023
Luke was commissioned by the British Library to adapt their Gold Exhibition in May 2022, their Alexander Exhibition in September 2022 and their 50th Anniversary in July 2023 - for children and families. Through sensory play, storytelling, music making, prop making and drama, Luke brought to life the exhibits, worked closely with the exhibition curators and was given the responsibility to be the first museum experience for their young patrons.
THE OTHER PALACE - HOME
The Other Palace, November 2022
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Following the successful it-Teatru tal-Miskin in Malta, Luke was invited to perform excerpts of the new Maltese musical in a London venue, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Other Palace theatre. The pieces were performed in Maltese and received graciously well by an international audience.
MY WAY HOME
Britten Theatre, Royal College of Music, June 2022
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Composed by Luke, My Way Home was a community musical developed with the Italian Immigrant community in London. The musical was devised, written with and starred a community of immigrants of all ages, as a response to the Brexit vote that happened some years before. The piece played to a sold out Britten Theatre and featured all original music by Luke Saydon.