NOMINATION
CREATIVE PRACTITIONER
LUKE SAYDON
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
This website contains resources and media to support the award 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.
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© Luke Saydon 2023
LUKE SAYDON
CREDITS BETWEEN 1.10.21 - 31.08.23
Luke Saydon, a Maltese composer, theatre maker, and producer, has firmly established himself as a dynamic creative force in both Malta and the United Kingdom. Throughout his career and this eligible time frame, Luke has been at the helm of several impactful musical theatre projects and artistic community initiatives, along with founding the innovative Saydon Studio.
His work spans socially conscious productions, including collaborations with the LGBTQI+ community ("it-Teatru tal-Miskin"), projects involving children in care ("Naughty Carriage on the Orphan Train"), a musical written with migrant communities in London ("My Way Home"), partnerships with disabled dancers and performers ("BURST"), and empowering works with LGBTQI+ activists ("Harvey Milk"). Not to mention vibrant collaborations with the Maltese LGBTQI+ community ("KOR KWIR"), the Blind and Visually Impaired Community (“AURA”), individuals living with dementia ("Sing for Your Life"), Gozitan children with limited access to theatre ("The Gozo Project"), community singers across the UK ("Some Voices"), and young performers in the UK ("British Youth Musical Theatre").
During the pandemic and in its subsequent months, Luke initiated the "Virtual Community Choir" to provide solace and entertainment to those facing loneliness, which later evolved into a captivating musical theatre podcast documenting the shared stories within this virtual community.
Luke's musical leadership extends to directing numerous choirs, including the "Some Voices Choir" in the UK, comprised of over 1,200 choir members. This experience led him to launch "KOR KWIR," a pioneering choir dedicated to the LGBTQI+ community in Malta and its allies.
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.
Over his career, Luke has emerged as one of Malta's leading musical composers, proficiently crafting works in both Maltese and English. His unwavering commitment to community engagement earned him a Civic Award from the Hertsmere local council.
Luke Saydon is undoubtedly one of Malta's most inspiring and influential theatre visionaries, continuously creating opportunities for emerging artists and revitalising the local theatre industry. His creative endeavours enrich both the arts scene and the communities he touches.
Luke Saydon in a Claude-Michel Schönberg masterclass.
June 2022
IT-TEATRU TAL-MISKIN
Saydon Studio, September 2023 - November 2023
IT-TEATRU TAL-MISKIN is a new Maltese musical that premiered in September 2022, written, composed and produced by Luke Saydon. The piece reached out to over 1,400 audience members and participants, but more importantly actively involved 113 young people in the writing and development of it.
Brought to life by a cast who identify as members of the LGBTQI+ community, the musical is a queer coming of age story about intolerance, innate hatred and fear of “the other”. The piece actively tackles gay hate crimes, LGBTQI+ acceptance in Malta, hate speech, freedom of expression, and LGBTQI+ visibility in the arts.
The Times hailed the production as “the best thing to happen to Maltese theatre this year (2022)… packing theatre to the brim, with audiences transfixed, shattering the earth in its wake.”
Find here a review for Teatru tal-Miskin from the Times of Malta
Find here a collection of reviews and social media posts about Strand 6 - It-Teatru tal-Miskin
Find here a review for Teatru tal-Miskin from Ramona Depares
Find here for a list of participant and audience numbers involved in Programm tal-Miskin
Find here a review for Teatru tal-Miskin from Lovin' Malta
Find here for a list of creatives involved in Programm tal-Miskin
These videos have English subtitles. Press CC to access.
IL-PROGRAMM TAL-MISKIN
Saydon Studio, May 2022 - November 2023
Headed by Luke Saydon, il- Programm tal-Miskin was a multi-disciplinary programme of events across Malta and Gozo, focused on celebrating the presence, visibility and social relevance of the LGBTQI+ community- also produced by Luke Saydon. It involved an outreach project with the young LGBTQI+ community, an education programme for young theatre makers, the making of a podcast of Maltese queer stories, an art exhibition for young upcoming queer visual artists and post show Q&A’s.
IL-KOMUNITA' TAL-MISKIN
PROGRAMM TAL-MISKIN STRAND 1
A series of workshops with the young LGBTQI+ community to inspire and develop the new Maltese musical Teatru tal-Miskin. Target communities included working with members of the LGBTQI+ community, students in secondary and tertiary education levels and voluntary organisations who work with young people- all of which are at the forefront of LGBTQI+ conversations. It-Teatru tal-Miskin had to be a platform for the concerns and thoughts of this community, therefore their voice had to be present. Workshops included writing camps, focus groups, feedback sessions, informative sessions about the arts, sessions with youth workers and complimentary ticket offers for the show. The strand also ensured a partnership with the European Union Year of Youth to establish widespread (and international) awareness.
(Total of 65 participants in this strand)
L-ISKOLA TAL-MISKIN - WORKSHOPS
PROGRAMM TAL-MISKIN STRAND 2
3 workshops about queer theatre were delivered to drama students from Malta and Gozo where aspects of our unique theatre making process were also shared with young people. The workshops were entitled “theatre as an activist”. Young people with no experience of the arts were also invited through an open call. Their involvement ensured a fresh take on classical theatrical techniques marrying up social commentary with art.
(Total of 48 participants in this strand)
L-ISKOLA TAL-MISKIN - INTERNSHIPS
PROGRAMM TAL-MISKIN STRAND 3
Following the involvement of the above community, 6 young people (under 25s) were invited to be present in the rehearsal room for it-Teatru tal-Miskin (Strand 6). Through an application process, 6 young creatives from different disciplines (acting, writing/directing, tech, stage managing, composing/ sound, dance) saw the production through from rehearsals to production, were mentored by the professional company and harvested this sense of intergenerational skills being explored and implemented in the piece.
(Total of 6 participants in this strand working with 32 professional creatives)
L-ISTEJJER TAL-MISKIN - PODCAST
PROGRAMM TAL-MISKIN STRAND 4
Following the research phase of Teatru tal-Miskin, we adapted the heartfelt stories of young LGBTQI+ members into a powerful podcast, bridging the gap to the wider community who couldn't participate. Participants used their own voices and shared their stories. Piece of music from the musical were included to create a one of a kind merge of theatre and spoken history. Our program marked a pioneering effort, documenting the untold Maltese LGBTQI+ narrative in unprecedented detail. It's a beacon for future generations to learn from, be inspired by, and cherish.
(Total of 10 participants in the making of the podcast and 129 streams of the podcast)
L-ISTEJJER TAL-MISKIN EXHIBITION
PROGRAMM TAL-MISKIN STRAND 5
All the input to the programme shaped Teatru tal-Miskin which in itself was a work of art. However, aspects of the community could not be highlighted in this one piece (one such example is the Maltese queer feminine experience). Therefore, an open call was issued for artistic members of our community to commission three works of art that sparked questions, emotions and conversation about aspects of our community. These queer artists were Sam Vella, Matteo Pullicino and Klonn. The programme enabled their work to be exhibited in three venues across Malta and Gozo.
(Total of 3 artists and over 1,300 visitors to the exhibitions)