Musical theatre powerhouse duo Noisemaker have been recognised with a major US award supporting exceptional emerging talent.

Scott Gilmour and Claire McKenzie – who met as students at RCS – are among the recipients of The American Theatre Wing’s Jonathan Larson Grant, an annual prize for emerging musical theatre composers, lyricists, librettists or writing teams.

The duo, who are the first Scottish team to receive the honour, will receive a $20,000 unrestricted grant in addition to a $2,500 Saw Island Foundation Recording Grant to support the production of new demo recordings.

Recipients are given a platform to amplify their stories and the freedom to use the grant in ways that advance their careers, often helping take work from concept to stage.

The American Theatre Wing invests in new work and supports creative growth, in addition to being the founder and co-presenter of the Tony Awards®, and the home of the OBIE Awards.

Named in honour of Pulitzer-and Tony-winning composer Jonathan Larson, of Rent fame, the grants are regarded as a marker of the next generation of influential theatre-makers and culture-shapers.

Past recipients include Pasek & Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land), Nell Benjamin (Mean Girls, Legally Blonde), Laurence O’Keefe (Heathers, Legally Blonde), Glenn Slater (Sister Act, School of Rock).

Scott and Claire met at RCS in 2009 – Scott on the BA Musical Theatre programme and Claire in Composition – and they formed Noisemaker in 2012.

Since then, they’ve become a force in new musical theatre, creating a string of acclaimed, smash hit shows at home and internationally, including Ceilidh, Scots, The Snow Goose, Oor Wullie, My Left/Right Foot, Atlantic: A Scottish Story and Hi My Name is Ben.

Noisemaker currently serve as Cultural Ambassadors for The American Scottish Foundation, and Claire is also alumni ambassador for the Composition programme, helping to fly the flag for RCS around the globe.

We caught up with Noisemaker to find out how they feel about being bestowed with the Jonathan Larson Grant and to hear what audiences can expect next.

What does it mean to you to receive the Jonathan Larson Grant?

Scott: We’re still a bit in shock. We started our partnership company, Noisemaker, to create and develop new musical theatre in Scotland. We’ve been lucky enough to see that sector grow and flourish with new artists and writers (and audiences!) creating alongside us.

However, we never then imagined our work would translate across the pond to US audiences too. We had our first show in New York in 2016 and really thought it was a wee one-off adventure.

But now to be acknowledged by the American Theatre Wing like this, alongside our American peers and contemporaries, is a real honour and something we’re both deeply grateful for.

What will the grant enable you to do?

Scott: The grant gives us the opportunity to allocate time to start a new show that we’ve had on the shelf for years. Freelancing can be a bit of a rubbish tightrope walk at times, and often ‘passion projects’ get sidelined when balancing out income and resources.

However, the support of the Larson Grant will allow us to turn ourselves to this, knowing we can still keep the lights on and eggs in the fridge.

We also have the opportunity to have some our existing work professionally recorded, which we’re both so excited for (especially after ten years of demos that have Claire signing all the parts!)

What did you perform at the recent Jonathan Larson Grants celebration concert?

Claire: We presented a section from our newest show Ceilidh, which had its North American premiere in Baltimore last year.

The show is directed by recent Tony-winner Sam Pinkleton (Oh, Mary!) and will open this October part of Alan Cumming’s inaugural season at Pitlochry Festival Theatre, before heading for a run in London at the Shoreditch Town Hall, and then on to a UK wide tour.

Watch Noisemaker below from 49.00

You have the premiere of The Snow Goose in August – what’s coming up next?

Claire: We’re thrilled to be returning to Goodspeed, who previously premiered our show Hi My Name is Ben in 2019. The Snow Goose is the first show to come out of the GoodWorks commissioning programme and we’re delighted that it’s finally getting to be shared with audiences.

 As we mentioned, Ceilidh opens this autumn in Pitlochry, before touring the UK. Our show Scots is currently on tour around Scotland, in a new production in partnership with Raw Material.

We are returning this Christmas to Dundee Rep with our adaptation of The Snow Queen in a brand-new production. And we’re thrilled to be starting development on Porter, a new extremely silly and heartfelt collaboration with renowned New York theatre ensemble Fiasco, commissioned by Signature Theatre.

noisemaker.org.uk