In Stitches Steven Kreamer + Alex GilesGrassroots reading 2016
01 / The process
How it works.
Hear how the story, characters and score work together, and find the questions that will shape your next draft.
01 / The First 30
Hear the piece.
Home Grown works with your team to prepare a rehearsed reading of the first 30 minutes, shared with invited practitioners and a small audience.
02 / The next 30
Talk about the writing.
A facilitator leads 30 minutes of feedback with practitioners chosen for your work. Three questions guide the discussion of its craft, dramaturgy, score and intention.
03 / The next draft
Decide what comes next.
You choose which notes to take. Afterwards, we meet with your team to discuss the next draft, possible development and introductions that could help.
Learn from the other works, too. Selected writers are welcome at all six presentations, including sessions in the other cities.
02 / The essentials
Who can apply?
Writers and writing teams developing an original musical or music-led theatrical work.
Your team and your work
At least one lead writer, composer or lyricist must be an Australian citizen or permanent resident.
Early-stage work is welcome. You need enough material for the first 30 minutes to be prepared for a live reading.
At least one originating writer must attend in one of the three cities. The whole team is encouraged to attend where possible.
Taking part
Places
Six works: two each in Sydney / Gadigal, Melbourne / Naarm and Adelaide / Tarntanya.
Dates & venues
Session dates and venues will be announced soon.
Cost
Free to apply and participate.
Fees & travel
Artist fees, travel and accommodation are not currently covered. We welcome support from donors interested in assisting travel for writers.
03 / Prepare to apply
What you’ll need.
Short answers and dot points are welcome. Show us where the work is at now.
01
People & project
Contact details, your creative team and short bios, a brief synopsis and the musical’s development history.
02
Script excerpt
A PDF of up to 10 pages, ideally the opening. Scenes, a scene-by-scene outline or a treatment are also welcome.
03
Two demos
Audio or video, one file for each demo. You can include up to three extra demos if they help us understand the work.
04
Lyric sheets
A PDF of the lyrics for your demos, with a sentence explaining the context of each song.
The opening introduces the characters, their world and what they want, sets the story in motion and establishes the musical style. Hearing that setup clearly can help strengthen the next draft. Please prepare the first 30 minutes, rather than a selection of scenes from across the show.
Does Home Grown take rights in the musical?
No. Taking part in 30/30 doesn’t give Home Grown any ownership or rights in your work. Any further development together would be a separate conversation and agreement.
What happens after I apply?
Applications close Sunday 1 November 2026. We’ll review every expression of interest after the deadline. Shortlisted teams may be invited to a short conversation before the final six works are selected.
05 / Home Grown development
Recent development.
A selection of the musicals we’ve helped develop through readings, presentations and production support.
MacKenzie
Yve Blake
Development readings presented by Home Grown in Melbourne and Sydney.
Six works read across sessions in July, October and November.
The Oasis
Bradley McCaw
In Stitches
Steven Kreamer & Alex Giles
Bettie
Nicole Melloy & Derek Rowe
Einstein: Master of the Universe
Jess Newman
Famous
Amity Dry
Stealing Picasso
Joel Paszkowski & Tom Reed
How Grassroots began
In 2015, John Senczuk's Platform Paper The Time is Ripe for the Great Australian Musical argued that Australia had the writers and the audiences for new musicals, but no pathway to develop them. The Victorian College of the Arts hosted a symposium that year to pick up the argument. Grassroots started in 2016 as Home Grown's answer to it, a low-cost, repeatable way to get a new musical in front of practitioners and hear it read. VCA supported that first program.
The format hasn't changed. The first 30 minutes, read aloud, then a conversation about the writing.
In StitchesSteven Kreamer & Alex Giles · Grassroots reading, 2016WomanVidya Makan · Grassroots reading, 2017
30/30