Explore every episode of the podcast The Craft of Writing Podcast

We're back, and this week I talk to singer-songwriter Benjamin Scheuer. Ben's shows include 'The Lion' & 'Mountain for Elodie' and has won several awards including the Kleban Prize for Lyrics.

Instagram/Twitter - benjaminscheuer

Songs featured:

1. 'The Lion' from The Lion

2. 'Cookie Tin Banjo' from The Lion

3. 'Weather The Storm' from The Lion

4. 'Hello Jemima' from A Mountain for Elodie

5. 'A Mountain for Elodie' from A Mountain for Elodie

6. 'Hibernate with Me' from Hibernate With Me (book)

This week I talk to Jordan Paul Clarke about his work as a composer and MD. Insta - jordanpaulclarke Twitter - jordanclarkemus Music featured in this episode: 1. 'Any Day Now' from Angry Salmon (Sung by Grace Mouat) 2. 'Boreham Wood' from Friday Night Sinner (written with and performed by Candy Gigi) 3. 'Everywhere I Look' (written with Francesca Forristal) 4. ' Facebook Ad' from Public Domain (written with and performed by Francesca Forristal) 5. 'Really Good Stuff' from Public Domain (written with and performed by Francesca Forristal) 6. 'Lovely Boat' from Public Domain (written with and performed by Francesca Forristal)

This week I chat with the fantastic singer-songwriter, actor and musical theatre writer Caroline Kay.

Instagram/Twitter - carolinekay117

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'A Million Things' from Daisy

2. 'Light The Way' from Daisy

3. 'Beyond The Common Ground' from Deaf West Musical (title TBC)

4. 'Half of My Heart' from The Space Between

5. 'Holding onto Hope' from The Hardest Part (film currently in development)

6. 'Better Than You' from her 2nd EP 'Tricks'

This week something a little different... I talk to Orchestrator, Composer and Musical Supervisor Tom Deering about his life and work.

Tom has orchestrated such shows as 'Standing At The Skies Edge', the wildly different 'Carousel' at Regent Park 2021, 'Wonder.Land', working with such artists as Damon Albarn and Richard Hawley.

Listen to the soundtrack of 'Standing At The Skies Edge' on Spotify to hear Tom's beautiful work.

We're back! This week I talk with Mark Anderson and Lee Freeman.

We talk about their show 'Proud', a musical about conversion therapy.

Instagram - leeandmarkmusic

Music featured in this episode, all from 'Proud':

1. 'Make Them Proud'

2. 'We Love You s You Are' - Sung by Rebecca Lock & Chris Draper

3. 'The Man Inside'

4. 'Just Us'

5. 'You Almighty'

6. 'The Temptation of Me' - Sung by Jordan Luke Gage

This week I talk to Annabelle Lee Revak about her writing and process.

We also talk about her musical 'Train on Fire' recently performed at MT festival 2023.

Twitter - AnnabelleLRevak

Instagram - annabelleleerevak

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'Sing to Fill the Silence' from Windsong

2. 'Mad Woman' from Train on Fire

3. 'Lullaby for the Burning Girl' from Train on Fire

4. 'Broken Though it Be' from Windsong

5. 'Listen' from Train on Fire

6. 'The Last Tale I Will Ever Tell' from Windsong

This week I interview composer and passionate new musical supporter Neil Bastian.

We discuss his writing process as well as his musical 'The Rise and Fall of Vinnie and Paul', based on the true story of Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin's 'friendship'.

Songs featured (all from The Rise and Fall of Vinnie and Paul):

1. Sunflower Power

2. Our Little Yellow House

3. A Fistful of Brushes

4. Me and My Mind

5. Way Past Midnight

6. Red is the Colour

This week I talk with Hilmi Jaidin and we really get into some detail, especially with lyrics!

Twitter - @HilmiJaidin

Instagram - hilmijaidinmusicals

Songs featured in this episode:

1. 'Our Unnamed Southeast Asian Country' from Cruel, Inhuman & Degrading
2. 'Deserve To Die' from Shift+Alt+Right

3. 'A Good Guy With A Gun' from Airbourne
4. 'My Mom' from Shift+Alt+Right
5. 'Speak Now' from Cruel, Inhuman & Degrading
6. 'The World Goes Away When You Sleep' from Airbourne

The Craft of Writing is back for season 2 and what better way to kick things off than with creator of 'Treason', Ricky Allan.

Twitter @RickyAllanMusic

Instagram - rickster_gram

Songs featured (all from Treason):

1. Take Things Into Our Own Hands

2. The Inevitable

3. No Happy Ending

4. All We Dreamed & More

5. The Cold, Hard Ground

6. Caught In the Crossfire

In this episode I put out an open submission call for original 'I Want Songs' from new British musicals.

Featured in this episode are:

1. Rachel Bellman & Josh Bird

2. Sophie Boyce & Veronica Mansour

3. Neil Bastian

4. Jordan Li Smith

5. Eliza Waters

6. Bobbi Zion

7. Helen Arney & Jenna Dyckhoff (Demo sung by Nora Perone and Charlotte Hannan, piano by Rob Gathercole, mixed by James Hughes).

The season one finale episode! A wonderful chat with 'Wicker Husband' and 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' composer/lyricist Darren Clark. Apologies about the audio quality in this episode… unfortunately Darren’s microphone was a bit lively! Twitter @MusicDJC Instagram - darrenclarkmusic Songs featured in this episode: 1. 'Time' from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 2.‘Calculation of the Heart’ from Turing  3. ‘Short History of Mexico’ from Day of the Living 4. ‘Heart of the Weave’ from Wicker Husband 5. ‘I’ll Supply the Withy’ from Wicker Husband 6. ‘Peace in the Puzzle’ from Turing

I chat to Izzie Winter about their process, recent musical 'My Sister is Missing' and navigating the writing world as neurodivergent.

Twitter @izziewinter

Instagram - izziewinter

Music featured:

1. 'For When I Sleep' from For When I Sleep EP

2. 'All That I Am' from My Sister is Missing

3. 'Missing You' from My Sister is Missing

4. 'Ringing Round' from My Sister is Missing

5. 'For When I Sleep' from For When I Sleep EP

6. 'Tell Me' (Single Release)

This episode I chat to ‘Mayflies’ and ‘Pieces of String’ writer Gus Gowland about his work and writing process.

Twitter - @GusGowland

Instagram - gustopherjones

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'Running on Empty' from Mayflies

2. 'Better Late than Never' from Mayflies

3. 'Jigsaw' from Mayflies

4. 'Standing in the Shadows' from Pieces of String

5. 'Ordinary' from Pieces of String

6. 'Lifeboat' from Lifeboats

This week I chat to composer, lyricist, musical director and MAGICIAN Tim Sutton. Tim is also an educator who teaches on the 'Book, Music & Lyrics' workshop in London. Twitter - TimSuttonMusic Instagram - timsutton www.timsutton.net Songs featured in this episode: 1. 'Longing to Belong' from To The Streets 2. Bumpety Road 3. 'Edge of the World' from Victory 4. 'Johnny' 5. 'Seems Very Far Away' from To the Streets 6. 'Sian' from Tilting at Windmills

In this episode I talk to Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary about their writing collaboration. Their shows include 'The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole' and 'The Great British Bake Off' in the West End.

Instagram/Twitter - jakeandpippa

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'Misunderstood' from Adrian Mole

2. 'My Dad' from The Great British Bake Off

3. 'A Simple Valley Song' from Jet Set Go

4. 'Better' from Red Riding Hood

5. 'Single Married Widowed' from upcoming show My Life Without You

6. 'Obviously' from The Great British Bake Off

7. 'Say It In Song' from Prodigy

This week I chat to Jack Miles about his journey with writing and the recent run 'In Clay', a one-woman musical about the joy of creating art.

Twitter - jackthemiles

Instagram - jackhasthisnow

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'Sanctuary' from St Anne Comes Home

2. 'Fingernails' from In Clay

3. 'Spark' from In Clay

4. 'Talent' from In Clay

5. 'Still' from St Anne Comes Home

6. 'Ready' from St Anne Comes Home

Part 2 of my chat with Amir Shoenfeld and Caitlyn Burt.

Songs featured in this episode:

1. 'Looking at the Moon' Wining song of 'A Song for Our Time (Tarento Produtions), sung by Hadley Fraser and a volunteer choir of West End Stars.

2. 'The Line' from The Line

3. 'The Only Honeyeater' from The Only Honeyeater

4. 'Dingo' from Sheila the Tiny Turtle, IndieWorks Theatre

On this week's episode, I chat to Amir Shoenfeld and Caitlyn Burt about there collaboration techniques.

We also discuss their new musical 'Otto Weidt's Brush and Broom Workshop for the Blind', set in during WW2 and Inspired by a true story, Otto Weidt is a blind German man who employs Jewish workers with vision impairments, shielding them from the Nazis. 

Twitter/Instagram - @AmirShoenfeld @Caitlyn_Burt_

Music featured in this episode:

1.'Otto Weidt's Brush & Broom Workshop for the Blind' from Otto..

2. 'A Woman and a Man' from Otto...

3. 'A Man Called John' from Pop Johanna

Part 2 available now!

In this weeks' episode I talk to Tasha Taylor Johnson about her musical 'Cake' and her writing process.

Tasha is a composer, lyricist, writer & performer. She’s been tipped as ‘One to watch’, Sunday Times, and her work ‘Different, fresh and Original’ by Richard Thomas (Jerry Springer the Opera). She was awarded the prestigious Cameron  Macintosh Resident Composer position at Leicester Curve in 2017 & continues as an Associate Artist there.

Twitter - ttj1

Instagram - tashataylorjohnson

Music featured in this episode:

1. ‘To be A Martyr’ from Good Morning Midnight - McOnie Company - Orchestration by Phil Cornwall

2. 'Let Them Eat Cake' from Cake

3. 'Tax' from Cake

4. 'Z Listed' from Cake

5. 'George’s Jam’  from George’s Marvellous Medicine - Leicester Curve

6. ‘Life inside a Bowl’ from Cat In the Hat - Leicester Curve

This episode I talk to Matthew Harvey (He/Him) about all things writing, his work with LMTO and his musical 'Now or Never'.

The Stage writes of Harvey's work: “the songs that comprise it are a wonderful calling card for Harvey. He has the knack for telling a story succinctly and deftly within a song and setting it to memorable melodies.” Find more of his music on his website here - matthewharveymusic.com Twitter/Instagram - mharveymusic Music featured in episode: 1. 'What I Want is' from Only A Moment 2. 'Only A Moment' from Only A Moment 3. 'Say The Words' from Coven 4. 'Everything is Fine' from Meet Cute 5. 'As Far As We Get' from Now Or Never 6. 'Whatever Happens Next' from Now Or Never

Part 2 of my chat with Jack Godfrey.

Find more of Jack's music on his socials:

Twitter/Instagram - jjgodfreyy

Songs featured in this episode:

1. 'Someone Else' from Babies

2. 'The One' from This Is A Love Story

3. 'Somebody's Story' from 42 Balloons

In this, the FIRST PROPER episode, I talk to Jack Godfrey about his writing process and the journey his musical '42 Balloons' took, from initial concept to its West End presentation production. We also talk about traumatising audiences, constructive/destructive feedback and much more.

Find more of Jack's music on his socials:

Twitter/Instagram - jjgodfreyy

Songs Featured in episode:

1. 'Baby Baby Baby' from Babies

2. 'Prologue' from 42 Balloons

3. 'Without Saying Goodbye' from Babies

4. "Hot Dad' from Babies

Part 2 available now!

Join me, as I kick off this podcast series by interviewing... me. Narcissism X100000.

Music featured in this episode:

1. 'Here for Him' from On The Edge

2. 'I Am Worried For My Daughters' from Two Sisters

3. 'First Date' from Two Sisters

4. 'What I See' from Vacancy

5. 'Lullaby' from On The Edge

6. 'The Wind and The Rain and The River' from Two Sisters