Ode to the Compos-hers
Notes
This script was made for International Women's Day 2026 to celebrate the contribution of women to the writing of musicals. In 2022, a piece of research conducted by Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) identified that women are an incredibly underrepresented group within UK theatre. Across 500 productions in the UK, in spaces with capacity of 200+ and runs of 2+ weeks, only 15% of composers were female! So, this script is a shout-out to some very accomplished and talented women (and non-binary people), who have created wonderful musicals. Each character represents a different musical that had music composed by a female musician! Here is the full list of characters, alongside a musical written by a female composer: TOWNSFOLK: Chef - Sara Barellis (Waitress) Noble - Mary Rogers (Once Upon A Mattress) Washerwoman - Jeanine Tessori (Caroline or Change) Empath - Irene Sankoff (Come From Away) Sailor - Cyndi Lauper, Yolanda Adams, Sara Bareilles (Spongebob Squarepants) Flowergirl - Lucy Simon (Secret Garden) Undertaker - Jeanine Tessori (Fun Home) Alsaahir - Heidi Rodewald (Passing Strange) Seamstress - Brenda Russell & Allee Willis (The Colour Purple) Huntsman - Edie Brickell (Bright Star) Princess - Lucy Moss & Toby Marlow (Six) Farmer - Brandy Clark (Shucked) Minstrel - Anaïs Mitchell (Hadestown) OUTSIDERS: Ogre - Jeanine Tessori (Shrek) Drunk - Lisa Lambert (The Drowsy Chaperone) Sweetheart - Mindi Dickstein (Little Women) Damsel - Cyndi Lauper (Kinky Boots) MINIONS: Devil's Advocate - Nell Benjamin (Legally Blonde) Spy - Natasha Hodgson & Zoe Roberts, of SpitLip (Operation Mincemeat) Harpy - Julia Mattison (Death Becomes Her) Assassin - Eisa Davis (Warriors) Scarlet Woman - Carol Hall (The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas) DEMONS: Yaggababble - Anna K Jacobs (Teeth) Vigormortis - Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Germaine Franco (Coco) Vortox - Kristen Anderson-Lopez (Frozen) You can see the script in action here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5d-rTOfuwI&t=89s And read more about the research surrounding women in UK musical theatre writing here: https://www.sierz.co.uk/blog/gender-imbalance-new-stats/