About

“Absolutely amazing… This is the kind of writing they do. It’s about real life. It’s about how you feel. And it’s contemporary, gorgeous musical theatre.”

— Lolie Ware, The Radio Collective

Barlow & Smith’s joint works include LOCK & KEY (VAULT Festival, Pick of the Week in The Stage), DREAM QUEEN: JANIE DEE (Globe Theatre), CHRISTMAS IN THE CITY (Workshop, demo recording produced by Ian Shaw), and VANYA’s (in development with support from Old Vic New Voices, Criterion Theatre, ArtsEd, The Other Palace, and Mercury Musical Developments). Their songs have appeared in cabaret at Joe’s Pub (Public Theatre), The Duplex, The Pheasantry, Arts Theatre Upstairs, Other Palace, the United Nations, and the Queen’s 90th birthday gala at Theatre Royal Haymarket. They are recipients of funding from the Jane Goodman Trust. They co-lead the Advanced Lab II for Mercury Musical Developments and teach the musical theatre module for MA writing students at Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. Together, they set up the Women’s Musical Theatre Initiative to promote greater equality. B&S are represented by Rachel Daniels at Berlin Associates. www.barlowandsmith.com

Bella Barlow is a composer, orchestrator, teacher, and performer. Her works include RAVENSEAT with beloved British poet Pam Ayres (MBE), worshopped at Harrogate Theatre and WHY THE WHALES CAME, an adaptation of a novel by Michael Morpugo (War Horse) with book & lyrics by Nikki Racklin – originally commissioned by British Youth Music Theatre, the show has appeared at the Taunton Brewhouse, The Mack (London), The Drum Theatre/Theatre Royal Plymouth. Other commissions include HOOKED (Joseph Dewey Productions), The AI Song (Southampton University), PLAN BEA (musical, lyrics by Deborah Gersohn). Bella teaches musical theatre at the University of Southampton. She holds degrees with distinction from the Royal Central School of Speech & Drama and the London College of Music. She lives in Leighton Buzzard with her two young daughters, husband, and cat Tally. www.bellabarlow.com

A.C. Smith is a playwright, poet, lyricist and teacher. Her plays have won awards from the Soho Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company, and she has developed work with the Bush Theatre, HighTide, Old Vic New Voices, and RADA. She is a member of the Southbank Centre’s New Poets Collective and has taught playwriting at RADA and Royal Central School of Speech & Drama. She is currently developing a play about her experience with cancer with support from CRIPtic Arts, the Peggy Ramsay Foundation, and Arts Council England which will receive a showcase at the Barbican in November 2024. Her work for BBC World Service radio includes THE BOMB (S1, 7 part podcast series) and dramaturgy on U.ME: THE MUSICAL. She co-founded London Playwrights Blog and holds honours degrees from Harvard, RADA, and King’s College, London. She is proud to be a disabled single mum to a delightful 5-year-old. www.ac-smith.com