About MTCL

MTCL is a developmental choreography lab for Musical Theatre choreographers – the first of its kind in Singapore – started in 2021 and run by the Singapore-based 7/8 Musical Collective. The Lab aims to create a much-needed space for passionate musical theatre choreographers to hone their craft and refine their practices through being given the freedom to experiment, debate and engage in mutual sharing, brainstorming, creation, and peer-critique and feedback discussions.

MTCL also hopes to raise the profile and importance of story-driven choreography in Singapore, and to strengthen and enhance the use of dance and movement to develop character and story in musical theatre. It aims to encourage other musical theatre creatives, such as writers and directors, to explore new ways of working which incorporates movement and dance concepts into the storytelling of a musical from the very start of the creative process. In the long-term, MTCL hopes to be an on-going series with a few different editions each year.

Click here to read more about our first edition of MTCL.

Our Vision

The Musical Theatre Choreography Lab aims to establish a space for musical theatre choreographers who are passionate in honing their craft and refining their practices to be able to continue growing and developing through mutual sharing, brainstorming, creation, discussion and peer-critique feedback sessions. This will help them to develop their choreographic voice, as well as encourage musical theatre creatives to explore new ways of working which incorporates movement and dance concepts into the storytelling of a musical from the very start of the creative process.

The creative relationships formed between the choreographers, as well as the working relationships formed between the choreographers and dancers will help create a community with a culture of collaboration, mutual consultation and assistance. This culture would also be a part of the whole creative team, and the process in musical theatre, as well as extending further to collaborations with other creative industries.

The Future of MTCL

In the long-term, we plan for the Musical Theatre Choreography Lab (MTCL) to be an on-going series, to establish a space for musical theatre choreographers who are passionate in honing their craft and refining their practices to be able to continue growing and developing.

Currently we have identified a creative gap in the musical theatre industry in Singapore – a shortage of choreographers who have the depth of knowledge in the musical theatre art form and a commitment to developing choreography for musical theatre that is driven specifically through song-interpretation, narrative and story-telling.

This lab aims to bring our choreographers on par with the modern and contemporary standards of musical theatre choreography through in-depth practice and discourse. With our international partnership with New York Theatre Barn, we aim to elevate our current standards and practices to best serve our industry’s progression.

MTCL also hopes to raise the profile and importance of story-driven choreography in Singapore, and to strengthen and enhance the use of dance and movement to develop character and story in musical theatre.