Gus Gowland is an award-winning writer and composer. His first musical Pieces of String was The Stage’s Best Regional Musical of the year and was nominated for the UK Theatre Best Musical Production award.
His second full-length musical Mayflies premiered at York Theatre Royal in 2023, to great acclaim, with an EP released that summer. His song cycle Lifeboats, celebrating the LGBTQ+ community was performed at the Kings Head Theatre in London as part of the MT Pride season in 2023.
“I adore storytelling through music and count my lucky stars that I get to do it every day.”
What does being one of Gus’s patrons look like?
Patrons can expect exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content, stories and insights into Gus’s creative practice as a writer and composer working within Musical Theatre.
“Music Patron will give me the time and space to be able to make exciting, challenging, emotional, invigorating work, and I really hope you’ll come on the journey with me”
Supporting a composer on Music Patron gives you a first-hand perspective on the many elements within the creative process and an understanding of an authentic journey of a composer. You can find out more about what it’s like to be a patron here
Biography
For Pieces of String, Gus won The Stage Debut Award for Best Composer/Lyricist, and was nominated for a Writer’s Guild of Great Britain award for Best Musical Theatre Bookwriting. The show was named The Stage’s Best Regional Musical of the year and was nominated for the UK Theatre Best Musical Production award.
Gus was commissioned to write new works for York Theatre Royal’s Love Bites and Green Shoots and has written two short musicals – an audio musical short Subway which was released in 2020 – and SICK! which was performed at LOST Theatre, London. His short play Clocks & Teapots was performed at Rada Studios & the London Transport Museum. He co-wrote and directed Barren, (special prize for merit at the LOST One Act Theatre Festival), Love Love Love (Canadian Fringe Tour) & wrote & performed in Tell Me On A Thursday at the Camden Fringe. Gus wrote two songs for Copyright Christmas, for Olivier award-winning theatre collective Duckie at the Barbican.
Gus was commissioned by Hull Pride to write lyrics for ‘You Are Here’, part of their City of Culture celebrations. He was shortlisted for the inaugural Perfect Pitch award & his songs ‘Take Me Back’ and ‘Turning Stones’ have been shortlisted for the Stiles & Drewe Best New Song Award. Gus co-wrote the song ‘Home’, with Alistair Brammer for the MADTrust album ‘The West End Goes MAD for Christmas’. Gus’ songs have been performed in London & New York as part of the NEXT showcase series, and in 2014 he was one of 5 music industry experts to form the UK Jury for the Eurovision Song Contest.
Listen Running on Empty (from Mayflies) | Gus Gowland
