Ryan Murphy (Scates)

Ryan is a Senior Lecturer, Doctoral Researcher and Course Leader for our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre. He is a specialist in singing and is a musical director and composer with a research interest in narrative-driven composition. He currently directs ensemble singing and leads the musical productions.

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Background

Ryan trained in Musical Theatre Performance as an undergraduate before completing an MA in Musical Theatre Composition at Goldsmiths University. He has musically directed, composed and lectured at various institutions.

His first musical, Letters to Myself was premiered at the Tristan Bates Theatre in London in 2011. He has continued to compose professionally, recently collaborating with renowned playwright Andrew Muir (The Session, Bloomsbury Publishing) on a new work Life and Death In An Ocean Full Of Hope, as part of Paines Plough’s Roundabout Theatre Festival in 2017.

Previously, Ryan was the Pathway Course Leader for the FdA in Music Theatre at BPC.

Ryan is an accomplished pianist and Musical Director with a Licentiate Diploma in Musical Theatre Singing from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As an MD his credits include: The Threepenny Opera, Les Misérables, Kiss Me Kate, The Addams Family, Rent, The Hot Mikado, I Love You Because, Company, Jekyll and Hyde, Avenue Q, Theory of Relativity, We Will Rock You, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Ordinary Days, Legally Blonde, and Sister Act.

Research interests

• Narrative-inspired compositional works
• Greek Mythology in orchestral music
• Acting Through Song
• Sondheim
• Dissonance in vocal composition
• Postmodernism in Musical Theatre
• Estill Vocal Technique
• Harmony in ensemble singing

Teaching

Ryan is Course Leader for our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre degree. He currently teaches on the following modules:

• Technical Skills 1 & Showcase
• Technical Skills 2
• The Small-Scale Musical
• Theatre Theory & Specialist Skills
• Industry Project
• Advanced Skills
• Major Project (Dissertation)

Qualifications

• MA Musical Theatre Composition, Goldsmiths University, London
• LTCL in Musical Theatre, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London
• PGCET Solent University, Southampton
• FdA In Music Theatre, Bournemouth University, Bournemouth

Memberships, editorial boards

• Professional Writer Associate: Mercury Musicals Development
• British Voice Association

Selected recent publications

Scores

Murphy, R. 2020. Child’s Play: Making Mischief - Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano. Opus 1, No. 1. Preston: Forton Music Publishing

Murphy, R. 2020. Child’s Play: Flying a Kite - Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano. Opus 1, No. 2. Preston: Forton Music Publishing

Recent presentations and conferences

2019. UK Musical Theatre Conference: ‘Road Show’ - Touring Mid-Scale New British Musical Theatre: Northampton, UK.

March 2019. Breaking into Musical Theatre Career Pathways for Emerging Artists, Lyceum Theatre: London, UK.

May 2019. How do you produce your own musical?, Southwark Playhouse: London, UK.

June 2019. Communicating Creative Practice Research, Storylab: Anglia Ruskin University, UK.