STUART began writing at the age of 14 and in 1999 his first full length musical, ‘Searching’, won him the Stoll Moss Theatres Award for Most Promising Under 18 Writer as part of the Vivian Ellis Awards. Stuart’s most recent musical ‘Imaginary’ (commissioned and first produced by National Youth Music Theatre at The Other Palace, London; licensed by TRW) continues to be performed globally and was written with Book and Lyrics by Timothy Knapman. Before ‘Imaginary’, Stuart’s collaboration with Timothy Knapman began with ‘Before After’ which premiered in the studio space at The Other Palace and has had multiple productions in tokyo, japan (2014-2019), a tour of the netherlands (2023), a london production at the southwark playhouse (2024) and most recently, a production in vienna (2024). Other musicals include ‘The Diary of Me’, which was represented at the Perfect Pitch Musicals 2008 West End Showcase, ‘Earth 3001’, ‘Piper’ and an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s ‘Rebecca’. Stuart won the fourth annual Tim Williams’ Award for his song ‘Stories Of Heroes’ which featured in the Mercury Musical Developments’ show ‘Beyond The Gate’, and ‘If Nobody Knows Your Name’ was featured in ‘A Song Cycle For Soho’ (also MMD).
Stuart is currently writing three new musicals; the first is with collaborator victoria gimby with their adaptation of the novel ‘extremely loud and incredibly close’, the second being an adaptation of the documentary ‘man vs snake’ (with collaborator daniel fletcher) and then a new original piece of work with timothy knapman called ‘moxie’.
Stuart is also recording an album of original work entitled ‘melodies’ which will be released in 2024.
BEFORE AFTER
Book & ADDITIONAL Lyrics by: Timothy Knapman
Music & Lyrics by: Stuart Matthew Price
Before After is the story of a couple given a second shot at happiness. Ami meets Ben on a beautiful hilltop by a tree. She recognises him at once – a few short years earlier they were in love – but he doesn’t know her, or remember that this is their special place, where some of the most important moments of their relationship occurred. Ami finds out that this is because Ben was in a terrible auto accident and has lost his memory. Ami hasn’t been able to get over Ben and so she pretends she doesn’t know him and asks him out – hoping that, without all their baggage, maybe this time their relationship will work out. She agonises over this deception, but the longer she goes without telling him the truth, the harder it is for her to come clean. We go back and forth in time (between “Before” and “After”) watching their new relationship develop in parallel with their original one. In the past, Ami was the shy one – blocked, frustrated and in thrall to her controlling father – and Ben was a free spirit – a passionate artist whose hatred of convention helped to liberate her. Now it’s Ben who is unsure of himself and Ami who rekindles his love of drawing and painting. But when Ben’s memory finally returns, he and Ami must face what went wrong last time and learn if they really can find happiness together.
IMAGINARY
Book & Lyrics by: Timothy Knapman
Music & Lyrics by: Stuart Matthew Price
IMAGINARY is an exciting, funny and inspiring musical about the wonder of childhood, the power of the imagination and what it means to grow up.
Milo is Sam’s only friend and they spend all their time together, using only their imaginations to transform their world into a place of adventure and excitement. But as Sam’s first day at a new school approaches, his mother worries that Milo is holding her son back, stopping him from growing up. School turns out to be full of surprises– and secrets. With a cast of adults and kids, IMAGINARY centers on an enduring friendship with other-worldly twists and turns that change lives forever.
Contact
For general enquiries regarding Stuart’s work as a writer, please fill out the form below. If you are a producer, venue or licensing house, please contact Rachel Daniels with the details on the right.
Rachel Daniels
Berlin Associates
7 Tyers Gate
London SE1 3HX
+44 (0)20 7632 5284
racheld@berlinassociates.com
IMAGINARY
Now available for licensing through Theatrical Rights Worldwide. Visit https://www.theatricalrights.com for more information.