Mel Atkey (born June 16, 1958, in
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
) is a Canadian-born, English-emigrated musical theatre composer and lyricist. He began to write musicals while still in high school. After college he became a theatre critic in Canada, and continued to write musicals and songs while serving as director of Cabaret and Musical Theater Alliance until he moved to London in 1991. He is a member of the Writers' Union of Canada and
Mercury Musical Developments
Mercury Musical Developments (MMD) is the UK's largest membership organisation dedicated to developing new musical theatre writing, based in the United Kingdom dedicated to developing new writing in musical theatre. Founded in 1992 as the Mercu ...
. He was a finalist for the Musical of the Year competition in Aarhus, Denmark, and his work has been short-listed for the Vivian Ellis Prize, the Quest for New Musicals, the Ken Hill Prize and Musical Stairs.
Life and career
Atkey was born to Ken (1927-2014) and Marion (1928-2022) Atkey (née Holmes), a commercial artist and a teacher respectively, in
Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
, and grew up in neighbouring Ladner where he attended Delta Secondary School. During his high school years, Atkey began writing musicals, and continued to do so while attending
Langara College
, mottoeng = Knowledge is Freedom
, established = April 1, 1994
, type = Public
, endowment = C$5.8 million
, administrative_staff =
, faculty =
, president = Paula Burns
, students = 22,000
, city = Vancouver, British Columbia
, cou ...
in Vancouver. He gained his MA in Musical Theatre at
Goldsmiths, University of London
Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...
.
In 1977, Atkey co-produced a jazz concert with Vancouver impresario Willi Germann and a telethon featuring folk singer
Tom Northcott
Tom Northcott (born August 29, 1943 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada) is a Canadian folk-rock singer with hits in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Musical career
He became known to a Canadian audience by his regular appearances on CBC Tel ...
. Atkey's first musical, ''Shikara'', was produced on the radio in Canada. A single was released by singer Janice Jaud of one of the songs, "Far Away", and received airplay across Canada and the U.S. Atkey spent two years as a theatre critic in Vancouver before moving to
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
to pursue musical theatre writing. He was commissioned to write songs for CBC Radio, and was a member of the
Lehman Engel
A. Lehman Engel (born September 14, 1910, Jackson, Mississippi - died August 29, 1982, New York City) was an American composer and conductor of Broadway musicals, television and film.
Work in theatre, television and films
Engel worked in a variet ...
Musical Theater Workshop. He was a director of the Cabaret and Musical Theatre Alliance until he moved to London in 1991.
He made his New York debut in April 2001 with an
Off-off-Broadway
Off-off-Broadway theaters are smaller New York City theaters than Broadway and off-Broadway theaters, and usually have fewer than 100 seats. The off-off-Broadway movement began in 1958 as part of a response to perceived commercialism of the pro ...
showcase of ''O Pioneers!'' with a book by
Robert Sickinger
William Robert Sickinger (November 7, 1926 – May 9, 2013) was an American theater director, based in Chicago. He was regarded as the founder of "off-Loop" theater, the Chicago equivalent of Off-Broadway. He often cast non-professional actors in ...
, founder of Chicago's famed
Hull House
Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located on the Near West Side of the city, Hull House (named after the original house's first owner Char ...
Theatre. This show was then a finalist for "Stages 2002" at the New Tuners theatre in Chicago. When their second musical, ''A Little Princess'', was presented at Wings Theatre in New York in 2003, the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' said, "Mel Atkey, who wrote the score and lyrics, has composed lovely music". His two-character musical, ''Perfect Timing'', for which he wrote the book as well as music and lyrics, was showcased in 2005 as part of
Greenwich Theatre
Greenwich Theatre is a local theatre located in Croom's Hill close to the centre of Greenwich in south-east London.
Theatre first came to Greenwich at the beginning of the 19th century during the famous Eastertide Greenwich Fair at which the ...
’s Musical Futures series in London. He wrote the opening number for Janie Dee’s critically acclaimed one-woman show. His book, ''When We Both Got to Heaven'', tells the story of his ancestor James Atkey, who came to
Georgian Bay
Georgian Bay (french: Baie Georgienne) is a large bay of Lake Huron, in the Laurentia bioregion. It is located entirely within the borders of Ontario, Canada. The main body of the bay lies east of the Bruce Peninsula and Manitoulin Island. To ...
from the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a Counties of England, county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the List of islands of England#Largest islands, largest and List of islands of England#Mo ...
in 1854 as a teacher to the
Ojibwe
The Ojibwe, Ojibwa, Chippewa, or Saulteaux are an Anishinaabe people in what is currently southern Canada, the northern Midwestern United States, and Northern Plains.
According to the U.S. census, in the United States Ojibwe people are one of ...
. It was published by Natural Heritage Books, Toronto, in October 2002. A second book, ''Broadway North: The Dream of a Canadian Musical Theatre'', was published by Natural Heritage in 2006.
He achieved his Master of Arts in Musical Theatre from Goldsmiths, University of London in 2016.
Works
*''
O Pioneers!
O, or o, is the fifteenth letter and the fourth vowel letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''o'' (pronounced ), pl ...
'' (2001), musical with music and lyrics by Atkey and a book by Robert Sickinger
*''When We Both Got to Heaven: James Atkey among the Anishnabek at Colpoy's Bay'' (2002), Natural Heritage Books, Toronto
*''
A Little Princess
''A Little Princess'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, first published as a book in 1905. It is an expanded version of the short story "Sara Crewe: or, What Happened at Miss Minchin's", which was serialized in ''St. Nicholas Ma ...
'' (2003), musical with music and lyrics by Atkey and a book by Robert Sickinger
*''Broadway North: The Dream of a Canadian Musical Theater'' (2006), Natural Heritage Books, Toronto
*''A Million Miles from Broadway: Musical Theatre Beyond New York and London - Revised and Expanded Edition'' (2019), Friendlysong Books, Vancouver
*''Running Away with the Circus (or, "Now is the Winter of our Missing Tent")'' (2013), Friendlysong Books, Vancouver
*''Breaking into Song'' (2015) Friendlysong Books, Vancouver
His other musicals include ''Shikara'' (broadcast on radio), and ''Perfect Timing'' (showcased at Greenwich Theatre, London, 2005). He has written songs for
CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
and for
Janie Dee
Janie Dee (born 20 June 1962) is an English actress and singer. She won the Olivier Award for Best Actress, Evening Standard Award and Critics' Circle Theatre Award for Best Actress in a Play, and in New York the Obie and Theatre World Awa ...
.
References
;Citations
;Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Atkey, Mel
1958 births
Canadian musical theatre composers
Langara College people
Living people
Male musical theatre composers
Musicians from British Columbia
People from Delta, British Columbia