Gus Gowland was born & raised in Muswell Hill, North London. 
He trained as an actor at the RSAMD in Glasgow (Special Prize for Merit) and completed his Masters degree in Musical Theatre at Goldsmiths in 2011, graduating with Distinction. In November 2015 he wrote a short musical ‘SICK!’ which was performed at LOST Theatre as part of ‘Accidents & Emergencies’. In 2014 his short play ‘Clocks & Teapots’ was performed at Rada Studios & the London Transport Museum as part of ‘London Omnibus’. 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. In 2011 Gus wrote two songs for ‘Copyright Christmas’, at the Barbican. He produced and directed a season of ‘Miniscule Musicals’ at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, one of which was performed at the 10th anniversary birthday party at South Bank Centre.
Gus was shortlisted for the inaugural Perfect Pitch award in 2013 & 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. Gus was also one of 5 music industry experts to form the UK Jury for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014.
Current projects include: Commissioned by Theatre Royal Stratford East to write a musical adaptation of a Shakespeare play & collaborating with Eamonn O’Dwyer on an adaptation of Neil McKenna’s ‘Fanny & Stella’, AND….
…Bridge the Gap at Feinstein’s/54 Below! Tickets are available here.
I’m so pleased Gus was able to take the time to chat with me, and trust me when I say it’s only a matter of time before this fella becomes a household name.
MM: First things first, when did you know you wanted to be a composer/songwriter?
Gus: I never really had a lightning bolt moment. I have always written but it was, for a long time, something that I did alongside my main career-which was acting. I’ve always known that I want to tell stories and whether that was through performance or writing plays, stories, songs, I wasn’t sure. It took me most of my twenties to figure out that it’s what I should be doing & that I’d been leading up to it all this time!
MM: Do you remember the first song you wrote?
Gus: I do! It was a song about Marilyn Monroe from a musical of her life I was writing (I was a precocious 15-year-old! Also, ‘SMASH’ much?). The show was never finished but the song got me an A in music at school when I was 15. I can still sing it now. But I won’t!
MM: What books are permanently on your bookshelf?
Gus: I mean, if you don’t have the Sondheim books then you’re basically in the wrong job. But aside from the obligatory MT books it’d be the ‘Tales of the City’ series by Armistead Maupin. I read and reread them over and over and they never stop moving me, making me laugh, teaching me. I’d love to write a musical of them but someone beat me to it.
MM: If you were stranded on a desert island, (assuming there was a TV and internet access), what television shows and movies would you want available to you?
Gus: Oh crikey! That’s tough. Although – a desert island with wi-fi? Sign me up! I think for TV I’d have to take ‘Victoria Wood As Seen On TV’. I’ve been revisiting it recently following the sad death of Victoria Wood and it’s just gem upon gem of hilarious sketches & amazing performances. For those of you Americans that haven’t heard of her please seek her out. She was prolific and was an absolute genius. Now, movies. This is IMPOSSIBLE! I use movies depending on my mood so I’d have to have tonnes to cover all bases! But to avoid this list being too long I will say ‘The Goonies’ and run away before I change my mind!
MM: What words of wisdom would you give to aspiring composers and songwriters?
Gus: I’m not sure I’m in a position to be giving out words of wisdom to anyone…but I’d just say write as much as you can and listen to as much as you can. There’s a huge amount of talent out there from the big hitters down to people just starting out and you can learn from it all. Plus, it’s a lovely way to spend your time!
MM: Who are your musical theatre inspirations?
Gus: Where do I start? I don’t think you can be a writer in this field today without tipping your hat to Stephen Sondheim. But then you have Kander & Ebb, Lloyd Webber, Bock & Harnick, Maltby & Shire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Pasek & Paul, Laurence O’Keefe, William Finn, Anthony Newley…the list is endless! Every one of them, and countless others, has taught me something and inspired me in some way.
MM: In the United States, arts education programs are often in danger of being cut, due to budgetary restraints. What reasons would you give to a school official and/or political for preserving arts education programming in schools?
Gus: I CANNOT stress enough how important the arts are to education. People are too quick to limit the effect of the arts to their specific fields but we know that they impact on every aspect of life. Drama and performance help with public speaking, social interaction, confidence. You might end up as CEO of a big company who hates the theatre but I’ll guarantee you those years in the school plays will have helped you get there.
MM: Who is/was your greatest teacher?
Gus: I’ve been very fortunate to have a few teachers over the years who have encouraged me to follow this career but the one that truly changed my life is a woman called Donna Soto-Morretini. She taught me at drama school in Scotland. I was struggling with depression and sort of disappearing into myself. She located the spark within me and drew it out, using Shakespeare and music! I will forever be thankful to her.
Thank YOU, Gus!
Live, Love, Learn,