Gus Gowland

Gus is an award-winning writer, lyricist and composer. He is a Resident Artist at York Theatre Royal and the Cameron Mackintosh Resident Composer for the National Theatre of Scotland.

His first full-length musical PIECES OF STRING premiered in 2018 at the Mercury Theatre, Colchester. For his work on 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 recorded for Digital Theatre and was highly commended in the Carlo Annoni International Playwriting Prize. PIECES OF STRING was also named The Stage’s Best Regional Musical of the year and was nominated for the UK Theatre Best Musical Production award. 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 and is currently being developed for full production. His second full-length musical MAYFLIES premiered at York Theatre Royal in 2023, to great acclaim.

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 AND 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. Gus was also one of 5 music industry experts to form the UK Jury for the Eurovision Song Contest in 2014.