A new musical created in Corsham is to be seen by thousands of people across the country after it was awarded a £10,000 development grant.

Revolution! The Musical is being written by composer Nicholas Keyworth, chief examiner of music at Trinity College London, and lyricist Michael Wilkinson, a journalist at the Gazette and Herald’s sister paper, the Wiltshire Times.

The musical is billed as an epic adventure of love, hope and freedom, set against the backdrop of the communist regime in former Yugoslavia.

Now, Arts Council England has backed the ambitious project by awarding it £10,000 ahead of its tour across Wiltshire, Dorset, Devon and Bristol.

One of the Wiltshire performances will be at the Melksham Assembly Hall on Friday, May 25, as part of the newly formed Melksham Music Festival.

The money will also be used to fund educational workshops which will be offered to each of the areas that the show will tour.

It comes after a successful 50-minute pilot of the show was held at The Pound Arts Centre in Corsham in June 2011, where its early development was supported.

Mr Keyworth said: “This grant is a real boost for the project which means we will be able to reach out into theatres, arts centres and schools across the south west.”

The 2012 production, which will have a cast of 15 local performers and five musicians, will be a one-hour, 15-minute show.

It will also enjoy a full three-week run at the prestigious Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August before the full-length musical is premiered in the autumn.

The next step in its development will be an audition day on January 14 at the Bath Spa University campus at Corsham Court from 11am until 3pm.

Mr Wilkinson, 23, said: “Our audience back in June told us they loved Revolution! and since then it has been full-steam ahead as we have carried on developing the show into something we think will have audiences enthralled.

“I wanted to tell an original story set against the troubled times of the 1990s in Bosnia because I was inspired by my travels there and the people I have met.

“It is also a story that has not yet been explored in musical theatre.”

For information about educational workshops or auditions call Mr Wilkinson on 07872 920289 or visit www.revolutionthemusical.co.uk