Robby Khela began his career in the music industry after signing with Telstar Records. He supported pop acts Craig David, Blue, Lemar, Girls Aloud and Misteeq on tour and worked with Rishi Rich and Max Martin as a songwriter. His break into the world of acting came through Phizzical Productions after landing a lead role in a national tour of What You Fancy, a Bollywood adaptation of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. In 2017 Robby completed another national tour of Bring On The Bollywood, again with Phizzical Productions & appeared in Grindr The Opera (Above The Stag Theatre) which won Best New Musical at The Offies in 2019. He has recently completed his sixth national tour with musical Bombay Superstar and played Aladdin at Rhyl Pavillion (Anton Benson Productions) and Windsor Theatre Royal (Bill Kenwright Limited).

The Musical Theatre Writing Residency is a two-week international programme for emerging and established book writers, composers, and lyricists from the UK, India, and the United States.

The residency has been devised by Andrew Panton, Artistic Director of Dundee Rep Theatre, and will include facilitated sessions with Dramaturg Jeanie O’Hare (formerly Director of New Work Development at The Public Theater), Music Supervisor James McKeon (Musical Director: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, London), Donna Lynn Hilton, Artistic Director of Goodspeed Musicals, Connecticut and David Greig, Artistic Director of Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh. Shonagh Murray joins as Associate Musical Supervisor, with Imogen Stirling, supported by Playwright Studio Scotland, joining as Associate Dramaturg.

The creatives will also benefit from networking opportunities and workshop sessions, both in-person and digital, with industry-leading writers, composers, producers, directors, and other theatre practitioners – including Tony® Award-winning director John Doyle, Tony® and Grammy® Award-winning producer Mara Isaacs, Tony® Award-winning producer Rashad V. Chambers, and more.

Presented by Cove Park and Dundee Rep Theatre in partnership with Capital Theatres, Citizens Theatre, Macrobert Arts Centre, National Centre for the Performing Arts – Mumbai, National Theatre of Scotland, Octopus Theatricals – New York City, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, and Traverse Theatre. Associate partners include A Play, A Pie and A Pint, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, Playwrights’ Studio Scotland, and Tron Theatre.