Shachar (Shar) Shamai

Shachar (Shar) Shamai

Shachar (Shar) Shamai

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An Israel-born, London-based librettist, lyricist, composer, poet, director, and vocal coach specialising in musical theatre. He holds two MAs - in Classical Singing from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, and in Musical Theatre from the Guildford School of Acting (GSA). For over a decade, he has taught at major UK institutions including Urdang Academy,

London Studio Centre, ICMT, PPA, and City Lit, and regularly leads workshops across Europe and Israel. His students perform in professional productions in both countries and around the world.

Shar is the founder and artistic director of THE JEWish CABARET, a London-based theatre collective creating new musicals and cabaret works since 2016. As a musical-theatre writer, he is a member of London’s BML (Book, Music, Lyrics) program for professional writers. Since 2020, he has collaborated with composer Guy Frati on several projects, including Sonia, which premiered at Haifa Theatre and the Israeli Opera in December 2023. Their
piece Grace (חסד) for orchestra, choir, and two soloists will premiere in November 2025 with The Revolution Orchestra as part of its season.

In 2025, Shar founded Katco, a collaborative community for musical-theatre writers, and is now developing KMI, an initiative to support and promote original Israeli musical theatre. As a poet, Shar won first prize in Helicon’s “Mila BaMakom” competition, and his poems have been published widely. His English-language poetry inspired the short film Poetry in Motion – Dew Drops, premiered at the Loud & Queer Festival (Worcester, 2023).