AN OXFORD songsmith has been given £10,000 by Hollywood star Kevin Spacey to write a new musical.

Matt Winkworth and writing partner Chris Bush were among just 10 winners in the Kevin Spacey Foundation’s Artists of Choice awards scheme 2015.

More than 1,200 individuals or groups entered the awards and just five from the UK and five from the US were chosen.

Now the pair can spend the next year realising their vision – a musical “documentary” following the reaction of a modern society and its media to the assassination of a controversial public figure.

It is the second time the partners have won a writing competition. They are currently working up to the public premiere of their last work, Odd, a modern musical version of Homer’s Odyssey for which they won £12,000.

Mr Winkworth, who lives in Freelands Road, East Oxford, said: “Of course it’s exciting to have Kevin Spacey onside, and it’s great to have the money which gives us the time to write, but what’s most exciting is getting mentorship from the foundation.”

As well as the cash prize, the foundation pledges to give winners year-round support from an industry mentor.

Mr Winkworth, 30, said he had not spoken to Mr Spacey himself, but his writing partner, who lives in North London, had received a personal call from the American Beauty star to congratulate them on winning in the UK musical theatre category.

In a statement the actor, who founded KSF during his tenure as artistic director of the Old Vic theatre, said: “These recipients represent the very best of emerging artists in the UK and the USA.

“We are pleased to support them and their projects.”

Mr Winkworth and his partner are keeping the details of their project under wraps.

The former John Mason School, Abingdon, pupil said: “It’s still in the very early stages, and it’s great to get this support for it so early on, but at the moment that’s about as much as we’re saying.”

What he did reveal was the pair planned to create a “fake documentary” with musical numbers.

Documenting events following the assassination of a “controversial public figure”, he said the story will “explore how heroes and villains are created and outrage is stoked, and questions our complicity as the public in all of this”.

The duo said they want to use a “faux-verbatim” style of speech to make characters sound as realistic and believable as possible.

Mr Winkworth added: “It will include things like social media and rolling news coverage: these elements will make up the language of the piece.”

With the two living in different cities, they will do much of their writing over the internet, with Mr Winkworth emailing song demos to his partner and Mr Bush sending back script and lyric ideas.

They will present the foundation with their progress in about six months, but Mr Winkworth said he did not want to second-guess when they might premiere their piece to the paying public.