Things may have gone a little quiet on the blog, but we haven't stopped writing...
Today, thanks to the kind generosity of The Other Palace, we got to spend the day in the studio workshopping the latest draft of VANYA'S!
Director extraordinaire Franny Anne Rafferty dropped in to share some of their insights, and we're feeling very excited about the possibility of moving on to a bigger workshop later this year.
Fingers crossed!
Last night, we were honoured to be part of 'On Hope: A Digital Song Cycle', masterminded by Matt Powell and Victoria Saxton.
It was a gargantuan undertaking - you can read a bit more about the project in this Playbill article.
They did a truly incredible job putting this show together - some of it was in the details, like the beautifully filmed transitions between the songs that really gave a feel of theatrical magic!
It was so inspiring to see all the songwriters coming together from around the globe to make this possible. (Bartek Podkowa, who responsible for the technical wizardry, did a phenomenal job.)
And there's another bonus to an online concert... even if you missed the original show, you can catch it now!
Our song 'Thank Goodness' is around 1'06".
Part two is next week, we'll be tuning in and hope you can join us!
(If you want to support the project, which the organisers heartily deserve, you can do so here: http://www.mptheatricals.co.uk/donate.)
Hi folks,
We are so excited to finally be sending our Vanya's tracks out today!
Here's a little teaser of one of the songs we recorded. (Please note: this private Soundcloud link will only be temporarily available!)
For everyone who supported us in making this music, THANK YOU!!!
These tracks won't be for sale - but we're sending the full set of demos out (which ended up coming to 9 songs!) to everyone who supported our work - be that with £1 or £100!
We ended up needing to dig quite significantly into our savings to finish the project (something that has become a bit more stressful in light of coronavirus developments!). So if you'd still like to support us - and get the music - you can do that here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/recordings-for-vanya039s-a-new-musical
Below we've included a few shots from behind the scenes, taken by the brilliant Julia Forsman.
Thanks and lots of love!
Bella and Alli
Listening to the magic happen!
Rehearsing 'Only in Soho'
A break between songs
Learning new parts
Making musical decisions
Everyone together now!
Having a terrible time :-)
This Autumn, we had the incredible opportunity to head back into the recording studio with two-time BBC Jazz Vocalist of the Year producing - and singing the role of Vanya for us.
We previously had the good fortune to work with Ian on Christmas in the City, and it was wonderful to go back into the Cowshed with him and the rest of this talented lot!
This was a big project, and it's only with the help of our friends and fans that we've been able to make it happen. We're now in the process of finishing up the mastering, and doing our final fundraising push!
If you're able to contribute to our GoFundMe campaign, we would be so grateful for your support!
https://www.gofundme.com/f/recordings-for-vanya039s-a-new-musical
Our thank you to you? Everyone who donates will get a full set of the recordings! These won't be publicly available for sale or available any other way, so we would really appreciate your support!
We have some really exciting news we want to share - we are coming across the pond for two gigs this Autumn!
The Canales Project and the United Nations Decade of Women, commissioned us to write a new song 'Just A Little', honouring the incredible Janet Salazar. Janet is the CEO and Co-Founder of IMPACT Leadership 21, a global platform dedicated to accelerating women’s leadership at the highest level across all sectors.
We will be sharing the song in the New York Premiere of Hear Her Song which is on the 14th October at Joe's Pub!
To any of our supporters and friends who are out in NYC, we'd love to see you at the gig! It's 9.30pm, and will be full of songs written by top female composers, honouring top female leaders across the Globe.
Ticket link and more information is here.
AND...
On the 15 October, if you want a whole show of our tunes, you can come and watch London Calling! An Evening with Barlow & Smith, our DEBUT Songwriting Cabaret in NYC at the Duplex.
We are thrilled to announce we will be joined Manuel Bagorro as our musical Director, and special guest singers, Zak Edwards, Sam Perwin and Joseph Anthony Smith, who will be performing our songs alongside Alli and Bella. There will also be a special appearance by the uber-talented singer and composer Rosabella Gregory.
This promises to be an entertaining evening that shares top highlights from our career so far, and the stories behind them!
Click below on purple pass for the ticket link:
Lastly - if you can't make our shows, but you still want to support our work, you can donate here to our GoFundMe campaign for our demo recordings of our newest Musical VANYA'S. We will be sharing demos of the arranged and mastered songs to everyone who chips in, so even if you can only give one pound/dollar, we would be so grateful for the help and delighted to share our latest work with you!
See you soon in NYC!
Love,
Bella and Alli
Lock and Key is almost ready for an audience!
Our amazing team has been hard at work prepping this show - it's looking fabulous and the press is taking note! (Thanks in no small part to our PR wizard Susie.)
Among other exciting news, we were selected for The Stage's Picks of the Week (a brilliant surprise to kick off the week), and had a great time chatting with Miro Magazine about the show and what it's been like being involved with VAULT Festival. (Spoiler alert: we love this festival and working with the VAULT team has been a dream.)
One of our two incredible leading ladies also did a live radio interview with Sunday Show Tunes, so if you'd like to hear Evelyn Hoskins talk about Lock & Key, just tune it at 1:12:35.
Momentum is building, so we recommend that you book your tickets as soon as possible to make sure you don't miss out! You can get your seats here: https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/lock-and-key/
(Also, if you want to support our show on GoFundMe, it's not too late! Every pound we raise helps us make the show better, and we're so grateful for every contribution helping us make this production a reality: https://www.gofundme.com/lock-and-key-a-new-musical.)
Now onto the final preparation as we get ready for opening night.
In the meantime, we'll be adding a bit of fluorescent flair to our posters to take advantage of the atmospheric blue light in the entrance of VAULT...
Hopefully we will see you there very soon!
We are very excited to share the details of our talented cast for Lock & Key!
Tiffany Graves - Samantha
Tiffany was most recently seen at Shakespeare’s Globe in Apocalypse Meow and as Madeleine True in The Wild Party (The Other Palace). Other roles include Velma Kelly in Chicago (Adelphi & Cambridge Theatre), Lois in Kiss Me Kate (Opera North), Helene and alternate Charity in Sweet Charity (Theatre Royal Haymarket), Killer Queen (We Will Rock You) Marlene Dietrich (Piaf), & Sukie Rougemont (The Witches of Eastwick), as well as Sunset Boulevard, A Chorus Line, Tonight’s the Night, Godspell & Cats. Tiffany has performed at Grange Park Opera in La Traviata & Anything Goes, Follies (Royal Festival Hall)and in many concerts: Chess & Night of 1000 Voices (Royal Albert Hall), West End Heroes (Dominion Theatre), NT: 50 Years on Stage (National Theatre), Wonderful Town with the Halle Orchestra (The Lowry), & Hey, Old Friends! -Stephen Sondheim 85th Birthday Gala (Theatre Royal Drury Lane). www.TiffanySings.com
Evelyn Hoskins - Jess
Theatre Credits include: Mrs Henderson Presents (Toronto), Peter and the Starcatcher (Royal&Derngate), Carrie (Southwark Playhouse), Hero's Welcome (UK Tour, Off-Broadway) This Is My Family (Sheffield Crucible, UK Tour), The Boy Who Fell Into A Book (Stephen Joseph Theatre), Peter Pan (US Tour), The Secret Garden (Birmingham Rep), Spring Awakening (Lyric Hammersmith, West End). Television includes: The Sound of Music Live (ITV), Casualty, Misfits (E4), Holby City, Doctors (BBC). Other work includes: Bonnie & Clyde (The Other Palace), Christmas with the Stars (Royal Albert Hall), Peter Pan (Adelphi), Cool Rider (Lyric, West End), The Light Princess, Microwave, Falklands (National Theatre Studio).
We've had some fantastic coverage from Whatsonstage and Broadwayworld.com, and it's wonderful to be able to share this news.
To book tickets to the show, please visit: https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/lock-and-key/
If you'd like to support our crowdfunding campaign and help us bring this show to life, you can do so here: https://www.gofundme.com/lock-and-key-a-new-musical
Thanks for supporting our work!
Wouldn't it be incredible to see an innovative gothic/thriller musical for two women - about the twisted relationship we can have to the workplace?
We think so, too!
We are in the FINAL STAGES of prep for bringing our new show to VAULT Festival, but we need one final push of fundraising to help us bring the show to life.
If you can spare even just £5 to help us, this would make a massive difference. Every little bit takes us one step closer to making this show a reality.
We don't have long now to raise the funds before the performances are upon us... So if you'd like to support the future of musical theatre, the time to join the community of folks rallying behind this project and new musical theatre is NOW!
Donate via the link: https://www.gofundme.com/lock-and-key-a-new-musical
Or to learn a bit more about our project, watch the video below!
We are thrilled to announce we'll be bringing a new musical to VAULT Festival in March 2018.
It’s late. Jess should really be going – after all, she’s missing her own birthday party. But her demanding boss Samantha has insisted she stay to review the marketing proofs of the publishing firm’s disgustingly cheery children’s title, ‘Giggles The Bear’. And left the keys to her mysterious, red filing cabinet…
Alone in the eerie office, Jess can’t resist the temptation of peering into Samantha’s secret files. After making a grisly discovery, Jess must choose what she is willing to sacrifice to keep her job.
Brimming with twisted dark humour, LOCK AND KEY is a workplace thriller for audiences all too aware of the painful demands of modern career success - and the cost of being a woman determined to succeed.
Tickets: https://vaultfestival.com/whats-on/lock-and-key/
