Auditions The Musical

SANDITON PRODUCTIONS presents AUDITIONS THE MUSICAL

The idea for “Auditions The Musical” came in 2014 during the making of Sandton-The-Play, Sanditon the 10 minute short film, and the Sanditon Documentary. The musical theatre actresses told Chris Brindle about their lives, and how hard it was to be constantly going to auditions hoping for your big break, only normally to be disappointed.  So Chris said to the actress who played Charlotte Heywood, Amy Burrows, “Why not write our own musical ?”  and with that in mind they started writing a script. That left the slight problem of the music. But music was a problem that Chris had had to solve whilst making the documentary and preparing a version of the stage play for DVD release.  What was required was something similar to “I do like to be beside the seaside”:-  that could have been written 90 years earlier. So Chris wrote some lyrics for “Blue Briny Sea” with an idea of a tune, and turned to Colchester composer Louise Byrne for assistance, who in turn turned to Head of Music at Stowupland High School, Vicky Clubb, to turn her music into something that could have been written by Mozart.

So when it came to writing “Auditions The Musical” Chris again wrote the lyrics, and took a similar route with the music, again asking Vicky’s help with the predominately piano pieces, “The Next Time”  and “The Journey” and turning to Colchester singer / songwriter and music teacher Daniel James Rutter for the guitar based pieces.  17 totally original songs later the framework for the musical was complete.  Then came the problem of getting the pieces off the paper and into performance. Chris’s friend Steve Miller took 5 of the songs and with the help of Matt Toone, Clive Walker, Amy Burrows and Sophie Meadows performed them at open mic nights and at The Eight Ash Green Music Festival. But the idea of writing the musical was not just to do the one performance, but to create a musical that could be taken to venues big and small across the land and to The Edinburgh Fringe in 2016. So to achieve this the incredibly talented Nigel Thomas was recruited, who we first saw singing the part of Sidney Parker in the “Blue Briny Sea” duet.  Nigel has tasted success in the past having toured the world as lead singer of “The Foxes” and hopes to do so again next year with the release of his solo debut album. Nigel is also a very versatile actor having starred in the British made feature film “Candlestick” in 2014.

“Auditions The Musical” had its premiere at Colchester’s Headgate Theatre on Sunday October 4th 2015 at 7.30pm. “Auditions” was extensively revised and augmented, and as “Guardian Angels” was first performed at The New Wolsey Studio Theatre Ipswich between June 16th and 19th 2016

Please see www.guardianangelsmusical.com

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