PUTTING IT TOGETHER

We Fund 79%

2012-01-26T23:58:00.000Z

Our We Fund has reached 79%!! We have until Tuesday to reach 100% - so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we will make it, because we are almost there. The only thing that has proved a problem is that people are supposed to pay through Pay Pal and not everyone knows how to do this. I have emailed the people at We Fund about this and they say that they have some other plans afoot to make it a

We Fund reached 63%

2012-01-24T00:01:00.000Z

We Funders supporting our new musical showcase through We Funding have amazingly raised 63% needed. There is only one week to go. We have to raise all £700 by 31st January or we will get nothing. The We Fund site is really brilliant - you can find out more about it and crowd funding here You can be a sponsor for as little as £10!! You can find out more about our project and We Fund Here

Les Miserables original cast album

2012-01-18T10:29:00.001Z

The original cast album for Les Miserables was due to end and the cast were to no longer going to get any royalties, even though the album is still making plenty of money. Although each actor still only gets a small amount, every little counts in this business. I signed a petition about this. I am so glad to hear today that the royalties are being reinstated and a new agreement is being drawn

We Fund 40% pledged

2012-01-18T10:18:00.000Z

Our We Fund for the new show has 40% of its pledges so far! Some sponsors have been amazingly generous - some of these people saw the showcase at the Royal Academy - it is lovely to know you have firm followers for a show. We have 1 week and 5 days to go to reach our target!

We Fund

2012-01-16T17:15:00.001Z

We have our wonderful grant and are supported by The National Lottery through Arts Council England for the Research and Development of our new show I Capture the Castle - based on the novel by Dodie Smith. But in order to make the project even more of a success we have set up a We Fund where you can pledge funds from as small as £10 towards the project. We only have two weeks to raise £700 and

Research and Development Grant - first meeting

2012-01-14T13:34:00.000Z

"I want to capture every moment..." Now that we have our grant the real work on the research and development of our new show has begun. Last Tuesday Steve and I had a meeting with Stephanie Hay, the Programme and Projects Manager at Watford to discuss the business part of the workshop. We have to confirm a showcase space in the centre of town as soon as possible and have also considered

Little Women at the Lost Theatre

2012-01-06T14:21:00.000Z

"Little Women has to be one of the best new musicals to arrive on the London Fringe in 2011" - The Stage I had a really enjoyable night at Little Women at the Lost Theatre, in Stockwell, last night! There are only a few more days of the show left (it finishes on 7th January) so you will have to be quick if you want to catch it. It was a full house the night I went and for a 180 seater fringe

I Capture the Castle for World Book Night 2012!!

2011-12-30T13:11:00.000Z

I was very excited to discover that I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith is one of the twenty five books chosen for World Book Night in 2012. On 23rd April 20,000 passionate book readers will give away 24 copies of one of the chosen twenty five books to people who live in their area and are unlikely to be regular readers. Other chosen books this year are: Rebecca by Daphen Du Maurier, A Tale of

Arts Council Grant!!

2011-12-30T12:52:00.000Z

Steve and I got the best Christmas present this year - from the Arts Council! After being turned down for our first grant application for a workshop of our new show we took more advice from the Arts Council and Stephanie Hay at Watford Palace Theatre and submitted a new application. I really never thought we would actually get it, but amazingly... we did!! So our company Kelmscott

Peter Polycarpou at the Garrick on Sunday 11th December

2011-12-06T15:24:00.001Z

Peter Polycarpou will be singing songs from the shows he has starred in and others that have inspired him, on Sunday 11th December at 7.30 at the Garrick Theatre. Peter has had an incredible career: a member of the original company in Les Miserables, creating the role of John in Miss Saigon, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma! with Hugh Jackman, Daniel in Imagine This, Phil in Love Story, Phantom in

Jack and the Beanstalk at the Palace, Watford

2011-11-30T12:15:00.001Z

FEE FI FO FUM..... HE'S BEHIND YOU!!! A very lovingly created Jack and the Beanstalk opened at Watford Palace Theatre last night. It was written by Andrew Pollard - actor and writer, directed by Kate Saxon, MD Paul Herbert, arranged by Dominic Haslam, Choreographed by Karen Edwards and designed by Cleo Pettitt. The usual farm story of the Beanstalk tale had been transferred to a fun fair,

Writers Guild Encouragement Award Lunch at the Royal Court

2011-11-30T11:30:00.000Z

The encouraged and encouragers standing on the steps of the Royal Court Last Friday I went to the Writers Guild Encouragement Award lunch at the Royal Court. These awards are the brainchild of Mark Ravenhill, and were set up by the Guild to give members the opportunity to publicly thank people who have encouraged their work over the year. I had nominated David James and the BML (Book Music

Grants For the Arts

2011-11-17T18:14:00.000Z

I have just completed another Grants for the Arts Application. The last one was turned down but we were given good advice on how to improve it from the Arts Council, and also masses of help from Watford Palace Theatre, who have been so brilliant. I am just keeping my fingers crossed now. I think we will probably hear just before Christmas.

A Chorus Line bound for Tel Aviv

2011-10-15T14:01:00.000+01:00

I was one of the very lucky people to get invited to an open rehearsal of Baayork Lee's revival production of A CHORUS LINE, before it went off to Tel-Aviv to appear at The Israeli Opera - Tel Aviv Performing Arts Centre from 19th to 26th October. David James knows Baayork, and so was able to invite members of BML along to this. The rehearsal was held at 3 Mills Studios - a wonderful film

Writers Guild Encouragement Award

2011-10-15T13:01:00.000+01:00

I am a member of the Writers Guild of GB and nominated David James and the BML (Book, Music & Lyrics) Workshop for a Writers Guild Encouragement Award - and he got it! David and I have been invited to the Royal Court for a lunch to celebrate the award. David has worked unstintingly on the BML for some years now, trying to create a hotbed of new musical theatre talent, supported and inspired by

On the Board at Mercury Musical Developments

2011-10-09T13:05:00.000+01:00

I am very excited to have been asked to sit on the board of Mercury Musical Developments!!

A Stage Kindly's Musical Theatre GALA at Greenwich Theatre

2011-10-09T12:00:00.000+01:00

Today at 7.30 pm A Stage Kindly will be presenting a Gala celebration of the highlights of all their shows at Greenwich Theatre. There will be a fantastic range of songs from new musicals all performed by a company of outstanding musical theatre performers. The talented Caroline Hardman will be singing HUNGRY SEA a song from our Pre-Raphaelite musical Possessed. Tickets can be booked through

Dougal Irvine's new album ACOUSTIC OVERTURES

2011-09-27T17:14:00.000+01:00

I was very excited to discover today that the award winning songwriter and performer Dougal Irvine has a new album coming out in November. To obtain a copy of it, direct from him, click on this link here It's great to be able to support an artist direct!

BRITAIN'S GOT BHANGRA The Musical

2011-09-22T13:14:00.000+01:00

A "webisode" from the BRITAIN'S GOT BHANGRA rehearsals at Watford Palace Theatre. A sparkling new production of Britain's Got Bhangra the musical, has opened at Watford Palace Theatre - it is a gem of a show!! It was conceived, written and directed by Pravesh Kumar, music by Sumeet Chopra, English lyrics by Dougal Irvine, Punjabi Lyrics by Bittu Denowalia and choreography by Andy Kumar.

Some Songs Fast Some Slow - Josie Lawrence and Steven Edis Trio

2011-09-09T17:44:00.000+01:00

Josie Lawrence Steve Edis and Josie Lawrence will be presenting "Some Songs Fast Some Slow" on Thursday 15th September at 7pm at the COMEDY CAFE - 68 Rivington Street, Shoreditch (nearest tube Old Street or Liverpool Street). Josie will be singing one of our songs RAFT OF DELIGHT, from Possessed, in the show. To book tickets for what promises to be another madly funny and poignant evening

Hungry Sea at the White Bear

2011-09-09T16:38:00.000+01:00

From Tuesday 20th September to Sunday 25th September Aria Entertainment will yet again be presenting their SONG BY SONG showcase - at the White Bear Theatre, Kennington. It will be MD'd by the wonderful Katy Lipson and directed by Matthew Gould. On Sunday 24th September at 7.15pm Caroline Hardman will be singing HUNGRY SEA (music by Steven Edis and Lyrics by Teresa Howard), from our musical

Hungry Sea at Canal Cafe Theatre

2011-08-21T23:30:00.000+01:00

Aria Entertainments are Presenting a showcase of the talents of 16 singers over 5 nights with 50 great songs called 'Song by Song' from 13th to 17th September. One of these songs is Hungry Sea, one of the songs Steven Edis and I wrote for our musical POSSESSED. It will be sung by the talented Caroline Hardman on Saturday 17th September at 7.30 at Canal Cafe Theatre. Matthew Gould will be

Kate Weston

2011-08-14T14:04:00.001+01:00

I have got a wonderful new agent - Kate Weston! Kate works at Janet Fillingham Associates, specialising in musical theatre writers. There are just a handful of agents specialising in musical theatre and I had set my sights on trying to get representation from one of these. Strangely everything seemed to fall into place with Kate. We first met at the MMD talk, where I interviewed her and

TRYING IT ON with Josie Lawrence and Steve Edis at the Menier

2011-06-14T17:31:00.000+01:00

Last night I went to a cabaret evening at the Menier Chocolate Factory. Josie Lawrence was singing her heart out and making the audience roar with laughter about LOVE!!! Steve accompanied her on piano and George English, a young Guildhall student, was on drums. It was a fabulous evening - made especially wonderful because Josie sang one of the songs Steve and I wrote for Possessed called RAFT

Rifco Arts' Move to the Palace Theatre Watford!

2011-05-29T22:50:00.000+01:00

Last week I went to a Celebration of Rifco Arts' work, at Watford Palace Theatre - to mark the companies residence there. They have been Creative Associates of the Theatre for many years and are now resident at the Palace offices. Rifco Arts' Artistic Director Pravesh Kuma says that "Rifco and Watford Place Theatre already have ambitious plans together. The Palace are a major partner with us