The next interview in our stagey chat series is with Lydia Shaw & Edward Court. Lydia and Edward are the creators of brand new audio musical, HATCHED! As well as being the creators of this innovative new musical, they also star in the piece itself.
Hi Lydia and Edward, how are you both? Thanks so much for chatting to Stage to Page today! Would you mind introducing yourselves and telling our readers how you first got into the theatre industry?
LYDIA: Hi I'm Lydia, I'm a writer, performer and teacher, and I wrote the book & lyrics for HATCHED! I’ve loved musical theatre since I was tiny (aged 3 I insisted on going to my nursery fancy dress day as Maria von Trapp - yes in full nun garb with a cardboard guitar!) and honestly I couldn't really contemplate not doing this when I grew up! I did a degree in English & Drama at Royal Holloway, then went on to London School of Musical Theatre and have been working in the MT industry for the last 9 years.
ED: Hi I’m Ed. I do all sorts within the theatre world, I work as a Musical Director, Pianist, Composer, Teacher and Performer. I fell in love with musical theatre as child when my parents (who met in an Am Dram group!) took me to see Me And My Girl and apparently I turned to my mum and said “How do I learn to do all that?” and that was me hooked! I recently finished a two year stint onstage in The Phantom of the Opera in the West End and I have written five musicals and music for various plays over the years.
Your new audio musical, HATCHED! has just been released on streaming platforms. Can you tell us about the story and the characters you play?
HATCHED! is set on a mythical island where all the characters are birds, and the female birds aren't allowed to fly. The story follows Fallon and her friends as they set out to change the rules and demand equal rights for female birds - in particular, the right to fly.
LYDIA: I play Fallon - she is sort of the drive, grit & energy behind the fight for equality. She is fun, fiery, a bit clumsy and fiercely loyal. She's spent her whole life dreaming of adventures and flying free - although that's been out of the question, she's always toed the boundaries of what's acceptable and has been constantly told off and put back in her box. Having just laid her egg, she can't bear the thought of this new hatchling or her daughter Flick having to grow up as stuck as her, so she decides it's time for change.
ED: I play Merapin, who is spokesperson for Lord Zandajay, the ruler of the island. A traditional, old-school politician, he is always making announcements about new rules to keep everyone in line (especially the rebelling Lady Birds!). Without giving away too much of the plot, Merapin is in for a big surprise when it turns out that the passion and rage of an unfair society is no match for his outdated, patriarchal rule…but he will be clinging onto power with every ounce of his strength and cunning, wait and see!
Lydia, the book and lyrics you've penned are incredibly inspiring and cleverly tailored to a younger audience. Was this always the intended audience when you set out on writing the piece?
Thank you! Yes absolutely, I love creating work that can work on multiple levels - where you have fun, engaging content for younger audiences working alongside exciting, politically engaged, fire-in-your-belly ideas for adults too. We wanted to tell a story that would allow females of all ages to feel seen, valued and empowered.
As well as both performing in the musical, you're the creators of HATCHED!. What made you want to create an audio musical? It's such an innovative idea.
We started writing the show during the pandemic, so that prompted us to explore new accessible ways to share musical theatre. It actually started as an audiobook with songs, but we quickly realised we also needed dialogue and character voices in there!
We are also both very passionate about making theatre accessible to all. Stories & music have always been such a formative part of our lives, so we want to do whatever we can to remove barriers and help everyone, wherever they are in the world, enjoy the power & escapism of musical theatre.
A question I ask everyone we chat to - my blog is called Stage to Page. But if you could turn any book, from page to stage, what would it be and why?
LYDIA: Ooh good question - it's tough to just pick one! I think Spinning Silver by Naomi Novak would be epic on stage.
ED: So many good musical adaptations have already been made…! Not a book, but I would love to see the Pixar movie ‘Soul’ on stage!
And finally, why should anyone reading this listen to HATCHED! A New Audio Musical?
LYDIA: HATCHED! is a show you can immerse yourself in and escape reality for a bit! It'll take you on a rollercoaster and, we hope, leave you feeling fired up, excited and optimistic about the future. It's fun, you can enjoy it at any age, and it's something a bit different!
ED: It is a super accessible way to be able to have a magical theatrical experience from the comfort of your own home, or on the go - it has an amazingly powerful message and we both hope you’ll love the characters, the songs and the adventure…and by the end, feel inspired to go and change the world!
You can find out more about HATCHED! A New Audio Musical, here.
No comments