SimG Productions presents the Emerging Artists Season
SimG Productions presents the Emerging Artists Season at the Crazy Coqs
The West End can boast of some rather enviable talent performing on its stages, with such leading men and ladies as John Owen-Jones, Kerry Ellis, Ramin Karimloo, Louise Dearman flying the flag for the UK musical theatre industry, along with so many more. These celebrated performers worked hard to get to where they are now though, and like everyone else, they too were once unknown names dipping their toes into the water and hoping the ripples they created would turn into waves which they could ride all the way to the top. They started at the bottom and worked their way up, shaping the theatrical landscape along the way and leaving behind an impression which changes it forever. The same is true of the West End’s songwriters, composers and lyricists such as Andrew Lloyd Webber, Tim Rice and Stiles & Drew.
There are so many wonderful people both on the stage and behind the scenes which have contributed to the continuing success of London’s theatre scene, ensuring that it remains a healthy and evermore wondrous place. The West End is a cyclical environment however, which needs a constant supply of fresh imagination and talent to keep it from deteriorating. The people who make it such a joy to visit today won’t be around forever, and a new generation of writers and performers will eventually take over from them to carry on feeding the West End. That is why it is so important to find and nurture these individuals, which is just what SimG Productions was created to do. Founder/director Simon Greiff has helped countless new talent to climb the ladder to success by giving them a platform to showcase their voices and/or songs and supporting them every step of the way.
SimG Productions has released scores of albums on its SimG Records label featuring up-and-coming West End artists and the original work of new and exciting British musical theatre writers. The UK’s ‘foremost champion of new theatre writing’ also stages numerous concerts and cabarets to offer audiences the chance to experience emerging talent live in an up-close and personal setting. One such event was the Emerging Artists cabaret which took place last year at the Crazy Coqs in London. Launched in November 2013 as part of the inaugural London Festival of Cabaret, four talented newcomers featured in the line-up for this cabaret night which was designed to showcase emerging British-based writers and performers presenting original work in their own unique way. Up-and-coming songwriters Tamar Broadbent, Madalena Alberto, Tim Sutton and Stuart Matthew Price were all there to display a selection of their musical compositions, aided by such guest vocalists as Liam Ross Mills, Laura Darton, Dan Buckley and Tiffany Graves.
The night was such a success that a collection of follow-up cabarets at the same venue were organised to build on what the first began. The Emerging Artists Season is presented by Simon Greiff for SimG Productions in association with the Crazy Coqs and is made up of a set of three nights, which began on 15th March 2014 and introduced audiences to the work of Garry Lake and the writing duo of Rob Archibald and Verity Quade. The second evening takes place in just over a week’s time, on Saturday 26th April 2014, with the third set to round off the season on Saturday 7th June 2014. Both cabarets will once again feature new talents from the world of songwriting and musical theatre writing, with April’s cabaret night giving the stage over to Jonathan Eio, Ella Grace and Dan Looney.
Jonathan Eio is a songwriter/performer who is currently hard at work on his third album, which will include more of his original songs and features duets performed by a host of top names from the West End. Ella Grace was a finalist in the recent Perfect Pitch Awards and has also had her show Trouble showcased in the 2012 New York Musical Theatre Festival. Dan Looney wrote his first full musical The Confession Room, which is due to arrive in London later this year for a one-off performance. Guest singers on the night include Lara Pitt-Pulford and Adele Pope, as well as Daniel Buckley who makes his return to Emerging Artists.
The final cabaret in the series will feature Neeve (aka Niamh Perry), Richard Beadle and Christopher J. Orton, with guest singers still to be announced.
Just as there are many cabarets and concerts staged to celebrate the work of existing, successful writers, it is vital that the work of new talent is also given a platform. Past, present and future are tied together and each is just as important as the other. Theatre fans may be familiar with some or all of the ‘emerging artists’ appearing this season, or perhaps none at all; either way, these cabarets provide a unique opportunity to support and encourage those who could just be the next big names in the world of musical theatre writing.
By Julie Robinson (@missjulie25)
Thursday 17th April 2014
