JACK MILES has written and composed the new folk musical St. Anne Comes Home which will be a part of the Iris Theatre Summer Festival in the courtyard of the Actors’ Church, St Pauls in Covent Garden on 29 and 30 August 2020.
London can be lonely. But on the steps of St. Anne’s Church two people strike up an unlikely friendship. James has spent years running away from his problems, while Bridget is trapped by hers.
Told through original folk music, St. Anne Comes Home is a story about community, fear and forgiveness, that explores how reaching out might help us find our way.
Here Jack continues Musical Theatre Review’s interview series: Five Questions With…
How has life treated you during lockdown?
It’s been very odd, hasn’t it! At the very beginning of it all, I thrived. I was furloughed fairly quickly and finished off the bulk of St. Anne with all the extra time I had. I thought it was marvellous. As time went on however, I really began to struggle. It has been difficult to watch the industry I love be repeatedly denied the support it needs. And I think everyone has been thinking similarly about career stagnation, and how this will affect the opportunities available going forward. It’s a tricky headspace to get away from.
For a break, I went home to Suffolk for a few weeks, and it was the most cleansing and refreshing experience. All that green. I love London, but I think I will always love home just that tiny bit more. I saw my dog (and family), and I came back a completely different person. Having that escape was so valuable to me. So, in summary… ups and downs!
Can you describe the development of your new musical St Anne Comes Home? How did the project come about?
About two years ago, I was on a night bus coming back through Vauxhall, and saw a man taking cover from the rain in the archway of St. Anne’s church. I spent the rest of the journey coming up with a fictitious backstory for him, and his motivations for being there. I had the name of the piece by the time I got home, but it took me a year to write any music or dialogue. I wasn’t sure of the musical direction until I attended a folk gig in a church near Euston, which is where everything clicked for me. I missed most of the actual performance because I was too busy scribbling down ideas in a notepad. Worth it.
I played the first two songs I had written at an All That Scratch podcast recording at The Other Palace last year, which is also where I began to chat with my current producers about the piece. I was then fortunate enough to have the opportunity to play some of the material to Claude-Michel Schönberg as part of an MMD event. His feedback during the early stages of development provided clarity around how best to shape the story. We then recruited our director and dramaturg, the wonderful Martha Geelan, who has done such incredible things to the content and form that the show takes. I am constantly surprised when I think we’ve only been working properly on the show for about a year, which for me is a very short amount of time.
I plan to keep developing the piece too – I want to experiment with an ensemble and the storytelling potential that comes with it, and expanding the orchestration. I’m currently thinking more strings and some percussion. For now though, we’ve got a very strong team of cast and creatives, and I cannot wait for the show.
How did the show become part of Iris Theatre’s Summer Festival? What challenges have Covid restrictions and performing outdoors presented you with?
Pre-Covid, we had planned to do a production of some kind in September of this year. We had always been drawn to the idea of doing the show in a church, as the intimate nature of the story lends itself well to that environment. Even during lockdown, we’ve been looking for a way to get the show on, albeit in our minds for after restrictions allowed us to do so. Iris Theatre was a company that we had been in contact with, and they showed so much enthusiasm. It was such a unique and perfect opportunity that we had to do it.
The production process has been different. Mostly because I have hardy left my flat! Regular Zoom production meetings have just taken the whole pre-rehearsal phase online. We asked for self-tapes from actors during casting, and watched them during calls to simulate as much of the process as possible. The cast did Zoom rehearsals to learn the material ahead of a week of in-person rehearsals before the shows. We’ve used the guidelines extensively to plan these. I can imagine it would be easy for the process to feel disconnected compared to normal, but I think these restrictions have encouraged us all to be as on the ball as possible when it comes to communication.
Do you think the themes of the musical have a particular resonance in the current climate?
It’s interesting that we get to do it now, as I think it’s probably even more resonant that it would have been pre-Covid. One of the central themes is the importance of opening up and talking to somebody if you have a problem. I know lockdown has been a real challenge for so many people, myself included, and in particular keeping a hand on your mental health. The show really reinforces that communication is invaluable, and that maybe somebody who is outside a situation is best placed to help the individual stuck in it.
Jordan Castle, Mathew Craig and Rebecca McKinnis in rehearsal for St. Anne Comes Home. Picture: Danny Kaan
Another key theme is the value of empathy, and to not lose sight of that in everyday life. Not making snap judgements about people, and viewing human beings as human beings. It sounds simplistic, but then you look at the media circus surrounding the Channel crossings recently and you realise that this message still needs to be spread.
Tell our readers more about your career so far, have you written other musicals?
I have! I’ve written several, but I am very good at procrastinating. It’s why I always have more than one show on the go at a time, because then if I’m stuck on one, I can just go write on another. Then I can convince myself that I’m always being productive.
My first proper piece was a pop-funk comedy musical called The Problem with Fletcher Mott. I started it as part of my MA. It was about a playwright who had massive success with his debut show, but then becomes a victim of that and can’t come up with anything new. We did some workshop performances early last year, but it’s on hiatus at the moment. I’m keen to bring it back for a proper run because it is so much fun. I think it would be perfect for a Fringe somewhere.
I was actually supposed to be at the Edinburgh Fringe this month with another (I don’t want to call it a romcom, but it has elements of that) show called Adeline. It centres around the protagonist Adeline, who is tremendously fed-up with every aspect of her life. Stretched relationships with family, limited career prospects. She meets a guy in a similar position and they’re both forced to re-evaluate everything. It’s a show about circumstance, and finding satisfaction in whatever you choose to do in life, all with a light jazz score. It’s been postponed until next year, I’ve been working on it for about four years, so it’ll be five by the time anyone gets to see it!
- Directed by Martha Geelan, St. Anne Comes Home will star Jordan Castle, Rebecca McKinnis and Mathew Craig. The band will be made up of Claudia Fuller on violin, Ben Jones on double bass and Jack Miles on guitar. Musical supervision is by Joe Beighton
Comments are closed.