Two new musicals marking the centenary of the Armistice will be the launch productions for leading theatre producers Selladoor Worldwide’s new scheme to support and develop new work.
The first showcase of work developed by Selladoor Creation will take place today (Monday 12 November 2018) at London’s Fortune Theatre, with a special concert showcase of A Foreign Field and Poppies.
Unveiling the new development platform, the company’s executive creative producer, David Hutchinson said: “When Selladoor Worldwide was founded in 2009 as Sell A Door Theatre Company, we began our journey with the primary ambition of creating and producing new work. Since then, we have launched over 60 productions of varying scales, a number of which were new or adapted works, and expanded our footprint to the point where we are operating on four separate continents. This expansion has now taken us to the point that we are finally able to realise our goals and launch a creative department dedicated to developing artists and new works.
“The remit of Selladoor Creation is deliberately broad. We want to keep our output as varied and far-reaching as possible, and don’t want to miss any opportunities for the creation of exciting new theatre or to tell compelling stories by imposing parameters on the department. Our current works in development include dramas and musicals, adaptations of novels, television shows and films, theatre for young audiences, new ideas, pieces inspired by true stories, and form-challenging redevelopments of existing theatrical works.
“I am incredibly excited to launch Selladoor Creation with Poppies and A Foreign Field on Monday 12 November, on such a historically meaningful weekend as we commemorate the centenary of the end of the First World War. We are proud of the relationships we have built with our artists to get to this point and look forward to the exciting opportunities and projects that lie on the horizon for Selladoor Creation.”
Inspired by journalist Ben McIntyre’s book about the effect of the war-time betrayal and execution of four British soldiers in the French town of Villaret, A Foreign Field features a book and lyrics by Ludovic-Alexandre Vidal and music by Julien Salvia.
Laura Kaye Thomson’s Poppies is based on the true story of Lena Ashwell OBE, one of the first female actor/producers, and the driving force behind a group of women who risked their lives to bring music, drama and poetry to the battle-scarred men of the First World War.
The showcase will be performed by an all-star West End cast including Carol Ball (Flashdance), Isobel Bates (Summer Holiday), Oscar Batterham (The Suppliant Woman), David Birch (Half A Sixpence), Norman Bowman (42nd Street), Sanne Den Besten (The Grinning Man), Alex Hammond (Matilda), Elliot Harper (The Exorcist), Idriss Kargbo (Five Guys Named Moe), Miria Parvin (Once), Oliver Savile (Company), Vicki Lee Taylor (Groundhog Day), Rebecca Trehearn (Show Boat) and T’Shan Williams (Heathers the Musical).
Commenting on the latest development in the Selladoor story, Selladoor Creation’s head of new work Anna Fox said: “I am incredibly excited by the breadth of the productions that Selladoor Creation will be bringing together in the coming years, and to be at the heart of a department supporting diverse and challenging work from such talented artists.
“At Selladoor Creation, we pride ourselves in providing a development process tailored to each individual piece or artist. Every project necessarily has a different set of development priorities, and no two development trajectories can be the same.”
Head of licensing, Tom Benyon, added: “Having worked at Selladoor for a number of years, to be involved in our creative and development venture, Selladoor Creation, from the outset is extraordinarily exciting.
“By continuing to develop new and exciting relationships with industry leaders, as well as nurturing our already established and important partnerships, we find ourselves with a tremendous collection of projects coming up over the next 24 months and beyond.”
Angela Thomas
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