"Composer seeking wordy lyricist for a hot date on a piano."

“Hammerstein looking for Rodgerring"

Way back in October 2011 we asked composers & lyricists looking for new collaborators to submit fun personal adverts describing their perfect creative match. These were posted on our website for everyone to read.

In November each of the 70 entrants then emailed us with their top 5 personal picks from the other adverts and we set to work matchmaking. Over the next two weeks Laura & Dan from Iris Theatre set up 14 different blind dates bringing new creative partners together.

In December these new partners got on with writing a song based around our theme: Songs inspired, directly or indirectly, by the play ‘As You like it’ – Iris Theatre’s summer show. Set deep in the Forest of Arden, full of love & loss, confusion & certainty, this is one of Shakespeare’s fullest comedy.

At the end of January we had a workshop here at St Paul’s to hear the songs and give a little creative guidance and support. This was followed by fairly frantic rewriting for some and then a last mad 10 days of rehearsal. All of which preparation has come down to just one night…

An estemed panel of industry leaders judged the final numbers and decided upon a winner. The judges on the night included Michael Bruce, hot young resident composer at the Donmar Warehouse, Nigel Lilley, West End Musical Director, Simon Greiff, Director & Producer of SimG Records, Tim Sutton, respected Composer and part of BML team and Lousie Gold, West End Musical Actress from such shows as Oliver!, Mary Poppins, and Mamma Mia.

Special Guests -
Daisy's Song - Gutter Press :
Fergal O'Mahony & Jay Richards