New 2016 Musical Commissioned by Made in Corby

     (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150115/724639 )

This new and ambitious musical production, combining amateurs and professional artists, will be performed at The Core at Corby Cube in autumn 2016.

This is Made in Corby's third major Big Night Out commission, in a three year programme funded by Arts Council England that brings high quality artists together with Corby's communities.

Founded in 2006, Perfect Pitch is a not-for-profit theatre company that nurtures and develops emerging British writers of original musicals and creates opportunities for production in collaboration with commissioning partners across the UK.

Perfect Pitch Director Andy Barnes says: "We're delighted to be working with Made in Corby and CATS to create a brand new musical. We've got a blank page and our aim is to make sure that the people of Corby make all the key decisions about what the musical should be about and which musical style they would prefer. This is a truly collaborative process, right down to choosing the team that will write the lyrics and the music."

Marian Anderson, Marketing and Audience Development Officer for Made in Corby, adds: "We're inviting the local community to an open dialogue event on January 20 where Perfect Pitch will be talking about what's involved in creating and developing a new musical. Local people in Corby can have their say and get involved right from the start. We want to see people from our local communities stepping forward just as they did last year with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Barb Jungr."

CATS Chairperson, Janet Askew, said: "We're delighted to be embarking on this exciting new arts project with Perfect Pitch. This project has been in the pipeline since Made in Corby began conversations with the Core and we came up with the idea of a new musical, produced in Corby by the town's amazing talent.  And here we are, at the start of this project which will bring together CATS and other community groups to work alongside professional producers and writers."    

Made in Corby is funded by Arts Council England, as part of its national Creative People and Places programme.

Peter Knott, Area Director, Arts Council England, said: "This collaborative commission with Perfect Pitch in association with CATS is what the Arts Council's Creative people and places programme is all about - helping more people to get involved with high quality art and culture. The project will be a great opportunity for people in Corby to be part of producing an original piece of musical theatre and will build on the momentum generated by successful collaborations between the professional and amateur sectors."

Notes to Editors:  

Made in Corby is an exciting and ambitious three year programme that recognises and draws inspiration from the identity and reputation of Corby as a making place. The aim is to ensure that more local people than ever before will see, experience, create and take part in high quality arts activities on every estate and in every village of the Borough of Corby. All decisions will be made through real and genuine partnership between Corby's communities, artists, and arts and voluntary organisations. All activities will be ambitious, bringing the best local, national and international artists to make work with, for and in Corby's communities. All activities will invest in Corby, its people and its skills - making Corby, and all its communities, stronger, more creative and more confident.

Made in Corby's aim is to inspire more local Corby people than ever before to take the lead in experiencing, creating and taking part in high quality arts and cultural activities.

The Made in Corby consortium includes Groundwork Northamptonshire, Corby Cube Theatre Trust, Corby Community Arts, Corby Unity and Northamptonshire Enterprise Partnership.

Made in Corby https://www.facebook.com/MadeInCorby

@madeincorby https://twitter.com/MadeInCorby

Perfect Pitch is a company dedicated to the development of new British musicals working in collaboration with venues, writers, producers and creatives all over the UK and beyond to create, develop, produce and license high quality new British musicals. Established since 2006, and supported by Arts Council England, they offer a unique opportunity for new and emerging writers to develop their material through readings, workshops, showcases and productions. They work with some of the most successful companies, venues and training establishments in the UK including Manchester Royal Exchange; Royal and Derngate, Northampton; Salisbury Playhouse; New Wolsey, Ipswich; The Lowry, Manchester; Royal Conservatoire of Scotland; Arts Educational; Mountview and Trafalgar Studios to nurture new shows to the highest possible standard. Many of Perfect Pitch's shows have had full scale productions across the UK and around the world, including Lift,From Up Here, The Go-Between, Departure Lounge, Through The Door, In Touch and many more.

The Go Between by Richard Taylor and David Wood was developed by Perfect Pitch then co-produced by Royal & Derngate, West Yorkshire Playhouse and Derby Live. It was nominated for Best Regional Production at the Whatsonstage.com awards and won the Theatre UK Award (previously TMA awards) for Best Musical Production. It has since been optioned for the West End. Last year Perfect Pitch launched a competition, in association with Royal & Derngate, for a new musical and will present a concert performance on Friday 20 February at R&D of ODD by winning writers, Chris Bush & Matt Winkworth.

http://www.perfectpitchmusicals.com

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/perfectpitch.musicals

Twitter @perfectpitch

Corby Amateur Theatrical Society (CATS) is a registered charity and has been promoting and performing theatre in the Corby area for over 50 years.  Its members were instrumental in the saving and running of the Willows Arts Centre when closure was threatened by the council and members chaired the committee and campaigned vigorously for its replacement in the new Civic centre -The Core at the Corby Cube.

CATS produce an annual traditional Christmas pantomime, a major musical production and either a play or variety type event each year.  They are well known in the region for good quality theatre and have been nominated and won many awards from NODA, the association who support and encourage amateur theatre groups in the UK.

http://www.corby-cats.co.uk/

Arts Council England champions, develops and invests in artistic and cultural experiences that enrich people's lives. We support a range of activities across the arts, museums and libraries - from theatre to digital art, reading to dance, music to literature and crafts to collections. Great art and culture inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves and the world around us. In short, it makes life better. Between 2010 and 2015, we will invest £1.9 billion of public money from government and an estimated £1.1 billion from the National Lottery to help create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk

Issued by the Made In Corby Consortium. For more details, images and interviews, media contact is Helen Willson at Mezzo on +44(0)7860-552552, +44(0)116-259-5367 or email to [email protected]