What do you do if you can’t find a musical that suits the talents and age range of your gifted young cast? You create a brand new one, just for them.
Cue The New Kid, the new pop musical being crafted from scratch by Castlegate Theatre Company at Aberdeen Arts Centre.
And the creative team behind the show – being billed as “a youth version of a musical Groundhog Day – hope audiences will love it as much as the young cast has enjoyed working on it, aiming for a world premiere later this month.
Chloe Lonchay, producer of The New Kid, said: “Because of the age range we have in this group (from 10 years old to 17) finding a musical is quite difficult to fit all their talents so we decided to make our own.”
Talented cast of The New Kid have their own input to brand-new show
So the Arts Centre launched a competition for a new commission, which was won by award-winning composer-lyricist Eden Tredwell, who has been working closely with the young company on The New Kid.
And the beauty of a bespoke musical is that the kids in the 27-strong cast have their own input and the songs are tailored to their voices and ability, said Chole.
“They are really enjoying it and they thrive on someone saying, ‘that’s a good idea’ and their ideas being used and having ownership over what they are doing,” said Chloe. “They are so full of energy and good ideas.”
“And they love all the music and the songs. They sing along to them as soon as they hear them. That’s when you know the songs are good because you think you know them and can sing along straight away. They’re really catchy and it’s a real mix of genres.”
Unlike taking in an existing musical – such as Grease or Hairspray – the music can be adapted all the way through the creative process, said Chloe.
Young talent sees every aspect of creating show from acting to props
“It’s not ‘here’s 50 YouTube videos of other people doing it before you’, she said. “When you get it and you learn it for the first time, you can go back and say, ‘can we get that a tone down or a tone up’.
“That’s the exciting bit about working with the writer, Eden, and the musical director (Lavie Rabinovitz), you can say ‘that doesn’t suit your voice, let’s take it down or take it up’.”
And creating a musical from the ground up means the youngsters get to see every aspect of creating a new piece, from designing and creating the sets, to working on the costumes, as well as picking up essential stagecraft.
Amy Liptrott, director of Aberdeen Arts Centre, says she can’t wait to see the premiere of The New Kid, which will run from June 22 to 24, describing it as a youth musical Groundhog Day.
Excitement over where the future will take Castlegate’s The New Kid
“The New Kid is Hanna who moves around a lot with her father’s job and arrives at her 10th school as the new kid. But it turns into a Groundhog Day when she relives the same day again and again and she has to change the loop that is happening to her,” said Amy.
“There is lots of intrigue, lots of brilliant songs and choreography and it’s a brilliant ensemble piece.”
As for why create a new musical, Amy has a simple answer.
“Why not? Brand new musicals are written all the time and the success of things like Hamilton shows us that process is very upfront in the theatrical landscape. But a brand-new musical for young people is a real flagship scheme,” she said.
“It’s not just about having something new for our young people to do, but it’s adding to the canon of things that can be done. So where will this go in future, who will be the next people to be performing it? That’s really exciting.
“But we know that we have done it first at Aberdeen Arts Centre with our own Castlegate Theatre Company.”
Audiences will love The New Kid at Aberdeen Arts Centre
Both Amy and Chloe are confident city audiences will love the show when they see it – rooted as it is in Aberdeen in a real school – albeit with fantastical elements – with real characters drawn on the kids who are performing. All of that with a great story and score that will live in your head for a long time after.
Amy said: “They are going to see something brand new, and they will be the first people to see it. That’s very exciting.”
The New Kid is at Aberdeen Arts Centre from Thursday June 22 to Saturday June 24. For information and tickets visit aberdeenartscentre.com or call 01224 635208.
Conversation