Invitation to the Actress/Singers of Australia
Amid one of the worst periods of austerity in living memory, opportunity has come knocking for Australian actors and singers. Veteran New Zealand musician Clive Cockburn has penned two new musicals and is inviting his fellow Antipodeans to independently stage his shows. And the sweetener? Until January 2024 all profit is your profit – with no royalty payments incurred!
The Composer
While you may not have heard of Clive Cockburn, chances are that his work is familiar. This Wellington-raised musician has notched up a pretty impressive body of work over the past few decades, taking credit for the musical backdrops of upwards of sixty TV shows and more than two hundred commercials.
Cockburn asserts that ‘music with drama has always been [his] first love’ and was, in fact, co-writer of New Zealand’s first pop opera, Jenifer, in the 1970s. Rock, opera, jazz – you name the musical genre; he’s embraced it.
And now Australian performers have the chance to create ‘a big role in a small play’ – by taking advantage of this call-out from the award-winning composer for film, television and theatre. And his motivation? Exposure. Small productions always trigger the possibility of being picked up by production companies, which benefits both cast members and composer alike – quid pro quo in action!
Cockburn says of both music theatre pieces: ‘In a world where justice is being threatened by a cruel invading force, a young woman determines to re-establish order and routine’. If this piques your interest along with the anticipation of creative freedom and royalty-free ticket sales – you’ll want to know more about the dramas themselves …
The White Mouse
This seventy-minute, two-act performance calls for a single female role, complemented by a male actor-cum-singer – with the ability to adapt to a variety of roles! Cockburn says of the male role: ‘This interesting gent introduces his many characters by literally changing hats. At one stage he is wearing a Gestapo cap before quickly donning a Jewish yarmulke and becoming the gentle side of a nasty
encounter’.
Cockburn explains that he had no librettist, and wrote the lyrics himself for this powerful musical. This, he says, affected the structure of the play, causing it to evolve organically through song rather a ‘recitative’ format. A taster can be accessed HERE.
Boadicea: Celtic Warrior Queen
‘Boadicea’ is a one-act performance, designed to last for fifty minutes and calling upon the skills of one female performer and her live (or recorded) band. Cockburn describes this Rock Opera as a soliloquy, a ‘stream-of-consciousness as she sees her life flashing before her, facing her final day of battle’. This is another powerful role, in which the star of the show leads a ‘huge, untrained army of thousands of grocers, farmers and shopkeepers to war, against the powerful Roman Army who invaded England two thousand years ago’.
Cockburn sees ‘Boadicea’ as something of a rollercoaster of emotions that has the potential to keep audiences hooked. And there is something of an emotional story behind the play’s creation: its librettist, the late Michael Hall, reportedly took the demo recording to the hospice where he spent his final days and is believed to have said that he loved the music that Cockburn had put to his libretto. As with ‘The White Mouse’, the musical backdrop can be sampled by following this link.
The Set
Because there is – quite literally – no set to speak of, countless staging opportunities are opened up. Cockburn himself suggests several, from the rather traditional theatre or hall to the back of a truck – or even a demolition site!
The composer offers up a range of sources of assistance and information to aid production. To assist, demo recordings, rehearsal videos, scripts, scores, backing tracks and subtitles are all available for download HERE.
Additionally, the musicians’ parts may be seen and heard in their individual videos and the music notation may be printed here.
This is the guitar video and music.
Please see Clive’s invitation below.
Dear singer/actors,
Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Clive Cockburn (Coburn). I am a professional and award-winning (sorry about the self-promotion) composer of music for film, television and theatre.
I would like to extend an invitation to you, to create your own very big role in a very small play (or two), independently and at no cost. I’ll explain later.
The log-line for both is-
In a world where justice is being threatened by a cruel invading force, a young woman determines to re-establish order and reason.
“The White Mouse” is for one female and one male singer/actor who plays many roles.
Two Act (Dur: 70 minutes) – Dur: 2’08” (Music sample below)
“Boadicea: Celtic Warrior Queen” is for solo female singer/actor. One Act – 50 minutes.
There is no set. The plays can be staged anywhere. In a theatre or hall, on the back of a truck or maybe a demolition site (very dramatic). Anywhere at all! The (optional) backdrop is the music and lyrics. This may sound strange but it is a great device for keeping the audience up with the play literally. The audio of that video is the pre- recorded backing band. All this comes from a USB stick in your laptop. But you’ll need a screen for the backdrop and a P.A., to play the recorded band (and for the vocal mic).
Demo recordings, rehearsal videos, scripts and scores, backing tracks and subtitles may be downloaded from HERE.
Scores for a four-piece band may also downloaded. If a band is used, the video backdrop will be out of sync unless the band plays to a click. Many great musicians cannot read music so videos of the musicians’ parts have been made which will help them make sense of their part.
For example, here is the guitar part video:
For music to print please click HERE.
The reason for allowing temporary free access to my work (until January 1st 2024), is that if the shows are being staged, they may be seen and taken up by a production company which would be good for the singer/actors and the composer!
Productions after January 1st 2024, will have to pay the usual Rights and Royalties but, until then singer/actors are free to stage the shows at no cost, do whatever they like with them and keep the ticket sales!
I hope you like what you see and hear and welcome to my plays!
Good luck,
Clive Cockburn
[email protected]
www.thecontemporarymusiccourse.com
Call to Action
So then, to all Aussie performers out there: Why wait?
Now is the time to commit to creative flexibility and unleash your production potential free of financial costs!
