Student by Day, Musical Director by Night
A second year Music student is putting
his skills into practice. He has composed the score for theatre
production Muscle, which opens in Chapter Cardiff tonight.
Benjamin Talbott, who studies creative music
technology, is Musical Director and composer for the show.
Benjamin said: “Muscle is an exciting
new adventure into theatre – one which I'm proud to have been a
part of. It features an all male cast delving deep into the issues
surrounding what it is to be a man.
“It’s been a challenging piece in many
respects – not least of which was composing for dance, where the
piece needed to remain as organic and flexible as possible right up
until days before the opening night.
“Although the show is now up and is running, the Director is still
asking me to tweak and switch things, as the piece evolves during
its run and the music needs to evolve with it.
“I’ve had a fair amount of experience directing music and composing
for theatre and film, but Muscle has been a stark reminder to me
that there is so much more yet to understand about the workings and
functions of music, but that this knowledge is there to find. It’s
projects like this that I will look back on as having changed the
way I approach my writing.”
Inspired by poignant interviews with males of all ages across Wales
and performed by an eclectic all male cast, Muscle combines
theatre, dance, music and documentary. It is at Chapter until 20th
November.