Alex Trelinski's Afternoon Show - 1st February 2008
Interview by Alex Trelinski.
Alex: Were looking forward to something that’s happening at The Burton Brewhouse in a few weeks time, but even more importantly something that’s happening in the west end as well. No offence to the Brewhouse. We are going to chat to a couple of people from our area who are looking to make a name for themselves Robert Scott from the Willington area, Luci Fitzpatrick from the Gresley and Swadlincote area. Castle or Church?
Luci: I’m not sure to be honest – a bit of a mix
Alex: You’re not sure whether your church or Castle Gresley?
Luci: No. I really don’t.
Robert: I always thought you were Castle Gresley!
Luci: Well it’s around the area.
Alex: Luci Fitzpatrick thank you, Robert Scott, thank you for joining us because it’s a busy time coming up for you. Your taking part in a new play – I like the news release here “unleashing at the Burton Brewhouse” … and then your going to the west-end in London. Firstly how did you meet and decide to work with each other Robert?
Robert: I started to do a show about 13/14 months ago, something like that and Luci was one of the first people to audition for me and we just found we worked well together and then the show that we are doing at The Brewhouse I asked Luci to direct and we just really kind of hit it off with our working relationship so I asked you to form a company didn’t I Luci.
Luci: Yeah
Alex: What’s the company called?
Robert: Utopian Artist Ltd.
Alex: It sounds very grand, and how many members are there?
Luci: Erm … two.
Alex: All of two. That means you can share the profits. Now both of you went to Burton College?
Luci: Yes, I’m still there.
Alex: Was the audition at the college?
Robert: No, It was actually at a pub.
Luci: A nice pub.
Robert: Upstairs.
Alex: Was it Church Gresley or Castle Gresley?
Robert: Neither it was Willington.
Alex: So you said Open Casting Call, rehearsals and people came around.
Robert: Yeah people came around some singing and some acting.
Luci: I was first.
Robert: You were one of the first yes.
Alex: What made Luci special out of all the others? How many others were there?
Robert: About 20 people. I just found that Luci was a very interesting person.
Luci: Aaah Thank you.
Robert: To put in nicely. She’s very driven and very very talented and I found the way of our working seemed to naturally go together really.
Alex: Let’s be honest, this is tough isn’t it Luci. It’s a company of two. Clearly you’ve got to get on really really well and have the same views. So clearly you’ve clicked. How long have you been together?
Luci: It was a year in November that we first met.
Alex: 14/15 months. Clearly you don’t hate each others guts. Clearly you’ve got the same views.
Luci: Yeah. We seem to work well professionally together and we get on with it.
Alex: So you do it all together. How does the writing work?
Robert: The Brewhouse show I wrote but the west-end show we are both writing together at the moment. We come up with some ideas and we’ll sit down and jot them down on a piece of paper and I’ll go to the piano or something and start hammering out a tune.
Alex: Clearly your multi-talented. You perform, write, dance, sing, act … what is the show you are doing at The Brewhouse then?
Robert: The Brewhouse one is a thriller. It’s basically about a man who wakes up to find out that his girlfriend has been murdered and the police think it’s him that’s killed her. It’s really about the question did he or didn’t he kill her? The three people who are playing the main parts are absolutely amazing in the roles. All three of them I can see going professional later on in their lives and really just one of those plays that keeps you on the edge of your seat all the way through.
Alex: Did you go to that nice little pub in Willington to get the rest of the cast.
Robert: No we went to Findern Parish Rooms.
Alex: And how many in the cast then?
Robert: There’s only 8 in the cast for this one.
Alex: Of a similar age?
Robert: Yes. Ranging from 16 – 20.
Alex: Why is that?
Robert: We are trying to give a bit of a break to people really. It’s the main thing. It’s such a tough market. We want to help them.
Alex: The play is called The Truth Of A Lie. Luci you are directing Robert’s work. What happens when someone says “I’m suggesting we change the line there”. How protective is he to what he has written and how independent are you in what you are trying to get out of the actors and actresses.
Luci: If something is not working we try it several different ways and pick the one that is working. I’m quite lenient with the actors – I generally wait till Robert leaves the room and then change it.
Alex: That’s the way it often works in this business. It’s starts at The Burton Brewhouse Wednesday 20th of this month through till Saturday 23rd. Tickets £7 - £6 concession. This is a real story and a half. The Truth Of A Lie. How easy is it to put on a production there Robert. You are running for several nights. Did you just ring up the brewhouse and say “hey I’ve got something for you”?
Robert: Pretty much yeah. The way The Brewhouse work, they help as much as they can with anything to do with the arts. You just say I’m thinking of putting this show on and they come back with the details about when you can do it and prices. You just go from there really. They really help us out.
Alex: O.K. Let’s cut to the chase here. West-end, later on in the year. Tell us about this, how do you plan to assault the west-end and make yourselves a star? How does this all happen?
Robert: Well we’re still trying to work that out [laughs]. When we sent our music off we sent it to lots of people and asked what do you think? We didn’t really expect to get anything back. We got an e-mail back saying if you want to do a one-off show, you can do and that’s what we’re doing at the end of July. We are both still writing this at the moment and I’m hammering it all out on the piano. Still writing away.
Alex: Who did you write to in the first place? Did you write to theatres?
Robert: No we wrote to different producers.
Alex: And how is Andrew Lloyd Webber then?
Robert: He’s very well – I’m told! I’ve never spoken to him in person.
Alex: So who said yes then?
Robert: It was Andrew Lloyd Webbers company.
Alex: It was – The Really Useful Company?
Robert: Yes.
Alex: So clearly the great man may have spent a few seconds having a look?
Robert: I would like to think so – yes but I don’t know.
Luci: Performing arts and musical theatre has always been a huge part of my life and I’m still on a performing arts course.
Alex: So The Really Useful Company says yes. Wonderful! Next the panic starts you’ve got to come up with something.
Luci: [laughs]
Robert: Absolutely. It was like when we were starting off phoning Luci and saying “right – better write something now!” We came up with this idea of a musical about an amateur dramatics company. It’s basically about the lives of the people in the company.
Alex: That has been done before of course. In plays more than musicals. Things like Noises Off.
Robert: The main difference is we’ve got this one character called Toby in it. He’s basically paralysed by grief. His parents have died and for the majority of the show he’s in a wheelchair with the audience able to hear his thoughts but the characters on stage cannot. It started off as this musical about everybody but I think it’s mainly become about Toby and his struggle to pull himself back together.
Alex: And this is a full scale musical?
Robert and Luci: Yes.
Alex: A couple of hours with an intermission. Which theatre have you got then?
Robert: We’ve got Her Majesties Theatre. Which is home to Phantom Of The Opera.
Alex: What day of the week? What day?
Robert: Sunday 27th July.
Alex: Cause that’s a night that Phantom is normally off. So Sunday 27th July, Utopian Artists presents Moonlit Sky by young Robert Scott and Luci Fitzpatrick. They are not putting special posters up are they?
Robert: I don’t think they are. We are kind of restricted in what we can and can’t do and things we can say – obviously Phantom being the musical it is – we can’t borrow their equipment or anything.
Alex: You’re trying to diss the Phantom aren’t you? [laughs]
Robert: No – not at all. We were only down there last week watching Phantom. It’s a fantastic show.
Luci: We went to check out the theatre. I did anyway.
Alex: So there is every chance that Andrew Lloyd Webber might just pop in and see what’s cracking off.
Robert: I don’t know, I suppose it’s possible.
Alex: Are you getting rehearsal time there?
Robert: Our rehearsal time there is actually on the day.
Alex: How many people do you hope will come and see this?
Robert: We are hoping to get between 800 and 1000 people in.
Alex: All round Swadlincote, Willington and Burton?
Robert: As many local people. What we want to do is take coaches of people down. We’ve got a lot of interest.
Luci: We’ll sort it out ourselves as a package.
Robert: Also we want to promote it down in London.
Alex: This is the most wonderful wonderful story and something very very special for you and we need to stay in touch cause we’d love to have you back nearer the time. It isn’t cheap is it? Are you at liberty to say how much it costs.
Robert: I can’t really.
Alex: O.K. But it’s more than a penny or two put it that way. You are hoping to recoup them costs if it works out for you.
Robert: We are hoping to break even really.
Alex: So that’s in July. We’ll stay in touch about that one. Listen, I think it’s a cracking story. Robert and Luci all the best to you and all the best with Truth Of A Lie which is your immediate priority. Burton Brewhouse Wednesday 20th – Saturday 23rd of this month. Good to see the both of you.
Robert: And you too.
Luci: Thank you.
Alex: And … go and break a leg.
Luci: Thank you very much.