Darren Clark : Open Fund for Music Creators
Ordinary People – A new Maidstone musical
ORDINARY PEOPLE is an original musical about the everyday people of Maidstone and the surrounding areas of Kent. The show is based upon stories collected directly from the people of Maidstone and is a musical that explores the extraordinary nature of our everyday lives and reveals that there is no such thing as ordinary people. Following an initial R&D period in 2021 the completed show will run for 5 performances at The Hazlitt Theatre in Maidstone in July 2023 followed by two further performances at the Marlowe Studio Theatre in Canterbury. ORDINARY PEOPLE will be performed at The Hazlitt Theatre in a co-production between Parkwood Theatres Ltd. and Farnham Maltings. This exciting new performance will include a mixture of professional actor musicians, a community cast, the Hazlitt Youth Theatre, The Hazlitt Dance Company and The Hazlitt Choir and will be directed by the Hazlitt’s resident director Jenny Longley.
ORDINARY PEOPLE is written by Darren Clark, a multi award winning musical theatre writer and resident of Maidstone, Kent. His work to date includes music and lyrics for; the critically acclaimed musical The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with Jethro Compton (Salisbury Playhouse, Southwark Playhouse) which was a finalist for 5 Off West End Awards, including Best New Musical and winner of Best Ensemble and his folk musical The Wicker Husband (with Rhys Jennings) has won multiple awards and been produced by The Watermill Theatre in Newbury.