Tayo Akinbode composes music for world premiere of Fireflies
Manchester music composer commissioned by The Lowry
World Première of Fireflies, A love story waiting to happen
Music by composer Tayo Akinbode
Starring Naomi Radcliffe & Paul Simpson
The Lowry, Fri 16 - Sat 31 October 2009
Press Night: Tue 20 October, 8pm
Written by Kevin Fegan & directed by Noreen Kershaw
The Lowry commissioned Manchester based musical composer Tayo Akinbode
to create the music for the world premiere of Fireflies, an enthralling new play written by one of the North West's leading playwrights Kevin Fegan.
This extraordinary production combines text with film, computer graphics and original music to create visually stunning storytelling and a uniquely theatrical experience. Based in West Didsbury, Tayo was able to make the music in his studio using a mixture of real and electronic instruments. To maintain the feeling of live music, he played various instruments himself including keyboards, acoustic, bass and electric guitars as well as percussion and saxophone.
Director Noreen Kershaw explains “If ever I have any music in a production Tayo is always my first thought. I thought that Fireflies was such an original production that it would be great to have original music. The music is fab! It's like film music.....better than I could have dreamed of!”
Tayo’s music appears in the play in a number of different ways, from providing creative themes, backdrops and scene links to both enhance and complement the drama. For example when Leigh, the leading female character talks about ‘going down to the disco’, Tayo provides his original disco sounds. When ‘sofa surfer’ features in a scene about drugs, this drugs reference flows through the music. A film within a film scene is created when Leigh and Nelson go to the cinema, where Tayo has created the film soundtrack.
When a stalker on the phone is illustrated visually through big lips on the screen, Tayo’s innovative music is used creatively to accompany this surreal moment.
Tayo Akinbode commented “As the show is contemporary, the new music needed to complement the drama and have a contemporary feel. Also, this was an unusual project as we needed to create the music much earlier than usual due to the film content involved in the production. It was most unusual to have to complete a musical score prior to rehearsals even starting but this added to the unique challenge of this exciting venture.”
Tayo has composed music for many theatre companies including those who have performed at The Lowry such as Lipservice Theatre and the The Generating Company. As well as creating music for television, including Granada TV’s Flying Vets and an advert for Specsavers he has presented children’s programme, Stop, Look and Listen.
In Fireflies, Noreen Kershaw directs Oldham actress Naomi Radcliffe (well-known for her roles in Coronation Street, Born and Bred and The Visit) and Paul Simpson (well known for his roles in Coronation Street, Heartbeat and The Street).
Fireflies tell the stories of Leigh and Nelson, two lonely hearts coming face to face with the reality of their lives. Told with a fierce frankness, this darkly comic and moving script brilliantly conveys their resilience in the face of hardship. This extraordinary production combines text with film and computer graphics to create visually stunning storytelling and a uniquely theatrical experience.
Fireflies forms part of The Lowry’s No Boundaries season this Autumn showcasing new, innovative and exhilarating theatre brought by some of the north’s leading talent.
Beyond the Front Line is a large-scale, outdoor theatre co-production between one of the most groundbreaking theatre companies in the UK, Slung Low and The Lowry. Slung Low also debut their spine-tingling horror installation, They Only Come at Night: Resurrection, in association with The Lowry.
Robert Robson, The Lowry’s Artistic Director, says “Following on from the success of King Cotton in 2007 and in the run-up to The Lowry’s 10th birthday year, Fireflies forms part of our No Boundaries season, illustrating our role in presenting imaginative theatre. All three productions will be truly memorable, providing the audience with an experience they can’t stop talking about.”
The Lowry Centre Trust is a not-for-profit charitable organisation and registered charity (no. 1053962). All income supports our world-class Theatres and Galleries programme, the care and display of the LS Lowry Collection and our life-changing Community and Education work.
Posted on Thursday, 08 October 2009 under Press Theatre Press