A panel of theatre and musical experts have selected Danny Hero by Timothy Knapman and Laurence Mark Wythe as a new musical for Northamptonshire town Corby.
Four musicals were picked to be presented at The Core at Corby Cube in shortened form. Now Danny Hero will be developed and will premiere at The Core in October 2016.
The men behind it are children’s author, lyricist and playwright Timothy Knapman and Laurence Mark Wythe, an award-winning English composer, lyricist and writer for British, international and off-Broadway musicals.
Director Andy Barnes from Perfect Pitch, the national company commissioned to develop a new musical for Corby, said, “congratulations to Tim and Laurence and to the professional actors and musicians who brought Danny Hero to life so brilliantly in just ten minutes.
“The three other ideas, pitched by writers Dougal Irvine, Rebecca Applin, Susannah Pearse, Craig Adams and Andrew Doyle, were also incredibly well received by the audience and the panel members who were faced with a tough choice. Give the commitment and time invested by all the teams, we’d love to see opportunities arise for all the pitches to continue their development into full musicals.”
Danny Hero is the story of 15-year-old Danny McIntyre who lives with his mum. But he also inhabits a fantasy world where he is a powerful superhero sent to earth from space to defend the human race.
Helen Willmott, programme manager of Made in Corby—a three-year programme that recognises and draws inspiration from the identity and reputation of Corby—added, “there’ll be many opportunities for Corby people to be involved along the way, both on and off stage. Anyone interested in being involved should sign up on our Made in Corby Facebook page.”