Julie Atherton  (Avenue Q, Sister Act, Mamma Mia, Lift, The Grinning Man), Fra Fee (Les Miserables, The Last Five Years, The Ferryman, Translations) and Chapter Next co-creator Tori Allen-Martin (The Season, Hair, London Kills- BBC, Pure – Ch 4) will join the previously announced 2020 graduates at Chiswick Playhouse on October 23rd and 24th. Tori will appear both nights, with Fra Fee appearing on Friday night and Julie Atherton appearing on Saturday night.
The socially distanced concert is able to safely go ahead despite further restrictions being announced in London, but to better suit anyone directly affected, the concert is now able to stream live from the comfort of your own home on both nights.
As previously announced, Adam Gerber and Tori Allen-Martin are bringing two concerts of fourteen brand new songs to the Chiswick Playhouse on the 23rd and 24th of October. Their Chapter Next project launched in July aims to professionally record a collection of brand new songs written by Gerber and Allen-Martin and these concerts will not only premiere the music, performed by the chosen album cast, but will also act as a fundraiser for the recording. Eleven musical theatre graduates will perform across two nights, the cast comprises Katie Burton, Elizabeth Chalmers, Samuel Daltry, George Davis, Adrianne Langley, Beth Mabin, Ciara Mackey, David Mairs-McKenzie, Amy Tom, Meesha Turner and Mati Zarini.
Chapter Next was initially inspired by Gerber and Allen-Martin working together at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama on a project that involved writing songs for students. The project was a success and they decided to extend the process into a passion project that aims to give more opportunities to new talent, who they feel have gotten the raw end of the deal due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
‘Training is expensive and the industry is brutal, 2020 graduates didn’t get the opportunity to finish their training properly – they missed out on the final chapter – the part where you get to hone your craft by performing in front of live audiences and showcasing in front of agents. It’s always been hard to start out in this industry, and in this current climate, it’s even harder. We have to keep nurturing, lifting and developing new talent and we have to give them spaces to find their own voices’. Says Allen-Martin.
Tori and Adam met working on new musical Muted at The Bunker Theatre in 2016 and both having such a passion for new writing have wanted to work together ever since. They found all performers via social media call outs, and are always happy to hear from more artists. More information can be found at https://www.adamgerber.co.uk/chapternext
