Immense Year the Musical
Thank you so much for taking time to be here and listening to some of the music from Immense Year.
After years of writing privately - plays, stories, and half-formed notions - I returned to writing with new focus when I stepped away from work to care for my mother. My passion was reignited to explore how creativity, humour, and connection can exist even in the hardest places.
And I was inspired to create this site and start blogging after approaching a theatre director about my musical on dementia. “Sorry,” she said, “it won’t get bums on seats.” and she explained that audiences these days, and more so since COVID, often shy away from subjects that make them uncomfortable or confront mortality and decline - especially when they’re looking for fun or escapism. That stuck with me.
It made me realise just how much fear surrounds the world of dementia. I’d like Immense Year the Musical to help change that.
It never occurred to me that my writing would turn into a musical but music has become very important to me in my care giving. My feelings when writing were often best expressed as poems, that became lyrics, that became songs. I recorded my singing but I cannot write music. Enter Tomas Barrios, a composer from Argentina who has helped me bring this musical to life.
I found Tomas and all the lovely singers through a site called Fiverr - a fabulous online market place that connects people with talented freelancers, including musicians who might be between jobs or who’ve had to put music aside for a while - to earn a more reliable income.
Most are prepared to offer their talents for a very affordable price. Some have written for hit shows or sung on Broadway or the West End.
Many people might wonder about using AI for music and vocals, but it’s a slower process for me and so far doesn’t feel right. Chatting with an actual person who can swap ideas and understand the context instantly is just so much easier - as well as a great deal of fun.
I hope you enjoy the story and music so far. Let me know!