REWRITES – the showcase for new musicals started by The Lowry, Salford in 2017 presents Nel’s Place at MAST Mayflower Studios on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 March.
Trapped in a hoard of memories and music, Nel yearns to make space for granddaughter Molly’s 16th birthday celebrations.
Can Nel find a way through grief to let her family in?
The musical’s songs span a number of genres from rap to soul and folk to ballads, and the show not only represents Nel’s struggle with hoarding but also allows the audience to reflect on their own relationship with ‘stuff’.
This new musical from Sheep Soup, follows their Fringe smash hit, House Of Life. Nel’s Place examines what material things really mean to us, and how easily we can become buried by the past.
REWRITES was launched by The Lowry to support and promote new musicals at the start of their journey to the stage. It’s a platform that puts shows on their feet and in front of an audience for the first time via presentations including scratch nights, works-in-progress workshops and concerts.
In 2024 REWRITES has expanded with three new partner venues – MAST Mayflower Studios, Birmingham Hippodrome and Norwich Theatre – to create a new twice-annual touring platform for new musicals in development, starting with Nel’s Place.
Sheep Soup has worked with a range of organisations and professionals that support people affected by hoarding, as well as with support groups looking at how to creatively express their journey.
They have been working Ian Porter and Hoarders helping Hoarders support group in Liverpool for three years who have been heavily involved in the making of the show through consultation, music exploration and creating a verbatim opening sound scape for the show.
“I have loved discovering and writing the life of a hoarder,” states writer, Esther Coles. “It has been very humbling and also a lot of fun. Taking Nel’s Place on its first major outing and sharing it with a whole new audience is truly exciting.”
“I’m excited to collaborate with Sheep Soup again to bring Nel’s Place to REWRITES,” explains Clare Chandler, Director. “I got to workshop Nel’s Place with the musical theatre students at the University of Lincoln last year and totally fell in love with the musical.
“Esther’s writing is an absolute gift and Rob and Nic’s songs are gorgeous. Join the hoard as we bring Nel’s Place to life, celebrating the magic of collaboration, creativity, and the pure joy of storytelling.”
Tickets for REWRITES: Nel’s Place (14 – 15 March 2024) are on sale at mayflower.org.uk or 02380 711811.
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