The Barn Theatre announces interactive online concert with West End stars

The Barn Theatre has announced an interactive online concert allowing audiences to build their own show.

The Secret Society of Leading Ladies is described as an innovative musical theatre event that puts viewers in total control.

The concert will run from 22 February – 7 March, taking audiences into a world where Musical Theatre characters can co-exist in the same space regardless of era or genre. The concept was created to reward die-hard musical theatre fans, whilst being mould-breaking enough to invite a new audience to discover the world of musical theatre.

A teaser for the concert reads: “Conceived and directed by the Barn Theatre’s Ryan Carter, the event focuses on the archetypes of Female Musical Character, ranging from princesses and dreamers to villains and divas.

“Over the course of the concert, the viewer will be presented with 5 ‘Choose Your Player’ screens, which prompts them to decide the character they wish to introduce next. The concert has over 150 combinations for the viewer to choose from.

“Each character is introduced with a short scene, before taking to the stage to perform a number. The concert closes with a finale that features all 14 characters, providing a chance to get a glimpse at all the characters involved.”

The cast for the production features Jocasta Almgill (& Juliet, Rent, In The Heights, Dreamgirls), Lauren Byrne (Beautiful, Six), Kayla Carter (Rent), Aoife Clesham (Fiver), Allie Daniel (Rent), Abbi Hodgson (Six – NCL), Aisha Jawando (Tina the Musical, Motown the Musical, The Life, Beautiful), Claudia Kariuki (Priscilla Queen of The Desert, School of Rock, Wicked), Natalie Kassanga (Dear Evan Hansen, Motown The Musical), Emma Kingston (The Last 5 Years, Zorro, Evita, Fiddler on the Roof, In The Heights), Kayleigh McKnight (Bend It Like Beckham, Les Miserables, Tina the Musical, Jesus Christ Superstar), Ellie Mitchell (Chicago, Wicked), Jarnéia Richard-Noel (Six) and Kelly Sweeney (Hair, Six).

The creative team for Secret Society of Leading Ladies are Ryan Carter as Creative Director & Concept Creator, Leo Munby (The Last 5 Years, Gypsy, Company) as musical consultant, sound engineering by Harry Smith, editing by Ben Evans and videography by Jamie Scott-Smith.

Two ticket types are available for the production. £10 Single Stream Tickets, which give access to watch the concert once at their selected time, and £15 Unlimited Stream Tickets which provide one day-access to the concert, allowing the viewer to experience as many combinations as they wish within their allotted time. The concert will be available internationally from 22 February-7 March.

Tickets can be purchased at barntheatre.org.uk/barn-at-home.

Ryan Carter said: “Musical theatre concerts are such an awesome way to be able to curate dedicated content to specific audiences, Secret Society was born when I wanted to find a way to make that a truly custom experience. In developing this project, we’re allowing audiences to ‘choose their players’ and ultimately build their own show.

“It’s a form of digital theatre that the musical theatre sector hasn’t seen before, which is something that 10 months into the pandemic is getting harder to achieve! It’s super ‘stagey’, fun and self-aware, but aesthetically really contemporary and cool.

The cast are an incredible representation of the next generation of leading ladies. It’s quite a mould breaking and innovative project which is exactly what I joined the Barn to deliver. I can’t wait for audiences to get their hands on it! I will personally reward anyone that completes all 162 possible combinations!”