The Barn Theatre to present Now Or Never song cycle in live, one shot digital concert

The Barn Theatre is to present new song cycle with an exciting digital twist.

Now Or Never is a new work by The Barn Theatre’s associate artist Matthew Harvey which follows 7 people as they each take a defiant act of positivity in what could be their last week on Earth.

The piece will stream live online in a non-stop, one-shot production that will see a single camera navigating the entire building, featuring 7 characters by moving between 7 spaces.

The cast will feature Eloise Davies (Be More Chill, Grease), Ahmed Hamad (Rent, Stay Awake Jake, The Boy in the Dress), Matthew Harvey (Les Misérables, Violet, Jesus Christ Superstar, Murder Ballad), Irvine Iqbal (The Boy in the Dress, Aladdin, Broken Wings), Lucy St Louis (Man of La Mancha, Motown, Beautiful), Katie Shearman (The Sound of Music UK Tour, Evita) and Courtney Stapleton (Dear Evan Hansen, Six, Les Misérables).

Tickets for Now or Never are available now for £10. The concert will be streamed LIVE for one night only on Thursday, 1 April at 6:30PM. Tickets can be purchased at barntheatre.org.uk/barn-at-home.

Matthew Harvey said: “What’s been really inspiring to me, and probably the driving force behind Now or Never is the amount of good that has been happening in spite of the pandemic, especially within the theatrical community.

“I’ve watched countless streamed productions and even a handful of in-person ones that have been defiantly thrown together with love, from a community that have really struggled throughout the pandemic, but are still doing what they love, wherever and whenever they can. So, I wanted to write a song cycle that was all about hope in the face of catastrophe.”

Creative director Ryan Carter added: “What I love about working for the Barn is that I’m able to create without worrying about whether the team will be able to make it work. I could pitch a 40-minute, one-shot, live vocals, 7 spaces, no stop-and-starts, no cuts live stream, and not sweat one bit about whether we’d pull it off.

“I’m also absolutely thrilled to have been trusted with the creative vision of this piece’s premier. The song cycle has a real future ahead of it, so it’s not lost on me that I get to look after its first iteration.”

Now Or Never is written by Matthew Harvey with creative direction by Ryan Carter. Freddie Tapner acts as Musical Supervisor. Ben Collins as Director of Photography, supported by Ben Thomas & Alex Tabrizi. Harry Smith as Sound Designer.