MY MUSICAL MISSION
"Life is already so dark. If you've got the talent to make it brighter, give people joy and hope, why would you withhold that? This quote is from Craig Lucas' book of An American in Paris the musical which was inspired by the classic film starring Gene Kelly. The show begins at the end of WWII. The city of light had fallen dark and there were many reasons why people are frightened and unsure of what would happen next. The story then tells how bringing joy and hope back alive after so long dormant has a positive effect on how people perceive life and how they live their lives." Lily Casson, creator of I Heart Musicals
I Heart Musicals is a show that will turn the sun back on as we finally shake off the dullness of the pandemic, and front up to the fear of war. We've had dark theatres in dark times, now it's time for light.
During lockdown, singer Lily Casson, unable to perform live, began to channel her love of musicals online, shining a spotlight on the magic they create in our lives - in blogs posts, micro-casts and playlists.
Now, she is thrilled to be able to be back on stage performing live, sharing what makes musicals magical in person. At the same time, once the music stops, she wants to share the stories behind how her favourite shows came to be and celebrating their very special art with a wider audience online. Can you help her project sing? Read on to discover more about her project...
THE LIVE SHOW
'an outstanding singer... a young perfomer to watch.' ayoungertheatre.com
In her live show, Lily invites you to join her in a world of songs and stories from a century of musical theatre. Sharing her favourites - some familiar, some exciting new discoveries - she takes you on a journey of how they came to be and why she hearts them.
Lily has always loved musicals. Growing up in a theatrical family, she has been lucky enough to experience musical magic from both sides of the velvet curtain.
Now, in these dark times, she shines a spotlight on the wonder of escapism, celebrating the joy they bring, and makes musicals the star of the show.
'Lily doesn't need any X-factor tricks to showcase her voice.' atomies.org
This summer, Lily is premiering her show at C Venues during the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this August.
THE RECORDINGS
'Congrats on the songs. They sound great.' Jean-Paul Yovanoff, Founder of Musical Theatre Radio
During the first year of the pandemic, Lily was given the chance to record 6 songs, in new arrangements which she has released on SoundCloud and YouTube and is able to use for publicity purposes.
As part of the lead up to her live show, she is aiming to record 6 further songs (Vol. II) - to sell as merchandise during the run and attract further publicity for her show.
THE WEBSITE & BLOG
'Beautiful and inspiring work.' Capathia Jenkins, Broadway singer and actress
Apart from her exquisite singing, Lily is a student of musical theatre. This study is fuelled by her passion for storytelling woven with song. Over the pandemic, since she couldn't perform, Lily had the idea of delving deeper into the stories behind her favourite shows and began writing a series of blog posts for her personal website. Now, with a raft of material to draw on and more in the pipeline, she is bringing together her blogs for the first time alongside the microcasts and playlists she has created for Instagram, YouTube and SoundCloud. Her brand new website will be launched to coincide with the show.
THE SOCIAL MEDIA
On World Theatre Day 2020, as the UK entered lockdown for the first time, Lily began sharing her passion for musicals on social media. To begin with, she took her followers on a journey exploring decades of musical history, singing songs from her favourite shows and shining a spotlight on the stories behind them.
Since then, her Instagram feed has developed into a visual feast that acts as a shop window for her microcasts and playlists that she shares on YouTube and SoundCloud along with bullet journal spreads that she is now looking to link to her musical passion.
BIT BY BIT, PUTTING IT TOGETHER
To start putting these plans into action, Lily needs :
LIVE SHOW including costume and clothing (£285) Publicity photographs (£460) and Fringe registration listing fees (£204)
RECORDING including sheet music for show material and arrangements (£70)
WEBSITE/BLOG including domain name fee (£26) and annual subscription to website hosting (£132)
SOCIAL MEDIA including yearly subscription to social media automation/scheduling software (£135), bullet journal and pens to theme with musicals (£50) Canva Pro subscription for graphic design (£99.99)
TOTAL PREPARATION BUDGET : £1500
ABOUT LILY
As a lead chorister with Southwark Cathedral Girls Choir, Lily sang on BBC 1 and Radio 3 and performed concerts at the Royal Albert Hall with John Rutter and Royal Festival Hall.
She has been a principal with English Cabaret since 2012 performing lead roles in The Happy Prince (which toured from Edinburgh to London and Dublin), and English Cabaret Hour at the Edinburgh Fringe, where she first introduced English Singing Baker. At the Fringe, she also created and performed her own solo show, Encounters.
Most recently, she has played her great grandmother, Sylvia Maxwell Fyfe as well as lead singer in dramatic song cycle, Dreams of Peace & Freedom, which has toured nationally and internationally and which she has also recorded This role was also captured on screen for The Human's in the Telling.
LINKS
Join Lily in her world of musicals at her Linktree
Discover more I Heart Musicals | English Cabaret (englishcabaret.co.uk)
Discover Lily's previous work on I Heart Musical's social media @lilycasson