Always on
This project successfully funded on 1st August 2024, you can still support them with a donation.
Tinderbox - a new musical stagework.
London, England, United Kingdom
Aim
We at White Knight Pictures are now seeking to stage a full dramatic production of 'Tinderbox'.
Composer: Stephen Guy Daltry Libretto: Maureen Thomas and Stephen Guy Daltry
What happened when Hans Andersen visited Charles Dickens at his home in Kent, in 1857?
Original music frames comedy, Gothic drama and family tensions, illuminated by the power of the Imagination.
The 5-minute video above shows some moments from the concert performance, and you can listen to some of the music at the Soundcloud link below:
Click here to listen to some of the music
Thanks for visiting and thanks to everyone who helped bring Tinderbox to life!
'Tinderbox' premiered as a concert platform performance (2 ½ hours running-time) in January 2025, thanks to your generous donations.
We are now seeking £14,000 towards a fully-staged production. Any donation, large or small, would be gratefully received.
Donations of £50 : You will receive a signed copy of Stephen Guy Daltry's Double-CD album, 'The Moo Man & The Lost World'
Special Reward Tier - For donations of £300: Stephen Guy Daltry will visit your home or organisation and give a talk about Tinderbox, and the Dickens-Andersen relationship, and Stephen will play piano excerpts from the chamber opera.
Audiences commented:
“Moving and complex and beautifully put together and performed."
“Comic and moving, Hans Anderson’s visit to the Dickens family provides the comic framing to explore art and poetry, love and betrayal. I look forward to its next outing.”
“Vocally, I thought the performance was outstanding. I enjoyed the classical, theatrical style of music."
“FABULOUS! singing and acting. I was moved by the story – the wonderful music. I would like to see it get a full staging - a complete show!”
In Tinderbox, we reimagine (based on historical sources) an extraordinary moment in literary and personal history - the meeting between world-celebrated, critically-acclaimed and popular 19th-century authors Hans Christian Andersen (1805 -1875) and Charles Dickens (1812 -1870), both of whose works continue to delight today. Tinderbox dramatizes - using their own words - an explosive moment in July 1857, when the two writers met at Dickens' family home in Kent, against the background of the domestic crisis Charles and his wife Catherine faced.
Each man started his dramatic career with musical stagework - Andersen with Love in Nicolai Tower (1830) and Dickens with The Village Coquettes (1835). Both loved music, drama and storytelling as long as they lived. With Tinderbox, White Knight celebrates, in fitting form, one great gift both these writers left behind them: their unfailing affirmation of the value of Art to human happiness.
About Us
Stephen Guy Daltry, composer, pianist and actor and founder director of White Knight Pictures
Stephen Guy Daltry’s musical theatre includes 'Seats in All Parts' (with co-writer/director Lesley Albiston) at the King's Head, Islington & Salisbury Arts Centre, and 'Did You Dr Crippen?' with playwright Brian McAvera. His 'Alice', adapted from Lewis Carroll's works, was performed at the British Library and New End Theatre London in 2000 (additional lyrics and staging, Maureen Thomas) - Press: Sunday Times Critic’s and Children’s Selection “Engaging …magical …a delight!” The Stage: “Classic Alice … lavish..crisp..comedy.” As well as for the stage, Stephen has composed extensively for film and television, including BBC2's 'The Hunt' (Cultural Prix Italia Winner), the Sundance hit documentary 'The Moo Man' and 'The Lost World of Mr Hardy', of which director Ken Russell wrote in the Times (30/10/2009): "a gorgeous musical score of violin and cello … breathtaking in its simplicity, beauty and effectiveness”.
Dramatist, Co-librettist and director on "Tinderbox" is Maureen Thomas - librettist on 'Lombroso' in ‘About Face’ - composer Rachel Leach (commissioned Royal Opera House Covent Garden Blueprint Programme – ROH Linbury Studio); ‘Zuppa Inglese’ - composer Daryl Runswick (commissioned Pimlico Opera - Oxford & Nottingham Playhouses); ‘Bright Sparks’ composer Daryl Runswick (commissioned Arts Council West, UK). She wrote and directed 'WE’, an integrated media ‘total theatre’ performance adapted from the novel by Yevgeny Zamyatin, with Studio for Electronic Theatre, London - original music by Bartosz Szafranski, Aris Lanaridis. Most recently (2023) she wrote and directed ‘Queens Game’ interactive 3D-animated musical - composer Kariina Gretere (commissioned PKU Norway). She was co-writer/director with Stephen Guy Daltry on the musical 'Alice’ at the New End Theatre, London.
Where Can I Hear Some of the Music?
On 12th March 2024, we recorded, at the excellent Porcupine Studios in South East London, some demo material from "Tinderbox", with mezzo soprano Margaret Cameron of the BBC Singers and baritone Oskar McCarthy. Soprano Kariina Gretere also recorded a demo track of 'Arctic Sun' at her studio in Denmark.
You can hear a few excerpts at this link:
https://soundcloud.com/stephendaltry/sets/tinderbox
Funding method
Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made