Always listening with theatre in mind

I’m always listening to music.

Nothing new there, but even during the most trivial of tasks, I like to be listening to as much, and as much new music as I can.

Doing my shop at Tesco earlier today and I found myself listening to a new album I’ve discovered, Gen by the Vandalia Trio (discovered thanks to Scala Radio). It fits in marvellously with my love of dramatic, slightly jazzy, and somewhat latin classical music (here’s looking at you Danzon No.2).

One song in particular, their Habanera is an absolute treat (linked below) and I listened to it a good few times on repeat while bagging up peppers and onions.

Yet, I found myself, whilst appreciating the music, also thinking about how I’d use it in a theatrical context. What scene could it underscore? Transitions in what type of production? Do I know of any scripts it might work with?

I find myself doing this all the time with pieces of music – I always have one ear on the music, and one ear on the possibility to use it surprisingly and interestingly in the theatre.

God do I miss the theatre. Not just the performance aspect, but the fun of auditions, rehearsals, casting, readthroughs, design, sound, and build meetings, even technical rehearsals. If 2021 brings anything, I desperately hope it’s a reopening of theatre to such an extent to throw oneself into the joy and excitement of it all again.

— Thomas