About a month ago now, I received a press release from North Wales-based musician, composer and performer Hero Douglas about a new family musical ‘Mad Cow’, which is soon to make its debut at the ‘UK’s first vegan theatre’ in Chartham, Kent. Hero is the Artistic Director of the newly formed ‘Quaestio Productions’ and in collaboration with the recently opened Garlinge Theatre, the company are bringing their ‘bold and adventurous new musical’ that is ‘deepening the conversation about our relationship with meat’ to the stage for 10 days this July.
As a keen advocate of theatre that faces real-life issues head on, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to speak to Hero about this new piece of writing and also gain an insight into the new local venue which is managed by Alison Harris and Terry Thompson. Theatre is such a powerful tool for communicating with audiences and I was keen to find out how the company and theatre are planning to approach global issues in both ‘Mad Cow’ and the venue’s practices and programming.
Can you tell me a little about your theatrical background, specifically how you got into writing musicals?
My first experience of theatre was aged 9 months when my parents took a show to the Edinburgh Fringe. My mum was operating the lights so the whole day was geared towards getting me to sleep in the hope I wouldn’t add an unplanned sound effect. If I was cranky I was dispatched to any willing acquaintance for a ninety-minute pushchair meander around the city till the curtain came down and I could be returned.
My grandmother Ann Queensberry is an actress and still doing the odd job aged 95! As a child, I’d see her perform occasionally in intriguing theatres like Bouffe du Nord or the Almeida. She had also been married to the playwright Robert Bolt at one point (before I was born) and I’ve always been fascinated by her theatrical stories. My great-grandfather was a professional singer and renowned in the Eisteddfods [Welsh arts festivals]. I suppose it was only natural that I always had a yearning to be involved in the magic of theatre. I remember going to see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when I was about six and at the end of the show I clung to the stage not wanting to leave. I’ve been dreaming about running away in that flying car ever since! It’s been a slow process of training as a musician, going to university, writing scripts and musical numbers but now I feel ready to stage Mad Cow, my first musical!
What was it like being commissioned to write the music for one of Fossey’s shows ‘Quaestio’, which is also the inspiration for the name of your new theatre company?
I was extremely lucky to work with Fossey when he choreographed the first play I was in. He had an indomitable belief in everyone’s ability which was contagious and even though initially I was nervous about the dancing sequences, in the end they became a highlight. Fossey was a very special person and had an innate way of championing everyone with an almost parental belief that was liberating. He nurtured creatives and got the best out of everyone. I hope I can learn to create a bit of Fossey in every rehearsal process.
I was seventeen when he asked me to compose for a dance production he was putting on called ‘Quaestio’. It will always be one of my career highlights. The show was drawn from Fossey’s turbulent childhood. His father and uncles were fanatical football fans and he was bullied for being different. In rehearsals the unthinkable happened and Fossey got cancer which spread fast. He started chemo and one moment was so fit and capable and then weeks after the show he’d died. It was and remains heartbreaking and I always knew that when I set up a theatre company the name would be connected to Fossey.
As a writer, director, composer and performer you are essentially a theatrical superhero. With two new musicals on the horizon for 2024, can you tell me about your process for creating new work?
I really am not a theatrical superhero!! More like a sponge and everything I hear gets absorbed and used in my creative process. I’m naturally quite a reserved person and love to listen. I’m the last person you want to go for a coffee with as I’ll be utterly absorbed in some break-up conversation or bitching session that’s going on three tables away and I don’t want to chat in case I miss the conclusion. Real life is my Netflix! I always feel compelled to write down things people say and the notes on my phone are full of snippets from overheard conversations. Some of these grow and slowly morph into characters like the ones in Mad Cow. One scene I wrote that some people felt was too fantastical is very close to real life! I like to take snippets of real dialogue, blitz it in a blender and come up with a story related to something I feel ethically needs to be told and heard. And that’s why I’ve started Quaestio and the plan is to bring radically optimistic stories about global issues to family audiences.
Within your work, you have a commitment to environmentalism and living sustainably. Can you tell me about what inspired you to use theatre as a platform for talking about global issues?
The stories that I’m drawn to reflect what I care about. My home is in rural North Wales and I’m strongly connected to the landscapes here. I’ve witnessed first-hand the toll that industrialism is taking on our environment and on animals. As artists we have a platform and with that comes responsibility – art shapes society, it affects the way we think. So, I’m careful about the messages that my stories and music put out into the world. I want to be a force for good.
Quaestio Productions are coming to Canterbury in July and “bracing for criticism”, with the opening of new musical ‘Mad Cow’ at the UK’s first vegan theatre. Can you provide a little more information about what audiences can expect from the theatrical experience at the Garlinge Theatre?
We hope audiences will be drawn into the world we’re creating through the storytelling and the music. It’s a very human and universal story but it’s also a little bit fantastical. We’re playing with the boundaries of what’s real, which is so much fun. We’ve got an amazingly talented dancer and choreographer, Jonny Hibbs on board, who is bringing the main non-human character to life. We’re also making use of masks to create the world at the centre of the production and of course, have lots of music!
Looking at ‘Mad Cow’ specifically, what made you decide that the Garlinge was the right place to present this new piece of writing?
The Garlinge is a great new venue. It’s just been remodelled to make it fit to host ambitious productions like Mad Cow. It can offer audiences that fully immersive experience. But it’s more than that. Alison and Terry’s ethos for the theatre – what they’re trying to achieve – really chimes with my own mission. The Garlinge is on the site of an organic farm and it’s the UK’s first ‘vegan theatre’ – only vegan products are allowed to be consumed on the premises. Alison and Terry aren’t being puritanical about it, it’s not exclusionary. They’re simply trying to be sustainable and to use their platform to encourage people to ask questions and to think a little more about these important issues. We’re doing the same thing at Quaestio Productions.
Mad Cow is described as a “madcap adventure into the realms of magical realism” , “combining tones of Okja and Fantastic Mr. Fox”. Can you provide some further insight into what audiences can expect from this new theatrical story?
Mad Cow tells the story of 14-year-old Martha, who is somewhat the black sheep of her family. She’s growing up on a rural smallholding with sisters who are obsessed with showjumping, expensive clothes and marrying rich. But Martha is different; she’s sensitive. She’s more connected to the animals on the farm than her family and she’s distraught at the conditions they’re kept in, which keep getting worse as the family strives blindly to make a profit.
The adventure begins when Martha decides to take matters into her own hands. I don’t want to spoil it, but things get a bit surreal and fantastical. It’s an exciting story about putting faith in your hair-brained ideas and finding courage in your convictions. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also immensely relatable and human. We’ve all felt like the odd one out, we’ve all felt helplessly distraught when the world doesn’t seem to care about the things we care about. We’ve taken those feelings and created an uplifting, positive story.
Can you tell me about the score, specifically the genre and themes of the music that you have written for Mad Cow?
As a composer, I’m constantly inspired by the sounds of nature. I often start with recordings from the natural world as the basis for my music. That was the case with many of the songs in Mad Cow too, so I hope audiences will feel that influence. It’s the beating heart of Mad Cow, really. The score blends elements of contemporary musical theatre and builds on my classical training. I’ve taken inspiration from the greats of musical theatre and opera, but I also wanted to make it very different. There are some catchy fun tunes and some sad melodies. It runs the gamut. All our cast are fabulously talented musicians and singers. I’m so excited to hear them make the music their own and they are very much doing that.
What are you most looking forward to in staging Mad Cow at the Garlinge?
More than anything, I’m excited to see Mad Cow jump off the page and come to life for the first time. It’s such a privilege to be working with the cast, who are taking what I’ve written and firmly stamping it with the characters they are creating. I’m also really looking forward to seeing how audiences respond. The messages and issues at the centre of Mad Cow are dear to my heart, and I’m excited to see what conversations it sparks. I hope that it ignites a passion for positive change.
Your next project is a children’s musical ‘Poorly Planet’ which focuses on the importance of recycling and involves collaborating with Dixe Wills (lyrics). How are you finding producing work about global issues in a medium that is appropriate for children?
It’s been a rewarding challenge to write stories that are both engaging for younger audiences and meaningful for adults. Both ‘Mad Cow’ and ‘Poorly Planet’ strike that balance. ‘Mad Cow’ is a coming-of-age story aimed at families with teenagers and adults. It has some slightly dark themes, but it addresses them with humour and a light touch. ‘Poorly Planet’ will be a little different. We have younger children in mind and hope to tour schools. Musical theatre is the perfect medium – it’s possible to explore really complex ideas in a way that is also fun and engaging. I think we often underestimate children though. Not only can they grasp these ideas but they’re also deeply interested in and concerned about them. They have a clarity sometimes – about the importance of these issues – that adults seem to have lost.
Booking tickets to see Mad Cow at the Garlinge Theatre
‘Mad Cow’ opens at the new Canterbury-based venue on Wednesday 3rd July and performances run until Saturday 13th July (not Sunday 7th). The Garlinge Theatre are kindly offering a 50% discount to anyone who books a ticket before 7pm on Wednesday 3rd July using code COW007. I personally don’t make any money on this ticketing arrangement and am just thrilled to be able to help promote theatre in Kent. If you like new writing and musical theatre, why not take the opportunity to see the debut of a new ethics-themed musical, in the beautiful Kent countryside? Tickets can be purchased via the venue’s Ticket Source page.
A massive thank you to Hero for taking the time to speak with me. It’s been wonderful to hear about what you have been working on with Mad Cow and I am looking forward to seeing the production for myself soon.
Thanks for reading my blog today.
Love Kat xxxx
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