Interview: Jack Miles and Rebecca Simmonds on writing new musical IN CLAY
As London’s VAULT Festival is about to get underway, we spoke to composer/lyricist Jack Miles and book writer/lyricist Rebecca Simmonds about bringing their new musical In Clay to the festival next week.
What is In Clay about and where did the idea for the musical come from?
JM: A rabbit hole I delved into particularly deep during the pandemic was the whole genre of jazz manouche, and in particular the work of a musician called Cyrille Aimée. She’s an incredible French jazz singer who crosses over masterfully between jazz, folk and musical theatre. One of her songs has a section that goes from her carefully jazz scatting over a walking bassline, and gradually guitar comes in, and the sound gets louder, and then a second guitar, and all the while the melody that she’s creating gets more elaborate and frantic, and it builds to this enormous explosion - the first time I heard it, I had one of those moments of being totally overcome. I had such a clear picture in my mind’s eye of somebody making something, and the process would run parallel to the music in the way that it was made. That was the start of it, and once I discovered Marie’s story it clicked into place. I wanted to write a show about somebody who made art for the love of making art. Not for profit, not for success, but for the primal love and connection that art brings an artist.
RS: The show is based on the life of a French potter called Marie-Berthe Cazin, who lived on the outskirts of Paris in the inter-war period. We find her sitting in her kitchen awaiting the arrival of her closest childhood friend and now celebrated artist, Henrietta Tirman. As Marie prepares for the evening ahead, she reflects on a career where she never quite made it as an artist in the way that she always thought she would. Jack and I started chatting about Marie’s story during the height of Lockdown, at the time it felt like the entire theatre industry was imploding. A lot of how we were feeling at that time has made its way into the show and allowed us a way into this story about an artist’s quest for meaning.
How does writing a one-person musical differ from writing a musical for a larger cast?
JM: The limitations of a one-person show are part of the strengths. It’s incredibly intense for the actor, and you have to factor that in. You can’t have every number be high energy, so you really have to consider the rise and fall of the story, and how that aligns with the actor’s energy levels. Same too with their voice - with a bigger show, you can give breaks between numbers but not here! You can write songs to sit in a less fatiguing place vocally, so it’s less effort to sing them, or you can alternate between song and dialogue more. The actor has to embody other characters too, so the audience is constantly fixed on the one actor, which creates a beautiful tension you just won’t find in other shows.
RS: Great theatre is about conflict. As we have learned throughout this process, when you are writing a one-hander you need to get creative with how you create it. We play with time, we have Ros have conversations with herself embodying two characters at once, and props that are almost treated like characters in the show. There is also nowhere to hide when it comes to the quality of music and lyrics. When you are writing for a larger cast, you can often hide behind the spectacle of a big chorus number and dance breaks. You don’t have this in the toolbox when you have one actor to play with.
VAULT Festival has been running for many years, alongside many other arts and theatre festivals around the country. Why are these types of festivals so important for the UK arts scene?
JM: These festivals can be where creatives begin their careers. You have shows written, produced and performed by one-person for the first time ever. Practicing their craft, working out what works and what doesn’t. And then you have renowned companies who put something new out every year. Regardless, writers and performances can be picked up by producers, either on stage or for TV. The amount of twitter callouts I’ve seen from people looking for work to be adapted or developed for a future life is insane. It all feeds in!
RS: There is something extraordinary about having so much creative energy in one place during Fringe festivals, there is really nothing like it. The barriers of entry to produce shows are much lower and audience’s appetites for innovative, challenging ideas much higher than any other parts of the industry.
What are the proudest moments of your careers to date, and what are your ambitions for the future?
JM: I did a show billed as “Jack Miles & Friends” in late 2021 at the Actors’ Church, just off Covent Garden. Super simple concept, just a lovely bunch of musicians and singers come to play my songs in front of an audience - it was such a positive experience. It’s surprising how often I think about it, and I am desperate to do more of those.
I also get such satisfaction every time an actor asks to use my song in an audition - that never gets boring. Generally though, I want to write more shows! And that’s about it! The more shows you write, the more you learn how to write better shows.
RS: Jack did not tell me he was going to play a song called ‘Talent’ from In Clay on the night he describes above. It was the first time we had heard something from the show performed and knew we were onto something.
Ambitions for the future: Keep writing!
There's so many shows appearing as part of the VAULT Festival! Why should In Clay be one of the shows that audiences choose to see?
JM: It’s a brand new musical with a brand new score, and those should always be supported! We have comedy, betrayal, redemption, and even jazz scat singing!
RS: Ros Ford, our actress playing Marie, is also wildly talented!
What are your hopes and plans for In Clay following its performance at this festival?
JM: We’ve spoken about an Edinburgh Fringe run at some point potentially. With it being a one-person show, I think the scale of it suits smaller, more intimate venues. We’re self-producing, so we have the freedom to do what we like with the show next, which is particularly liberating. Of course though, we’re always looking for the right partner to take the show forward with!
RS: I really want to do a version of this show in the round with a revolve, our Marie throwing a pot live whilst the band rotates around her.
What do you hope audiences will take away from In Clay if they come to see it at the VAULT Festival?
JM: We always celebrate the successful artists from history, often lauding praise on a name rather than the art itself. This show celebrates the process of creating. And not just that - it celebrates failure, heartbreak, and loss; those fundamental and formative human experiences.
RS: What Jack said ^^.
In Clay plays as part of London’s VAULT Festival from 24-28 January, with more information available here.