Newstead Brass showed that they’re unmatched for innovative
performances as they joined in a major outdoor community theatre production
‘Not Much Matches Mansfield’ over the weekend of July 14th and 15th.
Jon Tams (songwriter for the National Theatre production of
‘Warhorse’) acted as musical adviser to the production, written by Kevin Fegan
(‘Britain’s most innovative playwright’) with music by Ian Carter.
‘Not Much Matches Mansfield’ celebrated the town’s past,
present and future with six separate scenes performed at five outdoor venues
with musicians from Newstead brass involved in 5 of the scenes. Audiences of
several hundred followed the action in a ‘promenade’ production which took
around 3 hours to view from start to finish.
The finale on Mansfield market place featured the 60 strong cast from
the Mansfield Palace Community Theatre Group, a choir of up to 80 local school
children and Newstead Brass.
On the Saturday evening Newstead brass lit up the Derbyshire skies as part of the annual Ripley Music Festival ‘Proms in Crossley Park’. Despite the recent damp weather, the band and organisers ensured the event went ahead and were rewarded with an audience of around 2,000 people who enjoyed a varied up-tempo programme concluding with a firework display with live music from the band in a new transcription of ‘Zadok the Priest’ by David Oswin.
‘Not Much Matches Mansfield’ was presented as part of the Mansfield Arts Festival supported with funding from Arts Council England and the National Lottery.
Photos from Newstead brass performance at Ripley Festival can be viewed on our Gallery pages.
Newstead brass return to Mansfield for 'Brass and Voices at the Palace'on Sunday September 23rd. Tickets (£8.50 / £7.50, Group discounts) are available from Mansfield Palace Theatre (Box Office 01623 633133)
