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Members' Directory Member Profile 
Nicol Walsh
Member
| Email: | nicol@chiasmusproductions.co.uk |
| Website: | www.chiasmusproductions.co.uk |
Biography
Nicol will be writing a biography here very shortly. For now, in brief:
My lyric, Mind The Gap, has just taken first prize in the lyric writing category of The Great American Song Contest, 2006. You can find that and my profile in their Hall Of Fame.
Other songwriting awards include:
2 Outstanding Achievements in Songwriting Awards 2007
1st Place Winner in The Great American Song Contest 2007
3rd Place Winner and Top Finalists in The G.A.S.C. 2007
Winners in the Unisong International Songwriting Contest 2005-6
Twice 2nd Place Winner in the UK Songwriting Contest 2006
2 Outstanding Achievements in Songwriting Awards 2006
Winner of 5 Major Awards in The G.A.S.C. 2006
5 x Finalist in the UK Songwriting Contest 2006
Four x Top 20 Finalist in the Unisong Songwriting Contest 2006
Twice Top 20 Finalist in the UK Songwriting Competition 2005
Top 20 Finalist in the Unisong Songwriting Contest 2005
Name To Watch Out For in the American Lyric Writer Awards 2006
Musical Theatre writing includes Book and Lyrics for:
A Pocket Full Of Queens
A Knock At The Door
No Fixed Abode
Jumblies
Paris Awaking
Some more about A Knock At The Door:
Music by Ville Hildén, Book and Lyrics by Nicol Walsh
Reviews on work in progress:
Suzanne Bell, the artistic director at the Liverpool Everyman:
"We felt it was a gripping and theatrically exciting piece of work with strikingly vivid imagery and a strong sense of the production coming through the script"
The artistic director at the West Yorkshire Playhouse:
"This one is bursting with energy and enthusiasm, ambitious and highly enjoyable. The composing team work well together, with some excellent music and "Join The Stasi" a particularly strong anthem"
John Sparks from the Academy for New Musical Theatre and Mercury Musicals:
"Exciting, stageable and should hold wide audience appeal" holding, "particular interest for young people in their teens and twenties."
Sir Tim Rice wrote in person to say that he thinks our show "sounds lively and cheerful", and that: " The ideas are original and the music intriguing so a theatrical presentation, even at a simple level, should be entertaining" and that he wishes us well.
Some more about the show:
Set in East Berlin during the 1980s, A Knock At The Door is a passionate love story, interwoven with social and political satire, a touch of human tragedy and moments of pure farce. As the dramatic tension builds, fear mingles with laughter as we take a surrealist look at the illogicalities of life in a police state where walls, quite literally, have ears and even the moon could be a secret Stasi spy. Nothing here is ever quite what it seems.
The action centres around a group of cadets and their leaders, whose well planned lives are changed dramatically by the arrival of a mysterious stranger in their midst. A story of idealism, hope and love in adversity, the dynamics of the plot reflect the growing tensions in the Eastern Bloc during the run up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the show closes with the mixed emotions of East Berliners as the seemingly unshakeable system which has been their "reality" for so many years falls apart. Celebrations and rejoicing, yes. But just who will get the happy ending?
The title refers to the metaphorical knock of history on the door of the future as well as the literal knock on the door in the middle of the night that heralded a visit by the dreaded Secret Police under communism. The characters and story line are our own creation and we have attempted to cover themes which are chillingly relevant to today's audiences.
The questions raised by ever-increasing levels of state surveillance, anti-terrorist ..suspect.. laws, detention without trial, trial without jury, freedom of (mis) information, the politics of spin, Big Brother, censorship and the morality of war are all issues which hold particular resonance for contemporary audiences. And then there's love...
Yes, these are all "big" themes, but we have tackled them through the eyes of down-to -earth human characters with whom every local audience can empathise.
We have tried to write a knock at the door in such a way that the dynamics of the plot provide sufficient dramatic action without the call for huge effects or cast numbers and, whilst my collaborator and I would love to have tanks and massed rallies filling the stage, we have consciously avoided writing scenes where these are vital components to the success and impact of our story.
We are currently putting together a workshop performance which is planned for three shows in October 2007. Please check back here soon for more details...
The action centres around a group of cadets and their leaders, whose well planned lives are changed dramatically by the arrival of a mysterious stranger in their midst. A story of idealism, hope and love in adversity, the dynamics of the plot reflect the growing tensions in the Eastern Bloc during the run up to the fall of the Berlin Wall, and the show closes with the mixed emotions of East Berliners as the seemingly unshakeable system which has been their "reality" for so many years falls apart. Celebrations and rejoicing, yes. But just who will get the happy ending?
The title refers to the metaphorical knock of history on the door of the future as well as the literal knock on the door in the middle of the night that heralded a visit by the dreaded Secret Police under communism. The characters and story line are our own creation and we have attempted to cover themes which are chillingly relevant to today's audiences.
The questions raised by ever-increasing levels of state surveillance, anti-terrorist ..suspect.. laws, detention without trial, trial without jury, freedom of (mis) information, the politics of spin, Big Brother, censorship and the morality of war are all issues which hold particular resonance for contemporary audiences. And then there's love...
Yes, these are all "big" themes, but we have tackled them through the eyes of down-to -earth human characters with whom every local audience can empathise.
We have tried to write a knock at the door in such a way that the dynamics of the plot provide sufficient dramatic action without the call for huge effects or cast numbers and, whilst my collaborator and I would love to have tanks and massed rallies filling the stage, we have consciously avoided writing scenes where these are vital components to the success and impact of our story.
We are currently putting together a workshop performance which is planned for three shows in October 2007. Please check back here soon for more details...
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