What it's all about
What's A Small Life all about?
The Story...
A Small Life is a musical about how even the most simple, ordinary life can be extraordinary.
The story, set in Wakefield, Yorkshire, tells of unassuming Charlie Dinsdale, trapped in a life where he watches the world go by while his mother cooks his tea. Underneath the veneer of cosy normality, Charlie secretly craves a life where he has his own home and family, love and adventures in far flung places.
Born at the wrong time in history, the odds of reaching his secret hopes and dreams seem stacked against him, yet chance encounters and random events, change the course of his life in ways he’d never imagined.
Spanning from the 1950s to the noughties our story is narrated by an old Charlie. Leaping back and forth in time it gently reveals Charlie’s life: how he lives through dramatically changing times and world events that shape and transform him as he seeks to find out what life is all about.
It’s a story about time, memory, getting older and the value we place on our lives.
The journey so far...
Vin Goodwin began writing the musical in January 2017 and completed the first rough draft in May of the same year.
To assist in the development, drafts were sent to a selection of people, including novel writers, script experts, producers and friends. Each provided invaluable feedback which was used to refine the story and music.
As a singer-songwriter, Vin has also been able to introduce the musical to an audience by performing songs and chat about the story. This has been a brilliant way of gauging audience reaction and created a bit of interest in the project.
In summer 2017, a group of actors did a read-through while Vin performed the songs. The high caliber cast provided an excellent insight into the feel and structure of the piece.
In December 2017, A song from the musical was showcased at SIGNAL, a well-attended event at The Hospital Club that shows off new and emerging British musicals. Vin then went on to showcase a further two songs at the next SIGNAL event on Friday 13th April 2018.
Having successfully raised over £10,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, Vin was able to organise a week long workshop to develop the script at the Railway Tavern Clapham, and put on two workshop performances at hClub London on 12th November 2018 to a full house and very positive audience response. We had an incredible band and awe inspiring cast to bring the story to life. (See the BLOG for details)
Vin hopes and dreams of fully staging the musical in the near future at theatres around the UK. The further aim of a full West End production at some point is never far from his sights... and even maybe a movie?!
Watch this space.
