What's your background? Where you from?
I'm from a sleepy town in the Northwest called Billinge (which is near Wigan, famous for it's football team now, and before that it's rugby!)
We know you were once on the stage. Was it an easy transition to work behind the scenes with your MD Work and composing work?
I'd always dabbled in Music Direction - even at Drama school - so it was something that happened naturally when I left and was in-between acting jobs. I actually went back to Mountview and worked on a couple of projects. I'd always written music and continued throughout my acting training. As part of the course at Mountview, they enable you to write a show over a term in your 2nd year which is great for understanding how a show is put together. Whilst I was there, we wrote Let Him Have Justice which was then co-produced by the Covent Garden Festival. We extended the show, performed it a year later at the Cochrane Theatre - after graduating - and subsequently recorded the album at Abbey Road studios which was mind blowing.
What made you make that decision to change from acting to writing full time?
It was a natural decision for me. I always knew that I would write full time eventually. It was just a case of when and I didn't really know if it would be a decision I would make consciously or if it would just happen. I was rehearsing in Zorro at the time, and when you're part of an original cast you are surrounded by creative decisions all of the time and this was the catalyst I suppose. I came home one day after rehearsals and just realised that I was on the wrong side of things. It was like someone had turned a light on.
What are you working on at the moment?
Loads of exciting projects. I'm majorly workshopping a new project, that is massive in scale, with Perfect Pitch. This is a project that I have been working with Kerry Ellis on so we hope to have news about that soon. I'm recording LIFT, which has been an ongoing project for a number of years now so the fact that we are eventually getting out there is very exciting. And I have another show that is workshopping in New York later this year which is amazingly exciting. As well as some other recording projects with some exciting performers, I also start at the Finborough Theatre as composer in residence in September so this year is shaping up to be very thrilling indeed.
What's been your highlight so far as a composer?
There are highlights all the time I suppose. It's always exciting whenever you hear your work performed, knowing that actors and singers have really put time into discovering your work.
Your work is getting more and more well known. What's your goal with your writing?
To just keep getting my work out there. As a writer your music and work is dead if it's not performed or listened to. As well as writing for the theatre, I would love to start writing more for TV and film. This is a real goal of mine.
Where do you find your inspiration for your writing?
Leading on from the last answer, my main inspiration comes from film sound tracks. I don't really listen to much Musical Theatre, which may seem odd, but I find that by watching films/plays and listening to classical music or soundtracks or alternative music I find that influences my music and writing much more. My favourite band at the moment are a group from Manchester called Everything Everything. Well worth a listen.
Tell us about LIFT?
LIFT is a project that I have been working on for some years now. It has gone through many stages of writing but I think it's eventually there. It's based in the Covent Garden Tube station LIFT and it takes place in a minute in everyone's thoughts! There are 8 characters and they all have a connection with each other, but they don't know that.
The show is a quite a difficult piece. It is very confusing to read and so I think it's never been seen in the right light. It's not obvious and therefore hasn't had the production it deserves so we - Perfect Pitch and myself - decided to record a concept album, giving it the sound that I'd always imagined in my head. So I'm hoping that when the album is released people will really understand the show and will want to see it on stage.
How's the recording going?
Really well. Very exciting. The cast are amazing and what I'm thrilled about is that all the performances are coming across beautifully. You can really hear the emotion in the recording. We are about to put the Strings down and start mixing in a couple of weeks so can't wait for people to hear it.
Will it be released?
Yes it's going to be out in May at some point so watch out for it!
How important is it that people recognise new theatre writing?
It's vitally important that new writing gets supported. I think there is a major change at the moment. There are some really exciting writers coming through the various support networks like Perfect Pitch and Mercury Musical Developments which without their continued support, I wouldn't be doing what I'm doing. So huge respect to them all.
Thanks Craig for your time. Visit craig online at the following links....
Twitter: @musiccraigadams
Website: www.craigadamsmusic.com
Stage Status: Craig Adams
