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© 2020 by Emerge Production House
Darren Day introduces: The Opening
Title:
The Fosse Forest Ballet (Working Title)
Genre:
Theatrical Mockumentary
Logline:
A behind-the-scenes look at the latest West End musical to hit the theatres. From auditions to opening night.
This is a show, about a show, that does not exist.
Written By:
Concept Episode Cast:
Darren Day
Hollyoaks, Celebrity Big Brother, Joseph & the Amazing Technicoloured Dreamcoat
Kerry Ellis
We Will Rock You, Cats, Les Misérables, Wicked
Louise Dearman
Grease, Evita, Guys & Dolls, Wicked
Oliver Savile
Phantom of the Opera, Cats, The Last Ship, Les Misérables
Zoe Birkett
Pop Idol, Priscilla, Grease, Big Brother
Philip Joel, Amy Bailey, Nuwan Hugh-Perera, David Muscat, Tosh Wanogho-Maud
Concept Overview
Ever wondered what it takes to put on a major West End musical?
What about the actors who make the sacrifice, suffering rejection after rejection as they pursue their dream?
'The Fosse Forest Ballet' is a fly-on-the-wall, narrative driven series that tells the story of three hopeful actors as they audition for the latest hit West End musical, 'The Fosse Forest Ballet'.
With comical, 'larger than life' characters ranging from the commission focused Agent, the frantically under prepared Choreographer, the wishy-washy Director, the flashy new-comer Producer and more.
Series one, tells the story from the first round of auditions to putting together the final pieces of the casting puzzle. Whilst we follow the three hopefuls we also see the creative team trying to bag themselves a West End legend. Will the hopefuls fulfil their dreams?
Series two, tells the story from first day of rehearsals spanning to opening night. With last minute cast changes, creative team squabbles and broken promises, the question is, will the curtain actually rise?
Louise Dearman: Audition Scene
Proof of Concept:
This concept was inspired by the success of Philip Joel’s social media sketch videos during London's Lockdown.
A relative unknown at the time, with only a handful of followers, his social media videos alone have received over a million views. The level of engagement from their audience has been a driving indication of the feasible success of this concept.
We filmed a concept episode in between Lockdown One & Two and then launched it online towards the end of 2020 for the price of a coffee, £3.49. Site: www.thefosseforestballet.com
The response has been phenomenal and overall it's provided us with an insight into the potential audience. With a 'zero budget' marketing spend, we have managed to raise thousands and the episode has been extremely well received.
Reviewed by several independent reviewers, including Arts institutions, bloggers and renowned Theatre reviewers, the concept episode has received no-fewer that 4 stars.
Review Snapshot:
‘Joel shows off a natural flair for comedy’: THE FOSSE FOREST BALLET (Online review) ★★★★
'Clever satire and witty one-liners ... with more magic created when West End stars pop up among the cast’ ★★★★
'Writer David Muscat has brought the same fast-paced comedic tone to the forty-minute piece, which we can definitely hope gets picked up somewhere for a series! ****’ 4 1/2 stars'
‘The Forest Fosse Ballet’ shows great potential to be developed further into a full series, with a great sense of comedy and many funny relatable characters. ★★★★
The writing is witty y’all and the actors crushed the comedic timing. ★★★★
Outside of our concept, in recent times we have seen similar 'Musical' orientated projects which have enjoyed fantastic success:
- STAGED (BBC) - 1.4 Million Viewers
- THE PROM (Netflix) - The second-most watched film over its first weekend on the platform.
- MUSICALS: THE GREATEST SHOW (BBC) - 4.1 Million Viewers
- SCHMIGADOON (Apple TV)
- IN THE HEIGHTS (Warner Bros)
- JINGLE JANGLE (NETFLIX)
Philip Joel: Multiple Roles
Press:
Whilst the concept episode was solely arranged and organised by writer David Muscat, the casting attracted Press from all over. From Broadway World in the USA, TheatrePeople.com in Australia to major outlets in the UK.
Our stars, Darren Day, Kerry Ellis and Louise Dearman featured several times in radio interviews for the BBC and Philip Joel interviewed for The Guardian, Metro and other sources.
The Hopefuls: Zoe Birkett, Tosh Wanogho-Maud and David Muscat
Casting:
A major benefit of this project is the ability to tap into a pool of wonderfully talented West End performers who, in their own rights, are extremely well regarded and followed.
Given how badly the theatrical industry has been affected by the pandemic there is a real opportunity to provide a hungry musical theatre loving audience with the ability to see their beloved stars. Michael Ball, Joe Suggs, Pixie Lott, Ross Noble, Ferne McCann, Sheridan Smith, Carrie Hope-Flecther, John Barrowman, Stephen Mangan, Todrick Hall and anyone from the Cast of SIX would be an ideal inclusion for this project. However, that being said, it's important to note that first and foremost this is a sitcom and the potential audience doesn't have to just love musicals. One of the major successes for the concept episode was the positive reviews from people who had no idea who Zoe Birkett, Kerry Ellis or Oliver Savile were, but simply loved the episode.
Status:
Treatment & Concept Episode
Available for Development
To discuss this concept further please contact us via:
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