Guest Blog: Director Matthew Iliffe On THE BURNT PART BOYS at Park Theatre

The Burnt Part Boys has been a special musical for me for some years, so it's a real privilege to be bringing the show to Park Theatre. It's a wonderful contemporary score, filled with truly melodic numbers and infused with the instantly catchy rhythms of country, folk and bluegrass music from the Southern states - where the piece is set.

Putting together a musical is a huge task, even on a smaller scale, and our show is no different. A cast of 10, band of five and eight production team members, plus additional venue and PR staff, are all buzzing around Finsbury Park in order to get the show ready for its first preview on August 10.

Set in 1962, the show tells the story of two boys on a quest to protect The Burnt Part, the site of a tragic mining accident a decade previously that claimed the lives of many of the town's men, and the two older boys who set off in pursuit of them. It's a tale of youth, adventure and legacy, played out against a backdrop of the harsh realities of the mining companies in their communities.

This is the first musical in Park90 at the wonderful Park Theatre, which is exciting and a challenge given the size of the company. From the off, the focus of the team has been on making a virtue from necessity and problem-solving issues from band placement and sound design to creating an evocative production design and having a tight rehearsal period to achieve everything. Having said that, Park's studio is the ideal venue in which to experience this intimate and earthy show.

As we speak, the wonderful cast are busy working with our musical director Nick Barstow, rendering the satisfying harmonies of Miller and Tysen's score; our designer Rachel Wingate is dirtying down boiler suits and ordering untold amounts of rope; I'm busy staging the show; stage management are keeping track of it all; and our producers, SDWC Productions, are pulling the strings from behind the scenes - all in excited anticipation of sharing our much-loved show with audiences this August.

If you do chose to join us on our epic-mini quest of legacy and honour this summer, I salute you for joining the ranks of those who trek to discover new gems of musical theatre and sincerely hope that you have as thrilling a time as we've had making it.

'The Burnt Part Boys' is at Park Theatre August 10-September 3

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