THE LIBERATION OF COLETTE SIMPLE To Play Jacksons Lane Theatre, Sep 2014

A bold collaboration sees eight creative minds writing lyrics in a musical adaptation of Tennessee Williams' short story of self-induced repression and liberation by flattened flora. With each lyricist taking individual songs and then set to music by French composer Vincent Guibert, The Liberation of Colette Simple creates a varied tapestry of words and music.

Colette Simple lives a contented life in her gossipy little town, taking care of her humble store and faithful (if somewhat snide) canary. But when she wakes one day to find her precious wall of petunias has been deliberately trampled, the young perpetrator leads her towards an epiphany that frees her from her dreary life in a mix of musical theatre, absurd comedy and live music.

The Liberation of Colette Simple has been written by eight lyricists including playwrights Robert Holman, whose Jonah and Otto will be at the Park Theatre this autumn and whose credits stretch back to the early 70s, including the Royal Court, the Bush and the RSC, and Amy Rosenthal (The Man Who Came to Brunch, Bush Theatre 2011, On The Rocks, shortlisted for the international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize at Hampstead Theatre 2008). Other lyricists include Adam Meggido, co-creator of Showstopper! The Improvised Musical, cabaret king Desmond O'Connor, co-creator of Scott Mills the Musical for BBC Radio 1, spoken word artist Charlie Dupré, director Matt Peover, and actors Adam Byron and Honeysuckle Weeks (Sam Stewart in Foyles War).

Vincent Guibert is a French musician, composer, musical director, and music producer based in Paris. He has performed for various soul, jazz and pop bands, Parisian orchestras and various projects in and outside of France. He has featured on many live Radio and TV broadcasts, as well as concerts and tours for numerous artists, in France's most prestigious venues. He has just completed a national tour with France's most renowned, multi-platinum hip hop band, Sexion D'Assaut.

Director Matt Peover's work includes Powder Monkey, which he directed at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, development and direction of Jitterbug Blitz at the Lyric Hammersmith with Amy Rosenthal, Mathilde and children's opera The Musician with writer/composer Conor Mitchell, development of Are We There Yet? at the National Theatre Studio, Patching Havoc at Theatre 503, and If You Were Mine with Northern Stage. He is currently developing a production of Hamlet for New York in 2015, and will be at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with Mr Swallow the Musical, produced by the Invisible Dot.

The set design is by Linbury Prize for Stage Design winner James Cotterill, whose credits include Shakespeare's Globe, Manchester Royal Exchange, the Bush Theatre, Sheffield Crucible Studio, the Criterion, the New Vic, the Finborough Theatre and the Royal Court Upstairs.

Spatfeather Theatre is a new company aiming to bring together the immediate excitement of cabaret with the narrative force of music theatre. The London based company is made up of performers Nathalie Carrington and Adam Byron, director Matt Peover and composer/MD Vincent Guibert. The Liberation of Colette Simple is their first project.