Sunday Night Socials Come to the Union Theatre

Kieran Brown, in association with Chris Matanlé and Union Theatre today announce a new season of monthly concerts - Sunday Night Socials.

Across the next 3 months, a whole host of West End Performers will descend on the Union Theatre, London, once a month to perform the works of new and upcoming composers. Each month a different composer will feature their works, performed by top performers in the industry.

Season Director Kieran Brown said 'I'm so excited to be able to bring some of the best (and in my opinion underrated) composers the UK has to offer to the Union and give them a fresh opportunity to share their magnificent talents with us all. At a time where originality is rare, it's my belief that all of the artists being showcased best convey the message that we don't have to settle for endless rehashes or jukebox musicals, and that we Brits really are still capable of shaping the musical landscape, if we invest in homegrown talent! Both Chris and I are extremely excited to showcasing some truly brilliant writing, whilst at the same time giving the audience a unique opportunity to learn more about the composers and their processes, in a chilled, informal, social setting, all the while being entertained by some of the very best the West End has to offer. The Union Theatre, with its welcoming laid back atmosphere, is the best venue to facilitate this.'

The evenings are being treated as very informal and relaxed. The bar will remain open throughout at there will be the chance to submit questions for the composer and/or performers to answer during the evening.

Tickets for the first evening on Sunday 17th February ON SALE NOW - the March and April dates will be on sale soon.

The season will commence on Sunday 17th February with An Evening with Laurence Mark Wythe and Friends. His guests will include Graham Bickley, Julie Atherton, Ashleigh Gray, Shona White, students from The MTA and his daughter Sophie Pourret Wythe.

Laurence's internationally acclaimed musical Tomorrow Morning was nominated for Best New Off-Broadway Musical in the Outer Critics' Circle Awards of 2011, won the Chicago Jeff Award for Best Musical in 2009 and has played around the world on four continents in six languages, with three international cast albums available.

Laurence wrote music and lyrics (with Tim Knapman) for Midnight at the Union Theatre in 2018 and Creatives with Irvine Welsh and Don de Grazia which played at the 2017 Edinburgh Festival at the Pleasance Courtyard and in Chicago in 2016. His other shows with Tim Knapman are Danny Hero which premiered at the Core Theatre Corby in 2016 and GROWL! which is being produced by the National Youth Music Theatre (NYMT) in 2019. His musical Through the Door (book by Judy Freed) was seen in the West End starring Julie Atherton and Paul Keating in 2009, and recently made its international premiere in Seoul, Korea. On screen he recently composed the score for the independent film Last Laugh (Visualise Films/Carnaby).

Other work include The Lost Christmas (Waterloo East Theatre, London), Roll on the

Day (Etcetera Theatre, London). For more info, visit laurencemarkwythe.com.

Next in the season will be 17th March is Chris Hamilton and his guests including Dianne Pilkington, Madalena Alberto, Samantha Ivey, Nicole Faraday and Shimi Goodman.

Christopher Hamilton studied Law at Oxford University and is now a multi award winning composer and performer based in London. His first musical, 'Over The Threshold', for which he wrote the music, lyrics and book, was nominated in the MTM:UK Awards in three categories and won the award for Best Music. 'Over The Threshold' has been staged in Edinburgh, London and Vienna and a concert version was also produced in New York.

Christopher has won two consecutive Tim Williams Awards for new compositions ('No good at love' and 'Burn'). He also won the Audience Club 'Old Words/New Theatrical Song' with his song 'Marching Matilda'. He has written a musical with Susannah Pearse called 'Melody Towers' and is currently finalising a new musical project entitled 'Cock Tales'. Three of his original songs have been performed at the finals of the Sondheim Singer of the Year Competition in two consecutive years ('I Clean Up Around Here', 'Please Can We Leave This Behind?' and 'Remember').

In 2012 Christopher was commissioned to write the music for 'When You Hear My Voice' in Malta which was an initiative between the London Shakespeare Workout and the Corradino Correctional Facility. In 2014 Christopher wrote the music for a ballet called 'In Living Memory' which was performed by the English National Ballet at the Barbican Centre. Several of Christopher's songs are included on commercially available CDs including Dianne Pilkington's, Shona White's and Shimi Goodman's and 'A Song Cycle for Soho'. Christopher also performs full time in cabaret around the world including on luxury cruise ships and was awarded the Silversea Entertainer of the Year 2017.

Tickets on sale soon.

Completing this initial season on Sunday 28th April is Chris Passey and his guests including Kieran Brown, Lauren Samuels, Stevie Webb, Sabrina Aloueche, Cleve September, Shona White, Matthew Barrow, Tori Allen-Martin, Attiye Partridge and Nigel Passey.

In 2011, Chris Passey and his original music burst onto the musical theatre scene with an album entitled 'Self Taught; Still Learning.' Featuring some of the best voices in the West End at the time, including a little-known act by the name of Colleen Ballinger (Miranda Sings)

The album was a best seller at Dress Circle and reached #2 in the Amazon Vocal and Broadway charts. He co-wrote Stagey and Proud for Chloe Hart, a song that would see Sheridan's Smith's return to stage in the 2012 What's on Stage Awards.

An Evening with Chris Passey and Friends will be both a nostalgic look back at the songs that are now performed around the world by musical theatre students and performers alike, and brand new and never before heard songs and arrangements.

Chris will also be hosting a 'Rising Star' section where he will introduce four of the finest young voices in Ben MacSkimming, Erin Chalk, Liam Price and Cassius Hackforth.

He will be joined on stage by Joshua Wunderlich on guitar, Sally Alexander on cello and supported by singers from The MTA and BITA Musical Theatre.

Tickets on sale soon.