Mary wife of Cleopas (Mariatu Conteh) and Mary Mother of Jesus (Jan Moll) rejoice in production of Risen! performed at Holy Rood Church 2013.

We Can Do Anything? featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard -piano and voice and Robbie Richardson – clarinet from album “Precious.” recorded and produced by Ross Gill.

So we are pretty much coming up to date now with this story of the music behind Risen! – The Musical.  When will the double CD be released?  Well  Joffy and I have been working on this project for four years now but we are, I think, on the “final straight.” Joffy  still has lots of work to do before it’s finished, including recording  a string quartet, mixing and mastering.  Although the CD is a “stand alone” project we have a vision for Risen!- to be so much more. We are looking for churches nationally or even internationally to produce Risen! themselves. They could do this either as a full stage production, or in concert form as we did ourselves at Holy Rood church in 2012 and 2014 (see blog May 8th) In order to do this we need a full written score and an “all singing and dancing website.” This of course will cost money and so we are hoping to soon launch a fund raiser entitled “Cheerful Giver” invented by my dear friend Darren Bovis – Coulter (see blog September 4th)  We would also love to put on one more production of Risen! ourselves – the three productions at Holy Rood have only  really been works in progress.-We now have a much revised script which includes the addition of three more characters – Susanna, Judas and James the brother of John.  There are also new songs and I trust the script has fully addressed the helpful and positive criticisms that some made of the 2012 stage production- criticisms for which we are most thankful. I am currently speaking with CWR, the publishers of “Every Day With Jesus” who marketed many of our previous CDs- in the hope that they may be interested in helping us also market Risen!

You may be thinking that it is a bit far -fetched for us to have a vision of Risen! being produced internationally but nothing is impossible with God and He has been behind this project from the very start – in fact He started it by giving me the gift of making  up songs “in my head.” Then look at the talented people He has given me the privilege to work with. Initially  Lucy Stimpson- Maynard, John Hodgkinson, Ross Gill, Lucy Rutherford and now the fantastic Joffy  Girling – who not only plays keys, guitar, sax and drums but who also has  a Degree  First in Sound Engineering and Production at Birmingham University.  In addition to four years of hard work fitting Risen! work into his University commitments Joffy has now given up the last four  months to work on Risen! pretty much  full time.

Then there is the array of brilliant singers we have been blessed to record on the double Risen! CD including  – Ben Morris (Jesus) trained at Mountview  Academy of Theatre Arts and now in “Phantom of the Opera.” Lyndsey Gardiner (Susanna) also trained at Moutview and in “ Phantom.”  Nicola Poustie (Mary Magdalene) also  Mountview  trained who toured with “We Will Rock You.”  Alex Knox (John) with a Degree First from Guildhall School Of Music and Drama.  Paul Clement (Judas) with an MA in Musical Theatre from the Guildford School of Acting. Tom Millen (James) trained at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts) Chloe Brokenshire (Mary sister of Martha and Lazarus) trained at London Studio Centre. Jan Moll (Mary Mother of Jesus) trained at Dundee University and “Rock Choir” Leader.  Mariatu Conteh (Mary wife of Clopas) BA Hons Contemporary Music at The Academy of Contemporary Music, and member of ACM Gospel Choir.

We have also used professional musicians including  Guitar -Gareth Matthews.  Bass -Gareth Matthews and Greg Taplin.  Drums -Josh Eaves. Trumpet – Stuart Fowler. Saxophone – Robbie Richardson and Tim Downs. Flute – Robbie Richardson.  Violin -Kirstie Richardson and Elizabeth Peskett- – Viola –  Ruth McGibbon and Cello- Fiona Murphy

So what next? The answer is  the fund raiser. As I said we need to raise money to finance the completion of the double CD, which includes mixing, mastering, and replication. Also the writing of a score, production of a website and the production of a full stage production. How “Cheerful Giver”  can do this  I will share with you next week.