Camden Peoples Theatre: Sprint Festival 2020 Application

About the performance you would like to bring to SPRINT, what makes it distinctive? (max 300 words)

The song ‘Mr Brightside’ is still in the charts after 16 years, how did it end up like this? Tim and Hannah come across a viral video of an Irish bar singing ‘Mr Brightside’ to their recently departed friend. Reading online comments they uncover a series of stories of incredible people who are all celebrated by those around them - all united by one song. Tim, Hannah and the audience conduct an investigation into the chart-busting phenomena, taking them from that small Irish bar to a karaoke booth in Nevada and back to an English Students Union bathroom. By combining karaoke and fun audience interactions, we explore on stage how this song touched the world and became an anthem for millions. We celebrate the importance and strength of community and give our audience an unashamedly good night out in the process.

Firstly, we really love the idea of creating a show based on a song: one that resonates with a particular generation in the way that Mr Brightside does. It’s not just a popular song that’s played on most nights out; that everyone knows the words to - but it’s something that has genuinely proven to bring people together in a variety of scenarios. Both the lyrics and the music video are influential to the aesthetic of the show.

Secondly, the distinctive thing the show will feature is karaoke - it’s an underrated and unexplored that were excited to play with onstage. Much like the song, this art form also brings people together, no matter how good a singer you are (we even think the more ‘average’ you are - the better the karaoke night out can be!). Mixing music and karaoke is exactly how it can give the audience an unashamedly good night out.