Creed

by
Christopher Walker and Ian Grant

R&D workshop showing

Thursday 25th July 2019, 6.00 – 7.30PM
Royal Academy of Music, Marylebone Road, London NW1 5HT

Constantine the Great discovered a battle-winning Christian god and built an imperial religion. But could this new god save Constantine from himself?

Chris Walker, composer, Ian Grant, writer, and a cast including MA students from the Royal Academy of Music’s musical theatre department show four scenes from this new work. The hour’s showing will consist of a brief introduction and a showing of the scenes followed by a Q&A.

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Creed – the story:
Nicaea (Turkey), June 325AD. Enraged by a tempestuous conference of bickering bishops, the Emperor Constantine bangs out an edict of his new Christian faith – a written creed, to be followed to the letter across the Roman Empire. His imperious mother, Helena, accuses Constantine’s wife, Fausta, of seducing his eldest son, Crispus. In his fury, Constantine executes Crispus and boils Fausta in superheated baths.   He seeks solace in the new creed, but ‘Creed’ takes on a life of its own. Creed hauls Constantine through guilt, grief and hope. Constantine dies in torment, craving immortality – Creed lives on to this day.

 

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Who’s attached?

Composer and Orchestrator Chris Walker (West End and Broadway: Top Hat, Cabaret, Follies, Funny Girl);
Writer Ian Grant (After the Ball, Stella Europa, Thomas Boleyn)

 

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Why now?
Creeds are articles of faith and weapons of war. 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the writing of the Nicene Creed, sung daily in churches across the world. It is also at the heart of the most murderous political crises in history. Creed expresses the beauty of the Nicene Creed, its terrifying, dark heart and its relentless grip on human imaginations across the centuries.

 

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What’s the USP?
Supremely innovative music and text writing: ‘Creed’ becomes a powerful character, expressed purely in vocal music. Creed bends humans into its service and outlasts all their joy and pain. In Creed words and music escape from human control and overwhelm huge dramatic characters.

Contact: ian.grant@creativestructure.net or amy.hunter@pobox.com