Work is well underway with the new orchestrations for "Come The Dawn", thanks to Mark Dougherty. It's an exciting time for me. The script has been thoroughly edited and the Press Launch for the Ballinrobe production is not far off. To see the music properly printed is very satisfying, and to hear the pieces beautifully sung will be a thrill.
It's a show that I want the world to see, if only to let people appreciate the fears and anxieties of growing up in a torn and divided community. I suppose there's a lot of me in it too. The pacifist, the humanitarian. Above all, there's a message about the need for communities to set aside their differences, focus on their similarities, and learn to live together in peace, before we slide into the abyss.
I used to have my own Musical Society in Belfast, First Act Musical Company, a great crowd of music lovers, from both sides of the political/religious divide. Among them, was a relative of the hunger-striker/MP Bobby Sands, and also a council member of Dr.Paisley's DUP. Not only could they work happily together during a show, but they would regularly go for drinks together after rehearsals, and it kinda made me think.... why can't we have different views, different aspirations, and still be able to be friends? How many lives would have been saved if we could only have learned, sooner rather than later, to respect each others point of view?
Anyway, that's kind of what "Come The Dawn" is all about. I hope Ballinrobe enjoy the experience, and I hope that the message gets across to the audiences.