REPERTOIRE
CONTENT DISCLAIMER
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Delve into Saydon Studio's work, but kindly remember: all content, be it text, images, music or videos- belongs to Luke Saydon and co-creators. Please avoid unauthorised sharing, respecting our copyrights. If you'd like to engage in further conversations about these pieces, please feel free to get in touch. Your confidentiality safeguards our creativity.
Thank you for understanding.
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© Luke Saydon 2024
LUKE SAYDON CV
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Luke is an award-winning composer, musical director & theatre maker from Malta, now based in London – working with organisations including British Youth Musical Theatre, The Old Vic, V&A Museum, Les Enfants Terribles, Museum of London and the British Library. Luke has been the musical director for Chickenshed Theatre Company in Kensington & Chelsea, Some Voices and Wyllyotts Theatre.
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Recent musicals include It-Teatru tal-Miskin (Saydon Studio, Malta) and The Naughty Carriage on the Orphan Train (Dundee Rep, BYMT). His musical HUSH premiered as part of the Valletta European City of Culture in 2018 and went on to win three Maltese National Arts Awards: Best Production, Best Work for Young Audiences and Best Young Artist Award. Luke's production of It-Teatru tal-Miskin in Malta won the National Arts Award for Best Production in 2024.
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Other writing and composition credits include My Way Home (Royal College of Music, Britten Theatre), Burst (Candooco Dance Company), Dreams of Freedom (Royal Albert Hall), HARVEY MILK (Zedels, London) , Heart to Heart (Musical Podcast) Polly & Ester (Żigużajg), Dear Future Me (Battersea Arts Centre), The Indispensable Hero (Chelsea Theatre), The Changing Room (UK National Theatre Connections Festival), Trumpets & Raspberries (Chickenshed), Tales from the Shed (Old Vic), V&A Pink Floyd Exhibition (V&A Museum), The Indispensable Hero (The Lyric Theatre), The Story of Stories (The Lyric Theatre), Ernest & The Pale Moon (Shrinking Violets) and The Three Sunsets (Manoel Theatre).
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Luke is the founder of Saydon Studio a new theatre collective that makes and shares new musical theatre within communities, winning the Maltese National Arts Award for Best Creative Practice. He also founded Malta's first queer choir KOR KWIR, a project commissioned by EuroPride2023.
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IT-TEATRU TAL-MISKIN
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MUSIC, LYRICS & BOOK: LUKE SAYDON
DIRECTOR: DENISE MULHOLLAND
TRANSLATION: "The Theatre of the Damned"
GENRE: Musical, Young Adult, LGBTQI+
LANGUAGE: Maltese with English Subtitles
CAST SIZE: 3 actors
OPENING NIGHT: 23 September 2023
FULL RECORDING OF SHOW: Available
CAST ALBUM: Available
BLURB:
It- Teatru tal- Miskin is a cautionary tale about the dangers of a close-minded society.
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The bus never comes to Ħal Fern. It’s a village cut from the rest of the world, completely forgotten.
One day a troupe of clowns arrives in Ħal Fern - entertainers who are strikingly different from the rest of the village. Their otherness and playfulness stand out in the mundane streets of Ħal Fern. They perform “It-Teatru tal-Miskin”, a show that unearths the stories that Ħal Fern had buried deep. The stories of a boy who dared to wear high heels.
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Through rather macabre theatricality, It-Teatru tal-Miskin is a queer coming of age story about people’s innate fear of ‘the other’.
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REVIEW from THE TIMES OF MALTA:
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"It-Teatru tal-Miskin may very well be the best thing to happen to Maltese theatre this year. It is with good reason that each consecutive run sold seats like hotcakes, packiong theatres to the brim, with audiences transfixed, shattering the earth in its wake. I only wish this had appeared 10 or 20 years ago."
These videos have English subtitles. Press CC to access.
THE NAUGHTY CARRIAGE ON THE ORPHAN TRAIN
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MUSIC & CO-LYRICS: LUKE SAYDON
BOOK & CO-LYRICS: CARL MILLER
DIRECTOR: EMILY GRAY
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GENRE: Family Musical
LANGUAGE: English
CAST SIZE: Anywhere between 6 and 40
OPENING NIGHT: 25 August 2023
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The Naughty Carriage on the Orphan Train is a new musical which explores themes of home and belonging, inspired by the experiences of looked after children (CLA) and those with non-traditional families.
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When a rag-tag bunch of city children are dispatched on the notorious Orphan Train to be ‘chosen’ by rural families, their exploits set off a celebration of curiosity, non-conformity and mischief.
A great big nAugHtY adventure with a huge heart, based on real events, The nAugHtY Carriage on the Orphan Train is created by a team with huge experience in creating innovative theatre for all ages.
Champ leaps on the Orphan Train, hopeful of a new life. Her Peter Pan-like charisma and bravado make her unofficial leader to children squeezed into the train’s Naughty Carriage, for children who are too ‘different’ to be Chosen. As the false promise of the Orphan Train is exposed, Champ and the other Naughty Carriage children face even greater challenges.What is a family? How do nAugHtY children get the love and hope we all need to survive?
The nAugHtY Carriage on the Orphan Train is not only a musical for children in danger of becoming adults - but also for adults in danger of forgetting they were children. It can be performed by a large flexible ensemble cast, ideal for youth theatre, college and school production.
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HUSH
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MUSIC & LYRICS LUKE SAYDON
BOOK & DIRECTOR: DENISE MULHOLLAND
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GENRE: Family Musical
LANGUAGE: English
CAST SIZE: Anywhere between 10 and 20
OPENING NIGHT: MARCH 2018
FULL RECORDING OF SHOW: Available
CAST ALBUM: Available
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HUSH is an original musical created by duo Luke Saydon and Denise Mulholland. The show premiered as part of the 2018 European City of Culture to high acclaim. Told in meticulous verse and eccentric tunes, HUSH is the story of a little boy suppressed in a world of silence. In the aftermath of a tragedy, Gus Nightingale loses his voice. While the loud crowds are busy trying to find out why this is so, this silent boy is entrusted with the task of saving the world of sound as we know it.
HUSH is a family-targeted piece set in a magical world of an enchanted music shop, a powerful conductor’s baton, music scores that come to life, and a villainous Maestro. All this sets the tone for a heartwarming musical story which in essence deals with the grief of a departed loved one, the beauty of music and the power of a voice that’s true.
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HUSH has been awarded three Maltese National Arts Awards- Best Production, Best Work for Young Audiences and Best Young Artist for its composer.
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“In Hush we have a production that is firing on all cylinders, a big red polished Ferrari of a production.” – THE TIMES OF MALTA
“…a completely homegrown production that captured the imagination of children, parents and of adults with no children in tow.” – THE TIMES OF MALTA
"From Mulholland’s seamless staging to Saydon’s rich musical compositions. A solid hour and a half of wit, humour and goosebumps."– LATE INTERACTIVE
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THE THREE SUNSETS
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MUSIC & LYRICS LUKE SAYDON
BOOK & DIRECTOR: DENISE MULHOLLAND
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GENRE: Family Musical, Dementia, Memory loss, Musical developed with the dementia community.
LANGUAGE: English
CAST SIZE: Anywhere between 5 and 20
OPENING NIGHT: NOVEMBER 2014
FULL RECORDING OF SHOW: Available
CAST ALBUM: Available
BLURB:
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The Three Sunsets is set in a magical forest where all the memories of the world are kept. But now something frightening is happening. Memories are being stolen. When one memory is stolen, hundreds of other memories disappear as a consequence. If the memories continue to disappear at this rate, by the end of just Three Sunsets, there will be no memories left in the world.
The show is brought to life by extraordinary scenery, ensemble work, fascinating puppetry, costumes, physical theatre and comedy.
The Three Sunsets is an original musical created by the duo Luke Saydon and Denise Mulholland. The show premiered as part of the Żigużajg Festival in 2014 in Malta, and was followed by a run at the National Theatre of Malta the following year. After the critical acclaim of its first two productions, the piece was later revived in April 2019 by the Maltese School of Performing Arts.
“a successful blend of whimsy, musical and choreography set to the format of a quest..” – THE TIMES OF MALTA
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“…I don't think I've ever watched something so moving, riveting, tight and entertaining up on that stage at the Manoel. You were all excellent.” – ALAN PARIS
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”What I witnessed this morning at the Manoel was something unlike I've ever witnessed before. I was truly moved, in many ways” – BRIAN DIMECH
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AURA
A Musical in the Dark
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MUSIC & LYRICS LUKE SAYDON
BOOK: MARTA VELLA & VIKESH GODWHANI
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GENRE: Auditory Family Musical delivered through headphones, musical developed with the BVI community.
LANGUAGE: English
CAST SIZE: 4 Actors
OPENING NIGHT: September 2023
CAST ALBUM: Available
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A young girl navigates her biggest adventure yet when faced with the struggles of hospital life. This celebration of life’s complexities will feature live performances on a binaural microphone, multi-sensory effects and lots of surprises making it a unique experience like none other.
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With an original concept and script by Vikesh Godhwani & Marta Vella, music and lyrics by Luke Saydon, and sound design by Matteo Depares, this show promises to be a highlight of the theatrical season.
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HARVEY MILK
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MUSIC: LUKE SAYDON
LYRICS: HILMI JAIDIN
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GENRE: LGBTQI+
LANGUAGE: English
RELEASE: Still in Development
BLURB:
This is the story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay elected official in the history of California. It’s a story about a civil rights activist and his deep-seated need to protect the people he loved. It’s a story about the LGBT community learning how not to live in fear. And it’s also a story about an assassination in City Hall. But above all, this is a story about hope and how hope lives on.
The musical is in early workshop stages, seeking a research and development opportunity.
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KOR KWIR
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MUSICAL DIRECTION: LUKE SAYDON
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GENRE: LGBTQI+ Community Project
LANGUAGE: English/ Maltese
CHOIR SIZE: Any
OPENING NIGHT: September 2023
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KOR KWIR is Malta’s first queer community choir – led by queer people, for queer people and our ally community.
Musically led by Luke Saydon and co-arranged by Matteo Depares, this choir will be a unique safe space for people to come be who they want to be, feel warmly welcomed and express themselves through the joy of music.
The music and the ethos of KOR KWIR is available for any setting. All arrangements and mashups of songs belong to Saydon Studio - and we are so keen to share them with new queer communities who are keen to grow through music.
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HEART TO HEART
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COMPOSER & WRITER: LUKE SAYDON
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GENRE: Community Project, Podcast
LANGUAGE: English/ Maltese
RELEASE: MAY 2020
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A series of mini-musicals inspired by conversations during lockdown.
On the day that lockdown was announced, Saydon Studio set up a telephone line called Heart-to-Heart. It’s for everyone, but specifically for people dealing with self-isolation who don’t have access to the internet. People called for chats, and out of those chats come many inspiring stories.
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Due to social distancing measures coming to place, all community projects headed by Luke Saydon and Saydon Studio had to be cancelled. This impacted over 300 people who met for choirs, theatre sessions, intergenerational projects and general community activities.
After the phone-line was launched, there has not been a single day that calls or messages have not come through. We spoke with countless of people, and from people come stories.
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The stories they share are heart-warming and inspiring. With their permission, Luke has used their words and stories as inspiration for a series of lockdown mini-musicals.
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