The timeless conflict between parents and children is at the centre of this musical from the creator of Wicked and Godspell. Inspired by the Book of Genesis, Stephen Schwartz’s Children of Eden traces humanity’s fall, from Adam and Eve to the story of Noah. This bold production updates the story to a shadowy future where society has unravelled. Moving, inspiring and blessed with Schwartz’s magic touch, this musical teaches us all about what it means to be human.

 

CHILDREN OF EDEN

Book by
JOHN CAIRD

Music and Lyrics by
STEPHEN SCHWARTZ

Based on a concept by CHARLES LISANBY

Orchestrations by BRUCE COUGHLIN & MARTIN ERSKINE

This amateur production is presented by arrangement with Music Theatre International
All authorised performance materials are also supplied by MTI
www.mtishows.co.uk

Head of Musical Theatre

Welcome to Children of Eden!

This production marks the final public performance for our outgoing BA Musical Theatre students, in another brilliant collaboration with those on our MA Musical Direction programme and the BA Production, Design and Technical Theatre programmes.

We have been delighted to welcome Oliver Lidert to direct for us for the first time this year and I would personally like to extend my thanks to him for the passion and experience that has been shared with our students through this process. This really is as close at gets to working in a professional environment and we hope that for many, it will only increase their appetite for more upon graduation; where, hopefully, they may also start to get paid for the privilege!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank, commend and applaud this final cohort of performance students as they prepare to leave us. They have been exciting, challenging and inspiring to work with and I feel that I can speak for the entire faculty when I say how proud we are of what they have achieved during their time here. If you would like to see more, please do visit our BA Musical Theatre Class of 2023 Online Showcase to view more of their work.

But for now, I hope you will enjoy this celebration of the achievements of so many of our valued students and staff here at RCS.

Jane Hensey 
Head of Musical Theatre 

Director’s Note

Children of Eden takes its inspiration from The Book of Genesis and tries to humanise a well-known story that at times can feel distant in a modern world. Stephen Schwartz, who has seen a great deal of success drawing on biblical themes, writes an expansive score that conjures the scale and diversity of the characters portrayed, albeit with a 1980s sense of flare. The story attempts to connect its audience to these ethereal characters and present their dilemmas in a tangible and easy to digest theatrical way. It tells the tale of Adam and Eve, their fall from grace, and their descendence leading all the way to Noah and the great flood. It was with these concepts in mind that we wanted to find a new perspective on this ancient and well-known story. If you view the Bible through the lens of metaphor it opens the possibilities of storytelling, and perhaps even our ability to find the truth in its underlying message and that is where our production begins.

Our story of the Children of Eden seeks not only to modernise the piece physically and musically, but also embrace the concept of biblical metaphor. Our version of Genesis starts at a time in the future where society as we know it has become unravelled. It is a gritty and raw world in which we remove the gloss of the original production to find ourselves in a shadowy textured place full of dangers. The remanence of civilization is an unforgiving foundation to build on and so it is only through the inspiration of Father, the character name chosen by John Caird to represent God, and her sheer will that she is able to fashion this waste land into a Garden of Eden. Father, played in our production by a woman, rather than possessing divine powers is human and very much a part of this world as she watches and imagines the future she manifests.

Hopefully this production will shine a new light on this illustrious story and inspire our audience to look at antiquity in a new way.

Oliver Lidert
Children of Eden Director

Creative Team

Creative Team

Director – Oliver Lidert

Choreographer – Salma Faraji

Musical Director – David Higham

Set and Costume Designer – Sophie Sholl

Lighting Designer – Aisha Oyedepo

Sound Designer – Fraser Douglas Mackie

Spoken Vocal Support – Jean Sangster

Associate Choreographer – Hannah Docherty

Assistant Director – Catarina de Luca

Rehearsal Director – Maia Journeau

Assistant Musical Director – John Hodgson

Assistant Musical Director – Gail Tay

Voice Captain – Ciara Brown

Assistant Lighting Designer – Dominic de Mountfalcon

Associate Sound Designer – Nathan Farndale

Fight Director – Raymond Short

Intimacy Coordinator – Sharon Mackay

Production Team

Production Manager – Lynfryn Mackenzie

 

Stage Manager – Lauren Murison

Deputy Stage Manager – Anne Peart

DSM Book Cover – Iz Brett

Assistant Stage Manager – Daniel Barclay

Assistant Stage Manager – Pimlabhas Unhasuta

 

Lighting Programmer – Jamie Burke

Production Electrician – Ewan Fraser

Deputy Production Electrician – Dylan McLean

Lighting Technician and Follow spot Operator – Nathan George

Lighting Technician and Follow spot Operator – Eoin Beaton

 

Production Sound Engineer – Lana Kirk

Sound No. 2 – Nommy Soplantila

Sound Technician – Danny Taggart

Sound Technician – Jamie Partridge

Sound Technician – Lara Cassidy

 

Head Scenic Artist – Emma Palmer

Assistant Scenic Artist – Charlie Brooksbank

Assistant Scenic Artist – Hope Drummond

Assistant Scenic Artist – Genevieve Metcalfe

Assistant Scenic Artist – Ruth Murdoch

Assistant Scenic Artist – Jacob Martin

Assistant Scenic Artist – Ned Mundy

Assistant Scenic Artist – Alastair Murray

Scenic Artist – Holly Aitchison

Scenic Artist – Rebecca Gage

Scenic Artist – Eilidh Hammond

 

Lead Propmaker – Sam Mackie

Assistant Props Lead – Eva Barrett Mansfield

Propmaker – Angelique van Rooyen

Propmaker – Jenny Fleming

Propmaker – Rhiannon Magill

Propmaker – Kayleigh O’Grady

Propmaker – Tierna Plumb

Propmaker – Rebecca Lundahl

Propmaker – Dorian Russel

Propmaker – Petra Crace

 

Head of Stage – Tom Sedgewick

Head of Flys + Automation – Scotty Scott

Stage Technician – Alastair Souch

Stage Technician – Cameron McGrath

 

Costume Supervisor – Fiona Larkin

Costume Maker – Elizabeth Allnut

Costume Maker – Inez Callan

Costume Maker – Francesca Rose

Costume Maker – Mairi Smith

 

Carpenter – Liam Wallace Warring

Carpenter – India Smith

Carpenter – Jessica Hollis

Carpenter – Louisa Park

Assistant Carpenter – Gregor Black

Assistant Carpenter – David McCallum

Orchestra

Conductor – David Higham

Keys 1 – John Hodgson

Keys 2 – Gail Tay

Keys 3 – Luke Sprague

Flute/Pic – Lalleh Memar

Sax/Clar – Aidan Fowler

Oboe/Cor – Molly Sellors

Horn – Cora Heyes

Cello – Dequan Smith

Drums – David Kerr

Percussion – Callum Speirs

Guitar 1 – Anthony Smith

Guitar 2 – Kyle Doney/Finn Mackay

Bass – Emily McDougall

Musical Theatre Staff

Singing Lecturers
  • Marjory Watson
  • Arlene Rolph
  • Claire Thomas
  • Phillip Shades
Dance Lecturers
  • Rowan MacGregor
  • Courtney Bailey Alan
  • Dr Lucy Weir
  • Alan Greig
  • Giullia Montalbano
  • Suzanne Shanks
  • Salma Faraji
  • Freya Jeffs
  • Michelle MacIsaac
Acting Lecturers
Music Lecturers
Voice Lecturers
  • Hilary Jones – Lecturer in Voice and Voice for Media (SDDPF) and the Centre for Voice in Performance (CViP)
  • Melanie Drake – Lecturer in Voice (SDDPF) and the Centre for Voice in Performance (CViP)
  • Bill Wright -Lecturer in Voice (SDDPF) and the Centre for Voice in Performance (CViP)
Artist in Development/Practice Lecturers
  • Melanie Bell
  • Susie Dumbreck
  • Eu Jin Hwang
Regular visiting lecturers and industry professionals
  • Louise Shephard (Associate Artist – Directing & Performance)
  • Sarah Wilkie (Associate Artist – Choreography)
  • Aaron Lee-Lambert
  • Tom Cooper
  • Andy McGregor
  • Becky Hope-Palmer
  • Alexandra Spencer-Jones
  • Ken Alexander
  • Urbanix Choreography

Additional Production Staff

Tutors
  • Sam Burt – Stage Management Tutor
  • Dave Evans – Lighting Tutor
  • Malcolm Stephen – Stage Supervisor (Tutor)
  • Barry McCall – Sound Tutor
Central Production Unit (CPU)

CPU staff are also tutors who will mentor and supervise students in the production workshops including tuition and tutorial support. There are also three Production Managers in the CPU who will be your line managers on production work and are there to support your learning. The CPU is separate to the School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film and supports all RCS productions as required.

The CPU staff are:

  • Lynfryn Mackenzie – Head of Technical Production
  • Kevin Murray – Production Manager
  • Colin Bell – Production Manager
  • Simon Cook – Workshop Manager
  • Matt Doolan – Scenic Carpentry tutor
  • Danny Main – Scenic Carpentry Tutor
  • Merlin Currie – Prop Tutor
  • Rhonda Barclay – Production Support Assistant
  • Megumi Hari – Scenic Art Tutor
  • Gillian Ferguson – Costume Tutor
  • Lynne McGinley – Costume Tutor
  • Anna Antczak – Costume Tutor
  • Fiona Larkin – Costume Tutor
Venues Team Technicians

The Venues Team provide technical support in RCS venues and offer advice and guidance in production practice. They work independently to the School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film and have responsibility for all RCS internal venues. The team is led by:

Kevin Robertson  – Receiving Stage Manager

Special Mentions

With Thanks

We would like to extend our thanks to those below for their help and support of Children of Eden

 

William Shiells
The Warehouse
Richard Price – The National Theatre of Scotland
Saul Johnstone
SLX
Toby Cass

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