The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
Composer, Music Director
In 2018 I created the score for David Harrower's stage adaption of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, directed by Polly Findlay at the Donmar Warehouse in London.
Guided by the complex characterisation of the protagonists in an educational setting, embedded in Scottish Catholicism and the looming Spanish Civil War, I decided to create a type of stage carillon. Resonating with the themes of the play, the real church bells functioned as an interactive sound installation, fully integrated into Lizzie Clachan's stage design.
The bells were triggered by a bespoke MIDI interface that was integrated into the QLab environment of the show. The score was composed for that unique instrument in conjunction with the live voices of the actors who also used the bells as percussion instruments.
