Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary
Encyclopedia
Jake Brunger and Pippa Cleary are a London-based musical theatre
writing partnership. They met at Bristol University, where they were studying Drama and Music respectively.
in London. A new production in April 2009 ran at Jermyn Street Theatre
with a cast including Mark Evans and Tim Driesen
.
Jet Set Go! is published and licensed by Josef Weinbeger Ltd. The amateur premiere took place at Cambridge University in February 2011, a production which subsequently opened at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2011.
Their second musical The Great British Soap Opera ran at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival - again at George Square Theatre - and subsequently transferred for a two-week run at Jermyn Street Theatre
in September 2009. The cast included Philippa Buxton and Leon Kay.
In 2010, Brunger and Cleary were commissioned to write the stage adaptation of Enid Blyton
’s Malory Towers
series, which received a workshop at St Paul's Girls' School
in Hammersmith.
In August 2011 Brunger and Cleary wrote a new musical for Youth Music Theatre: UK
(YMT) called Lost and Found
, which was directed by Gemma Farlie.
The Great British Soap Opera was likewise well received by critics. Sally Stott in The Scotsman wrote ‘there's a sophisticated structure underpinning the story in which "real" life and TV fiction run as parallels... it's all great fun, surprisingly clever and just like a real soap you'll find yourself getting drawn in despite yourself’. In London, Nina Caplan in Time Out described the musical as “more welcome than any profound examination of these putrid times”
.
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
writing partnership. They met at Bristol University, where they were studying Drama and Music respectively.
Musicals
Their first musical Jet Set Go! ran at the 2008 Edinburgh Fringe Festival at George Square Theatre. Following the Festival it played a short sell-out season at the acclaimed Theatre 503Theatre 503
Theatre503 is located at 503 Battersea Park Road in Battersea in the London Borough of Wandsworth, above the Latchmere pub. It is a performing arts venue which specialises in new work.-History:...
in London. A new production in April 2009 ran at Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
with a cast including Mark Evans and Tim Driesen
Tim Driesen
Tim Driesen is an actor, notable for roles in both musicals, plays and television serials. He has composed a full scale musical as well as a number of pop-songs. In 2007, he created the role of Adrian Banks in the Take That musical, Never Forget...
.
Jet Set Go! is published and licensed by Josef Weinbeger Ltd. The amateur premiere took place at Cambridge University in February 2011, a production which subsequently opened at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in August 2011.
Their second musical The Great British Soap Opera ran at the 2009 Edinburgh Fringe Festival - again at George Square Theatre - and subsequently transferred for a two-week run at Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
in September 2009. The cast included Philippa Buxton and Leon Kay.
In 2010, Brunger and Cleary were commissioned to write the stage adaptation of Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton
Enid Blyton was an English children's writer also known as Mary Pollock.Noted for numerous series of books based on recurring characters and designed for different age groups,her books have enjoyed huge success in many parts of the world, and have sold over 600 million copies.One of Blyton's most...
’s Malory Towers
Malory Towers
Malory Towers is a series of six novels by British children's author Enid Blyton, featuring the fictional Cornish seaside boarding school of the same name...
series, which received a workshop at St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School
St Paul's Girls' School is a senior independent school, located in Brook Green, Hammersmith, in West London, England.-History:In 1904 a new day school for girls was established by the trustees of the Dean Colet Foundation , which had run St Paul's School for boys since the sixteenth century...
in Hammersmith.
In August 2011 Brunger and Cleary wrote a new musical for Youth Music Theatre: UK
Youth Music Theatre: UK
Youth Music Theatre UK is the United Kingdom's biggest provider of music theatre projects for young people. It is one of nine recognised National Youth Music Organisations ....
(YMT) called Lost and Found
Lost and Found
Lost and Found is the third full-length album by Mudvayne. The album was released on April 12, 2005 through Epic Records. The album had major success in the U.S., debuting at number #2 and being certified Gold by the RIAA shortly afterward. It has sold about 800,000 copies as of August 2006...
, which was directed by Gemma Farlie.
Awards
Brunger and Cleary were nominated for the 2010 Stiles and Drewe Prize for Best Song, which was judged at a ceremony at the Queen’s Theatre on Shaftesbury Avenue. Prior to that, Cleary was nominated for the Notes for the Stage competition, and was also a finalist for the 2011 Tim Williams Award. She won the 2009 Music Theatre Matters Award in recognition of her composition for both Jet Set Go! and The Great British Soap Opera.Critical Acclaim
Jet Set Go! received rave reviews both in Edinburgh and London. Dominic Cavendish in the Daily Telegraph described it as ‘a delightful, inventive and witty new musical’ and Jay Richardson in The Scotsman wrote “scripted by the precociously talented 21-year-old Jake Brunger, Jet Set Go! is one of those rare, unexpected delights”. The 2009 production at Jermyn Street Theatre received Time Out Critics’ Choice.The Great British Soap Opera was likewise well received by critics. Sally Stott in The Scotsman wrote ‘there's a sophisticated structure underpinning the story in which "real" life and TV fiction run as parallels... it's all great fun, surprisingly clever and just like a real soap you'll find yourself getting drawn in despite yourself’. In London, Nina Caplan in Time Out described the musical as “more welcome than any profound examination of these putrid times”
.