Fringe preview: Perfectly Ordinary

Perfectly Ordinary is a new musical about mental illness written by students from the GSA. William Gadsby Peet finds out what audiences can expect

  • What inspired you to write a musical about addiction and mental illness?

Both of our lives have been hugely impacted by struggles with mental illness, whether it being friends, family members our ourselves. We got onto the topic and realised that this can be said for most of the population, and yet it seems that it's still such a taboo subject. We're hoping to change that!

  • What was the creative process like?

It's our first time writing a musical, so it's been a lot of trial and error. We got together a first draft in a couple of months and then had a week-long workshop with some phenomenal actors at ArtsEd Drama School in London last August to find out what worked and what didn't. Since then we've been rewriting and moving things around. We are also conscious that whilst it's a very serious subject, we want our audience to enjoy themselves so finding the moments of comedy and more light-heartedness has been really interesting. It's an ever-changing show because every time we hear someone's personal story about Mental Health or Addiction, we are desperate to find a representation of it in the piece.

  • What do you hope your audience will take away from the show?

A sense of acceptance towards others going through a difficult time in their lives. And hopefully they will leave feeling like they want to (and should) talk about this kind of thing... And if we've done our jobs right then you may even leave with some of the songs stuck in your head!

  • Are you excited to be involved with The Fringe?

The work that Nick and Charlotte are doing is really incredible. Nurturing and supporting new and existing talent is so important at the moment, and we're so excited to be a part of it! The wealth of talent around Guildford has meant that we have been able to find a fantastic cast and crew for the show and we can't wait to see what we create by the time Perfectly Ordinary opens.

  • What does Guildford and GSA mean to you?

I (Matthew, Book & Lyrics) moved to Guildford a couple of years ago to begin my training at GSA. Since then the town really does feel like home and I'm so excited to have the opportunity to premiere this show here with a cast that includes other GSA students alongside West End professionals. Joe may not have the same emotional ties to Guildford as I do, but he is just as thrilled to be spending his Summer here with our beautiful team!

Perfectly Ordinary will be performed in the Bellerby Studio of G Live on July 24-25. For more information and to book tickets, visit: guildfordfringefestival.com

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