Damian Darkness Productions

07/11/2023

Who remembers Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac?
Who remembers that Peter Green was impersonated?!
Sadly, Peter, one of this country's most talented and original guitarists spent a very long time in an institution and it was during that time that someone now known as, " the egg and potato man," stole his identity.
The imposter was swiftly unmasked and Peter was discharged not long after, at which point the media lost interest and the story moved elsewhere. Peter Green did attempt a comeback but to use a horrible cliché, it just wasn't the same. But surely, this could not be the end of the story, could it? And what happened to his impersonator?
Inspired by this outrageous scandal I have written a lively novella exploring the tumultuous lives of men like Peter, his impersonator, and other musical legends that made the Blues. It has been broken up into illustrated bite size sections on Substack for you to consume at your own pace.
https://open.substack.com/.../p/blues-men-i-have-buried...
Find accompanying songs, Slow Blues, and I Like Leonard Cohen here on SoundCloud.
https://soundcloud.com/damian-darkness/sets/slow-blues...
https://soundcloud.com/.../sets/track-stations:803044105...
I hope readers will enjoy it, especially those who remember, the late great, Peter Green.

Introduction

25/04/2023

My first post is now out on Substack - click the link for an introduction to my forthcoming serialised novel.

Introduction

17/03/2022

We're making swift progress on this exciting new production - Sh***ri. We're now on to Act 2, the music is really starting to come together largely thanks to Jennie Moloney, and we can't wait until we're ready to share it with you.

07/03/2022

We are excited to announce, we now have the fabulous Jennie Moloney working alongside us for the music of ***ri. She has currently written music for the song 'Strange Scene' and we eagerly await more.

For future updates please follow us and check out our website linked below
https://damiandarknessproductions.godaddysites.com/

Photography credit to Nina Sarfas Photography

07/03/2022

Unfortunately I've had a few health issues (Who hasn't these days??) But they've held up progress on Sh***ri! However now it seems that progress is being made once again.

Watch this space...

20/12/2021

Excited to announce I have started work on my next show: Sh***ri
I'll be getting some publicity shots taken soon, watch this space for updates.

14/09/2021

A warm thankyou to everyone involved in this production. I don't think we could have got a better audience reaction, and that was due to the hard work of everyone involved. Obviously I had hoped this would be a transformative event for everybody, but I think we will have to wait and see. In the meantime, just let me say, very well done; because it was very well done! Hope to see you all again one day. Army Girl Play Judey Bignell Esme Lila Sarfas Photograph by Pebbles Maloney

07/09/2021

Tonight is our Opening Night for Army Girl, our one woman play with music and song. We hope you enjoy the show.

everyone!!
Army Girl Play The Playground Theatre

There's still time left for tickets: https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/

Photos curtesy of: Nina Sarfas Photography

03/09/2021

Only 4 days to go!!!!!
Introducing our band including:
Esme Lila Sarfas as singer, Murray on guitar Williams on keyboard and Anderson on harp.
Pictures curtesy of Nina Sarfas Photography

Get the last tickets before they go!
https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/

31/08/2021

Check out my most recent blog post on army girl and follow the link provided there to buy tickets! One week to go!

Only one week to go until we open the doors to the first performance of Army Girl. Rehearsals are in full swing now as both the band and actors ready themselves.

27/08/2021

A beautiful shot from along prose poem called Army Girl
The Playground Theatre
Nina Sarfas Photography

Sept 7yh-11th
https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/

26/08/2021

Our leading lady Katie Smale with Director Judey Bignell mid rehearsal for Army Girl Play. What a brilliant day it was to see my vision begin to come to life. Our photographer Nina Sarfas captured some striking images.

Army Girl will be hosted at The Playground Theatre from September the 7th to the 11th.

Book your tickets below: https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/

19/08/2021

Katie Smale talks about her experiences working on Army Girl Play


Army Girl will be showing at The Playground Theatre from 7th-11th September. Book your tickets below!

https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/

16/08/2021

Less than a month now for to hit the stage! Ticket sales are linked below, as it will be showing at The Playground Theatre from Sept 7th to 11th.

Army Girl is a one woman prose poem accompanied by live music about "The Troubles" conflict in Northern Ireland in the 1974/5.



Photograph curtesy of Nina Sarfas Photography

https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftheplaygroundtheatre.london%2Fevents%2Farmygirl%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR22mwefqa1Wpq6cUwi7UPS55Ju70v0vzQ-l7CNEFiHzubNvKJVR-HAfW1Q&h=AT39jrINIWCek3mPrJamHBBhUHW4F_JcCJ3huQ_iWqymBDKKKjLEYf7rxx1wNof43IcdMXgE29-VJqYDpfRzoR7Y40U6REOJ6Wc78qaz6fOScIk34PLgxHfh5CcV_0i53rJp&__tn__=-UK-R&c[0]=AT3AROpMzLsVFNNzprsXINdaB4wC1CCGGHUNEeWKNhKvDNsghy1UtNA4qcfQrdBuc6Eu2rTkCV_hDu30fJpq3uPh1L9MUDszdkRI6FYzR7ofhC9Zs3GH4u7v2poNvlmya6Kj3PuqWMFlh7ya-UKmXrVGzvHOMrmJc_iXdIr5WYWtBKzSaTogds-pSbwHmsW2jbnh1QPe

22/07/2021

Samantha is an undercover soldier in a hostile Northern Ireland. Her story takes the form of a prose poem supported by music and song. Tickets are now on sale for our one woman show!
https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/?fbclid=IwAR0xyJeI7jNy81xzfQ98BQaOJN64plgIcLyku9LD89QJAmwJf1gIrZRTJy8

The Playground Theatre

12/07/2021

05/07/2021

One Woman Show supported by music and song coming soon!!



Buy tickets below!
https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/?fbclid=IwAR0Wx8uEeSoRtbOrHbnp9jEXEgX9V7gz1vNEv6i0OslmcOoINWMCQ0jXkn8

https://damiandarknessproductions.godaddysites.com/

Army Girl 7th – 11th September 2021. Army girl is a one-woman show with music and song, directed by Judey Bignell and staring Katie Smale, and singer Esme Sarfas. The production is being staged by Damian Darkness Productions, and will run over five nights from 7th to 11th September 2021. ‘Army G...

01/07/2021

In years gone by females joining the army were required to first join the Women's Royal Army Corps. This was abolished in 1992, and women could then partake in 42% of army roles.

In what year do you think ALL Army Roles opened to Women?

I'll give you a clue...it's probably later than you may think!!!

For an insight into what life was like in the Army for a female during the 1970s, check out our play, which follows Samantha, an during The Troubles, a Northern Ireland conflict. A one woman show accompanied by music.

Link for tickets below:
https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/?fbclid=IwAR3b_W1ZLKyJCWLV4QiOOAwdsS-yC3wSW2WONbIL7Ww9l9hWkdZWE2G-DsA

28/06/2021

I wanted to make a special thanks to Arts Council England for providing funding for . They have provided particular help for disabled writers this year, which has been a massive help keeping the alive in what has been a particularly challenging year.

24/06/2021

TICKETS NOW ON SALE!!!!

Army Girl 7th – 11th September 2021. Army girl is a one-woman show with music and song, directed by Judey Bignell and staring Katie Smale, and singer Esme Sarfas. The production is being staged by Damian Darkness Productions, and will run over five nights from 7th to 11th September 2021. ‘Army G...

24/06/2021

TWO BLOODY YEARS.
ONE UNDERCOVER SOLDIER
KATIE SMALE IS ARMY GIRL

Army Girl, a one woman show supported by live music and song, including the golden voice of Esme Lila Sarfas.

Army Girl is best described as a stream of consciousness prose poem describing events in Northern Ireland in 1974/75, two of the bloodiest years of the troubles, described by Samantha, a female soldier serving in a covert army unit.

Introducing Esme Lila Sarfas as our vocalist

Tickets for this one woman wonder are now on sale with the following link:

https://theplaygroundtheatre.london/events/armygirl/

Venue: The Playground Theatre, Latimer Road, West Kensington, W10 6RQ

Dates: Tuesday the 7th to Saturday the 11th of September 2021

My personal thanks to Arts Council England who have supported the show and in particular this year when they have given help and support to writers.

Army Girl 7th – 11th September 2021. Army girl is a one-woman show with music and song, directed by Judey Bignell and staring Katie Smale, and singer Esme Sarfas. The production is being staged by Damian Darkness Productions, and will run over five nights from 7th to 11th September 2021. ‘Army G...

17/08/2020

Check out my new blog post for the latest update on Army Girl!

09/07/2020

Hello everyone,

Here at Damian Darkness Productions were working on a new project! We are hoping to start up a project called 'Musical Ability' which connects disabled people with composers to create music together. All communications will take place over email/zoom.

Disabled people are already hugely underrepresented within the arts and experience lack of access to creative outlets at a higher rate. The arts have also taken a huge hit during this years events. These two things left unchallenged will compound each other if they are not actively combated, which is why we want to create the project.

We are currently on the look out for musicians/composers to work with us. This role will be paid but as our funding will be limited it wont be a huge sum. Ideally we would like to work with several musicians that specialise in different styles in order to offer our beneficiaries a wide range of musical styles and to end up with a very diverse album. Ideally we need to work with musicians that have their own recording equipment at home and who are comfortable composing to a brief with lyrics.

Please get in touch if you're interested in being involved should the funding request be accepted.

08/06/2020

Hi everybody,

I just thought I would let you all know about a group called which represents disabled people in the arts all across the country. When the cultural cake gets divided it looks as if were not even going to get the crumbs. So all 200 members are signing a letter to Oliver Dowdon - the culture secretary- and that will be followed by a campaign of arts bombing. Arts bombing is swamping social media with artworks created by the disabled onto selected targets, so everybody please watch this space.

04/05/2020

I Like Leonard Cohen is now available to buy from Bandcamp for just £1.99. Please head on over there to get your very own copy!

Damian Darkness

track by Damian Darkness

30/04/2020

Hello Everyone,

After a technical hitch during the first run, our new song 'I Like Leonard Cohen' will be played once more tomorrow on Radio Reverb between 5 and 6pm - listen out!

Here is the link to listen live - https://www.radioreverb.com/player/console/index.html

Hope you like the Iris' in my front garden - we might not be enjoying the rain but they certainly are!

23/04/2020

Listen out for our latest song 'I Like Leonard Cohen' on The Brighton Guide show on radio reverb tomorrow between 5-6pm!

Thanks so much for all the support we have received, please share it and spread the word.

Damian

I like leonard cohen is an upbeat cheery song about coming to terms with ones mortality. People have long equated listening to Leonard Cohen to being in a dark place, this song supports that perceptio

20/04/2020

Check out my new song 'I Like Leonard Cohen' on soundcloud.

I like leonard cohen is an upbeat cheery song about coming to terms with ones mortality. People have long equated listening to Leonard Cohen to being in a dark place, this song does nothing to challenge that perception.

Lyrics by - Damian Darkness
Composition - Mishkin Fitzgerald and Gary Mitchell
Vocals - Esme Lila Sarfas

I had second thoughts about releasing this song at this time, but we like it so much I thought 'to hell' with it!

I like leonard cohen is an upbeat cheery song about coming to terms with ones mortality. People have long equated listening to Leonard Cohen to being in a dark place, this song supports that perceptio

02/04/2020

As many of you may have heard, the arts council is giving the bulk of its money this year to those working in the arts experiencing financial hardship. This means that there will be no performance of Army Girl this year, although I am trying to do something online. Its just another example of the obstacles faced by writers who want to put on a distinctive theatrical performance.

23/03/2020

For my most recent project I am branching out into a screenplay about the period between the south sea bubble and the making of the beggar's opera.

The link between these two events is the writer and composer John Gay who was ruined by the south sea's swindle and brought to his death bed but recovered and went on to write the beggars opera - this countries most successful musical. This was at a time when the theatre going public had become weary of Italian opera sung in a foreign language with enormously overpaid superstars.

Whether anything will come of this I don't know, but it seems an ideal time to press ahead with this project now we are in a cultural quarantine.

23/03/2020

Hi Everyone,

This link will take you my most recent blog post, regarding the times were in. Please feel free to browse the site. Each blog post refers to a different one of my musical theatre projects and all of them have links to at least two songs on soundcloud.

Stay well, stay sane.

Damian Darkness

These are strange times with spring just around the corner and a pandemic knocking on the front door. As far as I can make out, the arts council seem to be saying the bar wont be raised so high this year for live perform...

10/03/2020

Hello Everyone,

Please follow this link to my Blog. I have just finished compiling a record of all of my previous and current musical theatre projects, each has links to several songs from that project on my soundcloud.

Brighton based musical theatre author and producer We are in the process of updating the blog with songs from each musical

17/01/2020

Check out my latest blog post, this time about the musical Cabaret!

When I was young (some time in the late Jurassic) I went to see a film called Cabaret. For me it was a real eye opener, because for the first time, that musical theatre could be used to tackle dark subjects, as well as t...

15/01/2020

Hello Everyone!

Please check out the new blog post on my website. This should tell you a little something about my history and working as a disabled writer of musical theatre!

In June 2013 I was admitted to hospital with Guillem Barre syndrome following which I suffered a massive stroke which left me paralysed down the left hand side of my body. After several months of physio I had recovered s...

12/01/2020

Hello Everyone,

Weve just created a new website for damiandarknessproductions - go take a look!

https://damiandarknessproductions.godaddysites.com/

Brighton based musical theatre author and producer

07/01/2020

21/11/2019

These wonderful photos are from the debut performance run of 'S*x and Disability' a play with music written by Damian Darkness, with Music from Mishkin Fitzgerald. Credit to Nina Collada Shots for the brilliant photography and editing!

Thanks to everyone that came along, we look forward to producing more shows in the near future

DDP

Damian Darkness is a production company specialising in political musicals and social issues. Our current production is Army Girl, a one woman show accompanied by music and song.

21/11/2019

These wonderful photos are from the debut performance run of 'S*x and Disability' a play with music written by Damian Darkness, with Music from Mishkin Fitzgerald.

Credit to Nina Collada Shots for the brilliant photography and editing!