Crowd Funding: The Musical! Doris Productions apply fan-funding model to new musical theatre production.

Hampshire (PRWEB UK) 17 October 2012

"How Do You Fall In Love with Somebody You've Never Met" was conceived by leading West End actress Julie Atherton and her friends Marcos D'Cruze and Paul Clarke at their studio on Wallops Wood farm in Droxford, near Petersfield. The writers believe that it is the first show of its kind to be "crowd funded" - or supported by pledges from members of the public.

The stars will perform on the album which will be recorded at Wallops Wood Studios after Christmas - as long as the money can be raised to complete the project. The team are planning to release the album in April 2013, and to present the songs in a 'sing-through' with the cast members, to which people who have pledged a certain amount will be invited. Other innovative pledge 'rewards' include a chance to be at the studios during a recording session, and a lyric book signed by the cast.

"We wanted to take our philosophy of 'do-it-yourself' to next level and see if we could apply it to a West End Musical", said writer and composer Marcos D'Cruze. "Getting people to fund a musical sounded a bit far-fetched so we hatched the plan of getting there via a recorded album. This meant we could write the songs and the story - have the musical written - but provide supporters with something tangible for their pledge: a beautifully performed CD of the finished songs."