A Loughborough College music degree student has turned composer for a new production of Dracula.
Michael Thornley has spent more than three months creating an original soundtrack for a live performance inspired by the classic tale which takes place in the Arts Academy Theatre at the College on Thursday 13 October.
“Every student on the course goes out into industry for a work placement as part of their degree and Michael was given the unique opportunity to become our composer in residence for Dracula.
“We talked him through the commission and our plans for settings in Transylvania, in Whitby and in the Victorian asylum Bedlam. We also gave him a copy of the script.
“What Michael has produced really is impressive. There are ten gothic tracks which perfectly capture the mood of the performance. When we played it to the cast for the first time in rehearsal, they were thrilled,” said Loughborough College Creative Arts lead Emma Ledsam.
“I obviously didn’t have the time or resources to hire an orchestra so I decided to primarily take my influences from 1980s synthesized soundtracks,” added Michael.
“I wanted to show that synthesized music does not have to be inferior.
“I definitely enjoyed this taste of working in the music industry as a composer. I wrote and produced the best soundtrack I could and the feedback I have had so far from everyone involved with the production has been positive.
“Now I am looking forward to seeing how it is received by the audience during the performance itself.”
Dracula, The Arts Academy Theatre, Loughborough College, Thursday 13 October 7.00pm. Tickets £3.00 in advance from the Box Office or £4.00 on the door