Over the years I've made attempts to move away from the standard gig format. I'm never sure what to call this type of work but I think ‘gig theatre’ comes close.
Thanks to a grant from Arts Council England I was lucky enough to learn from some amazing people like the performance artist Bryony Kimmings and theatre maker Jonathan McGrath. I've also done song based work for a couple of theatre companies - Dash Arts and Studio 3 Arts - and I learned a lot from working with them.
VOICES FROM THE margins (work in progress)
2024 : Research and Development Project (Arts Council England)
Performed at Victoria Hall, Glossop
Show promotion : The Black Circle
Co-writer and mentor : Phil Davenport
Technical support and training : David McFarlane
A live show featuring songs co-written with people living on the margins of society. This show was an experiment into the ethics of a live performance that features real life people from community projects. I used sampling technology to bring their actual voices - both spoken and sung - into the song performances.
Audience feedback
“The way you created the space for those voices and just held them there in the music was so beautiful”
“One of the most amazing things I've seen. I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like it!”
“I came away feeling that the people involved were treated respectfully and blessed by some exceptional songwriting”
“Fabulous songs that connect with audience in a meaningful, compassionate, joyful way”
Photos © Ed Sprake
Outlaw country (an American adventure)
2021-22 : Developing Your Creative Practice (Arts Council England)
Performed at Victoria Hall, Glossop
Training : Bryony Kimmings
Mentor/Producer : Jonathan McGrath
This was an opportunity to really lean into theatre skills and do a production that included set design, costume, sound design, movement, lighting and script.
Show description :
Did you ever wish you'd grown up in a different time or place?
Matt did. He’s an Americana singer songwriter. Except he's not from Texas, he's a Notts lad. He grew up in a coal mining town where men were men and little boys weren't supposed to want to wear rhinestones.
Join Matt for a trip around the coalfields as we go digging for hidden history on a quest to find out why country music means so much in these parts.
If you like Dolly Parton, BBQ sauce & Robin of Sherwood, this is the show for you. By the end you'll want to revisit your own childhood, give yourself a hug and buy those cowboy boots you always promised yourself, as Matt Hill asks the question -
When it comes to singing Country Music, does it matter where you come from?
Photos © Tim Hoy
THE BATTLE FOR THE BALLOT
2016 : Manchester Histories Festival / The People's History Museum / Tolpuddle Martyrs Festival
2017 : Manchester Folk Festival / English Folk Expo and UK Tour dates
Museum residency funded by Arts Council England
A song cycle as a timely reminder of the sacrifices made in the fight for the right to vote.
During 2016 Matt Hill was 'songwriter in residence' at the People's History Museum - the national museum for democracy. Working alongside museum curators, Hill took inspiration from physical objects in the collection as well as historical source materials and first hand testimonies such as suffragette prison diaries. In doing so Hill has brought back to life voices from the past and created a set of songs that brings history to life.
Audience Feedback
“A triumph from start to finish. Ten excellent, interesting, beautiful, humane songs. When it got to the end I went to cheer but I was too choked to speak. People were in tears.”
“Wow! Battle for the Ballot was incredible. Such a beautiful and moving project of music/history teaching/storytelling. It is difficult to explain how brilliant this was - you had to be there. One of my favourite bits of the festival.”
“It was SO good! We all loved it - from my 9 year old niece to us oldies! It's so accessible! Great gig. Great way to tell history, engaging and educational.”
“Awesome, moving, inspiring and educational. Should be required in every school in the land.”
“Absolutely brilliant. I was captivated by the personal stories and emotions portrayed in the lyrics. Moved me to tears in parts.”
2084 : Songs of surveillance
2015 : Buxton Fringe Festival
Collaboration with Steve Roberts
A live radio play with songs. I worked with songwriter Steve Roberts to develop a script. We were lucky enough to get a couple of iconic TV soap actors (Dawn Acton & Simon O'Brien) to read the parts for us.
The show is set in 2084 and in between songs we eavesdrop on surveillance recordings of private conversations between a couple.