Clive Nolan and the Caamora Theatre Company will return to the Cheltenham Playhouse for the second edition of “The Fire and the Quest”! During the mini festival the audience will be able to see two of Clive’s musicals: ‘Alchemy’ and ‘King’s Ransom’, being the next adventure of Professor King and his companions.
Clive: “After the success of the Fire and the Quest 2015, I am happy to announce that the Fire and the Quest will return in 2017. This time round we will be performing ‘Alchemy’ followed by the debut production of ‘King’s Ransom’, which I hope we will also be recording for an official DVD release. Don’t wait to long to book your tickets!”
'The Fire and the Quest 2' will take place at the Cheltenham Playhouse at the very start of September 2017, and will be a similar format to the one we did in 2015.
Here is the schedule...
Friday 1st September - 'Alchemy' (directed by Ian Baldwin)
Saturday Afternoon 2nd September - 'Beyond the Veil' (the acoustic show)
Saturday evening 2nd September - debut of 'King's Ransom' (directed by Ian Baldwin)
There will also be some 'extra features' including 'The Victorian Seance' which will take place later on the Friday (where Ross Andrews will be taking us through some of the tricks of the trade that mediums used to use to 'perform' their communications with the spirit world (£15)). This should a lot of fun!
Also for some there will be an option to attend the final dress rehearsal (on Thursday August 31st) of 'King's Ransom' introduced by Clive - This will be a limited number. Please be aware that this rehearsal may consist of stops and starts, as well as the more noticeable presence of cameras and crew. Then there is of course the much enjoyed 'after-party' to round off the weekend.
The band has just returned from their extremely successful "Masquerade Overture” 20th Anniversary tour. The band was pleased to perform in front of the enthusiastic European audience and selling out more than half of the shows was a joy. There are still a few dates left for the summer 2016. Make sure you do not miss them!
The release date of the long awaited Arena 20th anniversary DVD has been confirmed! The jubilee show, recorded in April 2015 in Poland, will be released in February 2016 by Metal Mind Productions. "We're very excited about this new release as it captures the vibe of the anniversary tour and represents 20 years of Arena", says Clive.
Clive: "I’m pleased to say that ‘King’s Ransom’, my new musical will be released on ‘Verglas’ records! It has been the label for Arena for the last 20 years and I’m hoping some of that gold dust will rub off on this new show. King’s Ransom is set in the same ‘universe’ as ‘Alchemy’ and takes place about two years after those events. The characters of Professor King, William Gardelle and Eva Bonaduce are still with us, alongside a host of new and vibrant protagonists. The ‘book’, lyrics and most of the music is now written, and my guess is that recording will begin in October, with a release early next year. I will announce the cast and musicians shortly.
Pendragon has announced the dates for the forthcoming 'Masquerade Overture' 20th anniversary tour. "It's only a little tour, but 'The Masquerade Overture' is 20 years old and we want every show to be a big celebration!", says Nick Barrett. The tour will consist of 12 shows performed in major European cities including Paris, Zoetermeer, London, Katowice and more. The tour will kick off in April with a single concert at the festival in Reichenbach, Germany and will continue throughout May 2016. Additionally, the show at the Wyspianski Theatre in Katowice, Poland will be recorded for DVD by Metal Mind Productions. Tickets for all shows are available now!
Clive: "Three more '
The "Masquerade Overture" 20th anniversary tour begins on May 12th in Paris. The band will perform in 11 European venues including the SOLD OUT Zoetermeer Cultuurpodium Boerderij, Katowice Wyspianski Theatre, Verona Club Il Giardino and more. To commemorate the tour, the show in Poland will be filmed for DVD by Metal Mind Productions. The 2016 "Masquerade Overture' shows will feature Christina Booth (Magenta) and Verity Smith (Caamora) on additional vocals.
After failure of two emergency retinal detachment surgeries, last Sunday Clive was forced to undergo another eye operation. He is now back home recovering from the most difficult one so far. Hopefully, this is the final stage of the procedure and we will soon see Maestro regain his health and return to his usual musical activities. Fingers crossed and we continue to send messages of support and wishes of swift recovery!
The DVD is the second official Caamora Theatre Company bootleg. This production of Clive’s first musical, ‘SHE’, was performed at the 
A brand new Norwegian production of Clive's second musical, 'Alchemy' is being prepared for a series of shows to be performed in May 2017. With the majority of the roles cast and regular rehearsals being held, Caamora Norway project is developing at a fast pace. The artwork for "Alchemy", designed by a renown Norwegian artist, Kirsten Knoph Viita, is the latest addition to the carefully drawn production plan leading up to the shows.
More dates have been set for Clive Nolan's first musical, 'She'. On January 30th 2016 the concert version of 'She' will be performed at the famous Cultuurpodium Boerderij in Zoetermeer, Holland. Subsequently, 'She' in its theatrical version will return to the Cheltenham Playhouse on September 2nd and 3rd. Watch out for further announcements!
Clive has recorded guest solo keyboard parts for the forthcoming album of the Chilean band, 
On September 17th, 2016 Clive will perform in Villamblain, France! During this intimate event you will hear songs from Clive's projects including his musicals, ‘She’, ‘Alchemy’ and the forthcoming "King's Ransom", performed in original theatre costumes.
On November 28th the Caamora Theatre Company will perform Clive Nolan's first musical 'She' at the Neuberinhaus Theatre in Reichenbach, Germany. The concert version of 'She' will feature the singers: Victoria Bolley (Ayesha), Robbie Gardner (Leo), Verity Smith (Ustane), Chris Lewis (Holly), Ian Baldwin (Job), Ross Andrews (Billali) and Joy-Amy Wigman (Rehani); the instrumentalists: Clive Nolan (keyboard), Mark Westwood (guitars), Kylan Amos (bass) and Scott Higham (drums); and the chorus including Ollie West, Ron Milsom, Alex White and Emily Frechter.
This autumn the Caamora Theatre Company will return to Cheltenham with Clive's first musical 'She'. This will be the third production of 'She' performed at the 
A theatrical version of Clive Nolan's first musical will return to the 
Clive had to undergo an emergency eye operation due to a detached retina. The operation is believed to have been successful, but the final results will be unknown for at least a month. Clive is currently taking a compulsory recovery break.
It is our great pleasure to announce the cast of Clive's new musical, 'King's Ransom'. The musical, that takes us back to the universe of Professor King and his companions, is scheduled for release in early 2017. The album will feature 11 principal characters, a chorus and a host of musicians. The recordings have now begun and some musical snippets together with a synopsis of the story will be available soon!
Clive: “It is with both excitement and sadness that I announce the parting of ways with Metal Mind regarding the future musicals. It’s time to see if we can reach out to new audiences and perhaps take the new shows down some slightly different pathways. Metal Mind continues to be a company I love working with, and they will still be marketing ‘She’ and ‘Alchemy’ (amongst many other things). Their support has always been a great part of what I do and I hope we will still be working together on new ideas along the way.
In November 2015 "She" will be performed in Reichenbach. The concert version will feature Clive Nolan (keyboards), Mark Westwood (guitars), Scott Higham (drums), Kylan Amos (bass), the new 2015 CAST and the CHORUS. For tickets contact Uwe at: 
We are going to release an ‘official bootleg’ DVD of the acoustic show recorded during the ‘Fire and the Quest’ weekend in September 2015, celebrating 10 years of Clive Nolan Musicals. This show features a wide variety of Clive’s material performed by a stellar cast of singers and musicians. Clive plays piano, sings and entertains alongside artists including Christina Booth, Alan Reed, Paul Manzi, Chris Lewis, Paul Scott, Agnieszka Swita, Victoria Bolley, Gemma Louise Edwards, Verity Smith, as well as the instrumental talents of Mark Westwood, Scott Higham and Kylan Amos.
Clive Nolan was voted "Best Keyboard Player" of 2015 by Classic Rock Society! This is Clive's 9th award in this category received from CRS. Congratulations, Clive!! Well deserved!
'The Fire and the Quest' festival celebrating 10 years of Clive Nolan Musicals took place on September 4th and 5th, 2015. The artists of the Caamora Theatre Company performed three shows in front of the sold out venue of the Playhouse Theatre in Cheltenham, UK. Clive’s jubilee was commenced with the premiere of a brand new production of his first musical, 'She', followed by the off-West End version of 'Alchemy', both directed by Ian Baldwin. Saturday acoustic concert, hosted by Clive himself and featuring, among others, some of the original performers from both musicals, gave a chance to reminisce about the past 10 years of Clive’s musical journey. The event was a great success and fun for performers and the audience alike.
Clive: "Well, that's it! My new musical 'King's Ransom' is now written!! I managed to write this one in less than two years (despite the eye problems), which is excellent. This show is epic on all sorts of levels and features some great new characters as well as some old favourites! There's political intrigue, love, hate, action, despair, hope and a little magic all thrown into the mix.
Clive: “I am very happy to announce the beginning of a brand new project - 'Caamora Norway'! Over the next year we will be building up to several full concert performances of 'Alchemy', featuring a brand new cast and new musicians... mostly from Norway. This is going to be an exciting and rewarding challenge which will culminate in May next year, and I wish everyone involved the very best of luck. I will, of course, still be involved, but the real pressure is on the guys out there, and I am absolutely sure they will produce something excellent! Special mention must go to Morten Clason (Captain of the ship), Ingar Diskerud (tussling with the finances) and Are Høidal (providing the chorus and many other sources). Over the course of the next days, weeks and months we will keep you informed as to the cast, the musicians and the overall production.. where to buy tickets... merchandise etc etc.
Clive: "As far as the characters I played are concerned, there was a practical reason... When I started writing the songs I was cheaper than anybody else around, so it made some kind of sense that I played Leo initially in "She". But I never felt any affinity for that particular role - it didn't really suit me. But when I wrote the story of "Alchemy", I was very aware that the character of King would suit me more. So that was a much easier decision to make. These two characters are the two that I actually sang. Obviously I sing a lot of the background chorus as well and when I do the demos, I sing a lot of the material even if it becomes somebody else's part later on".
The official announcement of the Caamora Norway production of 'Alchemy' in May 2017 was made last Saturday during the We Låve Rock festival in Hurum, Norway! The members of the new cast performed a selection of songs from 'Alchemy' and the new 
Clive: "As I announced at “The Fire and the Quest” weekend, it is my intention to write and record two musicals this year. This will be a mammoth undertaking, but it’s high time I moved on to new adventures! The first, provisionally entitled “Dark Fables”, will be a modern tale based around music I have written over the last 25 years.
Clive: "When I was a child my parents had a radiogram. You were pulling the little doors open and there was room for albums on the sides and the record deck in the middle. Being an only child I used to have a lot of time on my own and I used to go through these records. We had a collection of albums like "South Pacific", "My Fair Lady", "The Sound of Music". At that time I did not really think consciously about the genre - I just used to listen to these albums all the time and make up my own stories, cause they did not have proper sleeves. So, I had to imagine what was going on in the story. Thus from a very early age I was listening to that kind of music and my parents used to take me to see some of the musicals in the cinema. I remember being taken to see "Oliver!" and "Scrooge the Musical" and various other ones as well. So, I was brought up on a diet of musicals to some extent."