About

Green Room was created in February 2011 by Neil Metcalfe and Michael Richardson. Both had shared a similar career path, with early training and professional experience in opera, followed by significant periods of working with young people, both in formal education and in nonformal learning environments.

Neil and Michael were keen that the new company would be defined by four key aims:

  • We will use a broad definition of the term musical theatre, to include all forms of story-telling that use music to communicate with our audience;
  • We will create high quality, innovative and intensely theatrical productions using a diverse range of dramatic forms;
  • We will work with, support and nurture young singing actors;
  • We will tour widely throughout Scotland, the UK and internationally.

Green Room came into existence after Neil and Michael discussed the idea with two young singing actors, Sarah Haddath and Michael Davies. Enthused by the concept of the company, together the four agreed to work together, and their debut production of The Last Five Years by Jason Robert Brown premiered in October 2011.

People

Neil Metcalfe
Neil Metcalfe
Musical Director

Neil read music at The University of Edinburgh before taking up a scholarship at the Opera School of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama where he trained as a repetiteur, vocal coach, pianist and conductor.

After some time on the music staff of Scottish Opera he began a freelance career which has taken him to opera houses in Australia, Germany, the United Sates and Northern Ireland. He has also worked with a number of touring companies including Bolshoi Opera, Kirov Opera, Catalan National Theatre and Deutsche Oper am Rhein. As a performer he has appeared in venues as far afield as Greenland and Australia and in a wide number of genres from musical theatre to chamber music. He has recorded for the BBC and on the Linn Records label.

Neil presently holds the post of Musical Director for a number of companies including Edinburgh Music Theatre, Edinburgh Grand Opera, Edinburgh University Chorus, The Maltings Theatre and Balerno Theatre Company.

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