Brought together by their joint loves of musicals and science, composer Jenni Pinnock and writers Helen Arney and Brian Mackenwells are working on The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade as part of the first Birmingham Hippodrome Musical Theatre Writers Group. Support for the show’s development comes from Lincoln Arts Centre’s “Innovate Artists” scheme, a British Society for History of Science Outreach and Engagement grant, The Institute of Physics Public Engagement Grant Scheme and continuing support from Birmingham Hippodrome’s New Musical Theatre department.
From left to right:
Jenni Pinnock – jennipinnock.com
Jenni is a British composer who loves combining quirky time signatures, soaring melodies and moments of stillness. Nature, science and stories are key themes within her music which receive regular performances around the world – particularly in the US. Recent projects include Antarctic sound installations, dance collaborations about change, a song cycle about the weather and a fiery new musical with collaborators Helen Arney and Brian Mackenwells. She frequently collaborates with creative practitioners across the arts alongside delivering composition projects in multiple settings, in both the contemporary classical and musical theatre worlds.
Helen Arney – helenarney.com
Helen is a songwriter, science presenter and recovering stand-up comedian. You might have seen her explaining physics while riding a rollercoaster for BBC2, electrifying Sandi Toksvig on QI, singing the periodic table on Channel 4 News, smashing a wine glass with her voice live on Blue Peter or touring theatres across the UK as one third of science comedy phenomenon “Festival of the Spoken Nerd”. She is currently working on several musical theatre projects that put complex women and science centre-stage, including a teenage jiu jitsu suffragette show for National Youth Music Theatre, and has filled several notebooks with rhymes for Uranus (none of which are printable here).
Brian Mackenwells – mackenwells.com
Brian Mackenwells is an Irish writer living in Oxford. Despite being quite tired, he has written for the BBC about pencils, told stories on stage about not getting sick in zero gravity, performed standup about strange superheroes, and co-wrote an audio drama every month for five years. His poems have been published in The Dirigible Balloon, Tyger Tyger, and the Caterpillar, and his Irish-language film-poem ‘Cur Síos‘ was chosen for the ‘Irish Selection’ category at the 2021 “ó bhéal” Irish poetry festival.
The Cambridge First All-Ladies Fire Brigade 