Susanna Freymark
When Rex and Marian Forwood say their music driven stage show is not a ‘normal’ musical, I lean in to hear what that means.
I perch on a couch in the music studio of their Eden Creek home.
Rex explains the show’s story line, then plays a song, then another explanation, another song and so on.
Forgotten is a deeply personal work for the Forwoods and it has been 40 years in the making.
In the 1980s, Marian wrote some poems.
“One day I wrote music to one of Marian’s poems – Descent Into Darkness,” Rex said.
Marian had a listen.
“I was like wow. It blew me away,” Marian said.
That was in 1988.
Through the ups and downs of their relationship, the couple learned about love, tolerance and each other and most importantly, about themselves.
“Love isn’t always a fairytale, sometimes it’s a battlefield,” Marian said.
“Love was not lost, it was forgotten.”
Rex put more of Marian’s songs to music.
“Later on we thought – We could put this in a story and we made an album of the songs,” Rex said.
Then they lost it.
Data on a new hard drive on the computer erased the years of creativity.
The story, the songs were gone.
Years later Marian was searching for a CD when she came across a box of them.
“I had forgotten we had the box of old stuff,” Marian said.
“I bring it to Rex in the studio and tell him – Look what I found.”
That was September 2024.
Forgotten was back.
“I’m a better musician and producer than I was back then – I redid them quicker and better than before,” Rex said.
The songs are diverse musically and instantly catchy. I’m tapping my foot as Rex plays another track in the studio.
Seeing what feels like the birth of Forgotten – a one and half hour musical stage show – is exciting.
This is going to big, I say, aware that I am witnessing something special here.
For Marian and Rex, the story and the music mean everything.
“We believe in love again,” Rex said.
There are the romantic lead characters and interestingly, there are characters named Fear and Guilt and the songs those characters sing explain the emotional ride of a relationship.
The Forgotten project is ambitious.
The Forwoods would like to see it on stage at QPAC in Brisbane, It is the kind of stage show that is likely to be picked up nationally and internationally – I can see it playing at the Sydney Opera House.
And it all begins in Kyogle.
Local theatre company Village Hall Players will bring Forgotten to the stage in May next year, first in Kyogle then in Lismore at the Star Court Theatre with a third venue to be announced.
Right now, auditions are being held on August 29 at the Conservatorium in Lismore for singers, dancers and actors.
The team welcomes talent from a range of performance backgrounds, including vocalists with pop, rock, musical theatre or choir experience, and dancers – bold, high energy performers who are across a variety of current styles, including hip-hop and lyrical.
‘Triple-threat’ performers are especially sought.
Jill Runciman from Kyogle will direct Forgotten with the Forwoods.
Award-winning vocalist, choir director and Northern Rivers Conservatorium instructor Imogen Wolf will be the vocal coach.
Forgotten has been growing for decades, and now is its time to go public.
“We’ve poured our hearts into creating a story that speaks honestly about love, identity, trauma and hope,” Rex said.
“This show will capture the zeitgeist”, added Marian.
“Now it’s time to find the performers who will give these characters a voice. Every great show begins with a founding cast, and we’re looking for artists who will help create something from the ground up,” Rex said.
For more information about audition registration and performance dates go here.
