Ruckus Theatre Co. Presents Améliore: A New Musical
2021

Améliore: A New Musical is a tale for the modern age, inverting traditional Broadway stereotypes and prioritising the Black, queer, female voice. the musical explores how mental health conditions manifest in our lives, both romantic and familial, and what happily ever after looks like in the modern day.

Using a small but diverse cast, the musical explores sexual assault, misogyny, racism, over-bearing parents, the responsibilities of the carer and mental health in a balanced performance which is both profound and optimistic. the message of Améliore is that life isn't perfect and it will always face us with challenges, but that doesn't mean that it isn't beautiful in its own way.

Credits

Story by Melissa Boyce-Hurd and Bethany F. Knowles.

Song, lyrics and script by Melissa Boyce-Hurd.

Original Score by Matteo Ressa.

A Note From The Writer

Writing my debut musical Améliore has been an immensely personal journey inspired by the turbulence of becoming a young adult in the modern world. While the majority of the show was written over the past year, the songs Pills and All the Time from Act 2 have been developed from songs I wrote as a teenager. Back then, I never thought I would share them with anyone, let alone that they would become the inspiration for an entire musical and spawn a plethora of brand-new music with the help of our incredible orchestrator Matteo Ressa.

It was really important to me to show a 3-dimensional Person of Colour whose story isn’t defined purely by their race. While charismatic, Amelia is far from perfect. She is tempestuous. She can be selfish and at times entirely in the wrong. Amelia’s journey is fraught with disappointments and traumas that threaten to dim her light. But she will build off her pain rather than wallow in it, and she will get better.

I hope you enjoy the show!

Melissa Boyce-Hurd

Améliore: A New Musical premiered at Camden Fringe Festival, Upstairs at The Gatehouse, from the 2nd to the 6th of August.