Kit Opens the Chatham Carnival

The 4th July was a special day indeed. It was the day of the Chatham Carnival, which officially kicks off over 2 weeks of the Medway Fringe Festival (MedFringe) and Medway Open Studios.

The Carnival itself started on the High Street and was a colourful and rambunctious affair. The parade was made up of different groups in different gear, floats, streamers, and tons of brochures given out to passers-by.

Some of the cast of Kit the Musical took part in the MedFringe float, and when the parade finished, the cast moved on to the The Paddock, where the pavillion provided a stage for the public.

Posing after the performance (photo courtesy of Cr Nina Gurung)
Posing after the performance (photo courtesy of Cr Nina Gurung)

Kit Debuts at IntraFest 2026

The cast of Kit the Musical perform at IntraFest2026

13 June 2026 was IntraFest, a celebration on the Old High Street of Medway, linking Rochester to Chatham. The day was filled with events all across the length of the Old High Street.

Kit the Musical made its public debut at The Old Brewery and also at The Bohemian. It was an opportunity for the public to hear a new song, “Star”, as well as the revamped “Shoemaker’s Son”, and also to meet the brand new cast.

The cast present included Scotty Bassett, Patrick Coulter, Zoey Firmin, Jen Laws, Natalie Radlett, Kieron Riddell and Jacob Stocking. Superb show, people!

Rehearsals Begin!

The first rehearsal of 2026

We had our first ever rehearsal on 29 May, 2026!

(Most of) the cast met for the first time. Kit writer, Julian Ng, was on hand to provide insight into the characters and plot.

Our Musical Director is the fabulous Paul James, who led everyone through vocal warm ups.

Today was a sing through with vocal guides, just to pinpoint areas of strength and what to work on. Overall, the energy in the room was simply amazing and we cannot wait to get the show off the ground.

Get Your Kit Tix :)

Get Kit Tix

Two dates have been scheduled for Kit the Musical at MedFringe.

We will be playing at the Spotlites Theatre in Chatham on the 15th and 18th of July, 2026.

Featuring an entirely revamped score, new songs, and rejigged older songs, come along and (re)discover the life and times of Elizabethan England’s most audacious and ground-breaking dramatist.

Tickets are now on sale. Grab ’em before they go.

Season 4 of Hidden in Plain Sight is upon us…

Season 4 of Hidden in Plain Sight in here

Season 4 of #HIPSPodcast is arriving on 3 February 2026. As per Season 3, it is now a webcast as well. You can watch all the videos on YouTube and it gives you visuals such as when passages are quoted to help you understand what is being said.

It still works as a podcast, of course, and you can hear the series on Apple Podcast, Spotify, or other media.

This series is a slight departure, where a debate is held between our resident expert, Dr Peter Hodges and Dr Joseph Khoury of St Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Canada. Carol Paxton and Dr Julian Ng then comment on that conversation.

Don’t miss our new season: arriving on all podcast apps from 3rd February, 2026.

HIPS Season 3

HIPS Season 3

Another year, another season of our beloved podcast. Season 3 of Hidden in Plain Sight hits the airways on January 14.

This time around, Peter Hodges, Carol Paxton and Julian Ng dig into the collection of sonnets, popularly attributed to William Shakespeare. Specifically, we are focusing on the so-called ‘Procreation Sonnets’. What exactly are they? Why were they written? For whom were they written? What do they mean?

In this series, we will be joined by some guests – Dr Rachel Wifall (Professor of English at St Peter’s University, New Jersey, USA) and Dr Peter Khoury (Professor of English at St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Canada).

Not only this, though… this marks the first we have videos! This is now a webcast as well.

Join us as we unravel the mysteries of the delightful sonnets.

Hidden in Plain Sight Theme Song

To celebrate the end of Season 2 of #HIPSPodcast, I decided to write a song for the podcast using the motif of the podcast theme tune.

Called ‘Hidden in Plain Sight’ (what else?), it is performed by the wonderful Lucas Hardy.

Kit the Musical Preview – July 2018

On the 11th July, four songs were showcased for the first time for Kit the Musical. The showcase took place at the Canterbury Baptist Church during the Canterbury Arts Conference.

Three amazing actors took on several roles. Jake Byrom and Tristan Ward, fresh from their success in Rasputin Rocks! took on the roles of William Shakespeare and Kit Marlowe respectively. Jake also became masterspy Robert Poley.  Aoife Beer, meanwhile, portrayed Queen Elizabeth I in her big cameo, to perfection.

Here are the songs in order of performance:

1. Aye, Eye

2. Shoemaker’s Son

3. The Life of a Spy

4. The Virgin Queen