The Picture of Dorian Gray

A new musical by a University student is bringing to the stage one of Oscar Wilde's most notable works.

Callum Nicholls, a Masters student at the School of Music, has composed a musical based on the novel The Picture of Dorian Gray - the story of a young man who makes a fatal wish that a painting of himself would age instead of him.

The musical took Callum just over five months to write and will be performed by the University's music students over two nights in February.

Callum said: "I was always inspired by the works of Oscar Wilde, as although written in the Victorian era, they still connect with a modern day audience and have a lot to say about life in general. I was drawn toward Dorian Gray in particular due to its dark nature, which always lends itself well to musical theatre as is evident in works such as The Phantom of The Opera, Les Miserables andSweeney Todd, works that have inspired me in my writing.

"All I hope to achieve from this is to get the musical heard and for people to leave the concert humming the melodies. Cardiff University and in particular the School of Music have given a lot to me. In return I hope to give Cardiff students a chance to premiere a work, and enable audiences to see a brand new musical and the talent that lies within the University."

The Picture of Dorian Gray will be performed at the University's Concert Hall, School of Music on Friday 22^nd and Saturday 23^rd of February 2013.