"Some stories are written from imagination. Others are earned through experience."
DB MORGAN
The Filmmaker Behind Britain's Next Original Musical
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Every Great Story Starts Somewhere
Not every creative journey begins at drama school. DB Morgan's certainly didn't.
Raised first on a modest rural farm before later finding himself living on a Colchester City council estate, DB Morgan experienced two very different worlds that would profoundly shape his imagination. From the quiet rhythms of country life to the resilience, humour and resourcefulness of working-class communities, he absorbed the people, personalities and everyday struggles that surrounded him. Those colourful, authentic characters - their grit, warmth, wit and unwavering spirit - would go on to become the beating heart of his storytelling.
Inspired by filmmakers such as Shane Meadows, whose authentic storytelling reflected a similarly working-class upbringing, Morgan never believed great stories should be limited by budgets, privilege or access. He understood early that barriers existed - but he also decided they would never define him. If there wasn't a budget, he'd find another way.
If there wasn't an introduction, he'd make the call. If the industry door remained closed, he'd build his own entrance.
More Than a Filmmaker
DB's collaborators often describe another quality that rarely appears on a CV. He understands people. Before filmmaking he trained and worked as a classically trained Chef, an experience that fundamentally shaped how he runs productions. He believes cast and crew perform at their best when they genuinely feel looked after. Great catering isn't an afterthought. Neither is remembering someone's favourite coffee... or ensuring an actor has exactly the right snack, or hot drink, waiting after an emotionally demanding scene.
"Hospitality is at the forefront of directing."
The atmosphere behind the camera often determines what happens in front of it. That attention to detail has helped create productions that are known not only for ambition, but for kindness, professionalism and genuine care for everyone involved.
Forged Through Adversity
DB Morgan's life took a dramatic turn at the age of fourteen.
Undiagnosed autistic and struggling within a mainstream education system that simply didn't understand him, DB was expelled from secondary school and placed in a residential boarding school. What should have been a place of care instead became a notorious environment of abuse and neglect - an institution that would later become the subject of legal action. Years later, DB was among the former pupils awarded compensation following a successful court case relating to the historic abuse suffered there. The experience left him deeply traumatised.
DB left school with little confidence, no clear direction and no sense of where he belonged. Like many young people carrying unresolved trauma, he sought escape through drugs, followed by a brief period of offending - a chapter he now disarms with characteristic humour, describing it simply as "my good guy gap year."
Addiction remained a battle for almost twenty years.
Yet DB rarely speaks of that period with self-pity. Instead, he describes it as the making of him. Every setback became another piece of armour. Every mistake taught resilience. Every failure deepened his empathy. Those experiences ultimately forged the determination that has defined both his filmmaking career and his life's work.
Recovery came gradually through creativity, new friendships and the unwavering support of the woman who would become his wife. Her belief in him helped rebuild the confidence and self-worth that had been stripped away years before.
Today, DB sees those difficult years not as the end of his story, but as the foundation of it. They shaped the filmmaker he became, the mentor he is today and his enduring belief that no one should ever be defined by the worst chapter of their life. Given belief, opportunity and someone willing to stand beside them, extraordinary things can happen—and that conviction has become the driving force behind everything he creates, both on screen and beyond.
Teaching Himself the Craft
Unable to follow the traditional university route into filmmaking, DB refused to believe that his dream had ended. Instead, he spent six months in his local library teaching himself screenwriting. Every screenplay he could find. Every filmmaking book available.
He studied structure, dialogue, character and storytelling with the determination of someone who knew there was no alternative.
A chance meeting with Elliot Grove, founder of Raindance, through the New Producers Alliance became the catalyst for the next chapter. DB went on to complete professional training through Raindance Film School while continuing to carve out his own place within Britain's independent film industry.
Building a Career Without Permission
DB's first professional production, 'Hard Sell', began life as a short teaser created to raise finance for a feature film. At the time he was an industry unknown with no representation, no established producer and no obvious route to recognised talent. Yet through persistence - and scripts filled with memorable, authentic characters - he secured an impressive cast including Craig Fairbrass, Karl Howman and Chrissie Cotterill.
The lesson was simple. Strong stories ad big characters attract talented people.
Earlier in his career, Morgan's short film 'Subject 3' won an MTV filmmaking competition, bringing industry attention to an emerging filmmaker whose work was beginning to stand out for its distinctive voice.
Rather than waiting for larger opportunities, Morgan simply kept making films.
His first feature, 'Blood Highway', was produced on virtually no budget, much of it filmed inside his mother's barn with actors Frank Jakeman and Leona Clarke. Against every expectation, the film travelled internationally, collecting more than twenty festival awards and accolades.
His second feature, Morris Men pushed considerably higher.
Produced for approximately £80,000, the film attracted an accomplished cast including Jon Campling (Harry Potter), Ross O'Hennessy (Game of Thrones) and Eloise Lovell Anderson (The Bastard Executioner). Competing alongside productions costing many millions more, Morris Men earned further international recognition and proved that compelling storytelling could stand proudly beside significantly larger productions.
Throughout every DB Morgan project one philosophy remains constant.
Story comes first.
PROFESSIONAL TESTIMONIALS
"I'd just finished a hard action scene and was on my knees. To be presented with Marmite crisps and liquorice sticks on the spot nearly brought me to tears. That's hospitality and DB Morgan & his team have it in abundance."
Jon Campling (Harry Potter - Death Eater)
"I've never known a Producer/Director to achieve so much from so little. DB's vision is so strong and he just gets it done whilst empowering those around him with his collaborative spirit.
Frank Jakeman - (Game of Thrones)
Then Everything Changed
Professional success could easily have been enough. Instead, Morgan asked himself a different question. What if creativity could save lives? The answer became The Underdog Crew.
DB has always allowed young filmmakers on set to become part of the crew - problems at school, low self esteem, autistic etc. He works with secondary schools to identify teens in need of positivity and empowerment as part of a professional internship. He sees, every time, the lost kids, scared to pipe up or get involved on day one, become well trained, confident crew members at the end of the production. Their reward - a gala red carpet night together with limo's and family celebration.
Now, firmly established as a Community Interest Company in 2023, the organisation now uses professional filmmaking, music production, theatre and mentoring to support some of Essex's most marginalised young people. Many arrive having been excluded from school. Many are autistic. Many have experienced trauma. Many have been told - directly or indirectly - that they simply won't amount to anything.
DB recognises them immediately. Because he once stood exactly where they stand.
Through sustained mentoring and professional creative opportunities, The Underdog Crew has transformed the lives of more than fifty young people, with Morgan believing that at least five young lives have been directly saved through trusted relationships, purpose and hope.
Working alongside specialist schools, SEN educators, local authorities and youth organisations, the organisation has become recognised nationally for pioneering work supporting neurodivergent young people through the creative arts.
Recognitions include:
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BBC Make a Difference Award 2025
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Three High Sheriff of Essex Awards
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Mayor's Charity of Colchester City 2025
These awards recognise not simply artistic achievement, but measurable social impact.
Why "A Night at the Mangled Mare?"
To those who know DB Morgan's work, A Night at the Mangled Mare doesn't feel like a change of direction - it feels like the destination he was always heading towards.
Throughout his filmmaking career, DB has been drawn to stories that refuse to fit neatly into a single genre. He has always believed the most memorable stories are those that make audiences laugh, cry, gasp and reflect - sometimes all within the same scene. Like life itself, they are messy, emotional, funny and unpredictable.
That philosophy sits at the very heart of A Night at the Mangled Mare. DB's writing has always been influenced by the great storytellers who understood that comedy and tragedy are not opposites - they are partners. From Shakespeare's unforgettable characters to the larger-than-life personalities found in classic British folklore and Victorian music halls, he has long been fascinated by stories where humour masks heartbreak, villains reveal humanity and ordinary people find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. Equally, he has always admired modern productions that refuse to play by convention. The theatrical spectacle of The Greatest Showman, the wonderfully eccentric darkness of Little Shop of Horrors, and the confidence to blend music, comedy, emotion and fantasy into one unforgettable experience have all helped shape his creative thinking. Those influences are not imitated, but celebrated through a distinctly original British voice.
Looking back across DB's career, the path becomes obvious. His films have always been driven by vivid characters, cinematic storytelling and worlds that feel both grounded and heightened at the same time. They have explored outsiders, redemption, resilience and hope - recurring themes that now find their fullest expression on the stage.
A Night at the Mangled Mare is the natural culmination of that journey. It combines everything DB has spent years developing as a storyteller: memorable characters, cinematic pacing, theatrical spectacle, original music, humour that disarms and emotional moments that stay with an audience long after the curtain falls.
At the centre of it all is Simpkin Witherspoon - a gloriously charismatic showman whose wit, charm and theatrical brilliance conceal something far darker beneath the surface. Like the very best theatrical characters, he is impossible to define as either hero or villain, inviting audiences to laugh with him one moment and find repulsion in him the next.
For DB, this has never been about writing a musical. It has been about creating his musical - a story that embraces the timeless craft of traditional storytelling while delivering it with fresh energy, cinematic scale and a uniquely British sense of humour. His ambition is simple: to create an original British musical that audiences remember not simply for its songs or spectacle, but for the characters they fell in love with, the emotions they experienced and the feeling that they had discovered something genuinely new.
DB is most excited to cast this role. A role demanding charisma, exceptional vocals, comic brilliance and dramatic depth. Exactly the sort of role actors dream of discovering.
Not a Community Musical
This is not a community musical. It is a professionally developed original British musical with serious artistic ambitions. Alongside established performers, however, the production offers something genuinely unique. Young people from The Underdog Crew will have the opportunity to work alongside experienced actors, musicians and theatre professionals inside a genuine professional production. Not as a workshop. Not as an educational exercise. But as a professional 8-month internship, becoming valued members of an ambitious creative team. Professional artists bring excellence. Young people bring extraordinary energy, authenticity and the opportunity to witness first-hand what a career in the arts can become. Together they create something neither could achieve alone.
An Invitation
DB Morgan has spent a lifetime proving that determination can overcome almost any obstacle.
From a traumatised teenager who believed he had no future… to an award-winning independent filmmaker. From making films inside his mother's barn... to directing internationally recognised actors. From addiction… to helping vulnerable young people discover purpose, confidence and hope.
Now he brings that same determination to the stage.
A Night at the Mangled Mare is seeking exceptional actors, creatives, musicians and collaborators who believe in original British storytelling and who want to help create something genuinely distinctive. If you're looking for another revival, this probably isn't it.
If you're looking to help create Britain's next great original musical… Welcome to A Night at the Mangled Mare.
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