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 Abandoned: a thousand tongues / A Requiem for the Dead ... extremely challenging to write this post ... process began with July workshops (12 three hour sessions) ... continued with August focused training (14 three hour sessions) ... shifted towards structured production in Sept. (7 three hour sessions) ... performances in mid-late October (9 ensemble sessions including two performances) ... some how ... a generously provided space from 9am - 1pm  ... ... two co-founders of the project, 36 workshop participants resulting in 10 actors to which 4 more theatre workers were added to the creative team ...  ... directors notes:   Welcome.   I should say at the outset we invite you to think of the action you are to witness as a Requiem - an act of remembrance. This years end of October hovers specifically over the torrent of tears from the trauma of Itaewon.  We have approached this trauma first and foremost from the perspective of students. Many have experien...

(Director Notes for the show not to be.) A still from the archived video from tech rehearsal My sojourn with the present embodiment of Autobiography of Grass Tomb began in 2003 during a first visit to Korea. Fascinated by the rich traditional arts i searched desperately for a Korean play in English translation and successfully downloaded one from a site now long defunct. Grass Tomb by Oh, Tae-sok & Dong Nang Repertory Theatre of Korea was described by the translator Ryu, Yung-kyung as “personified abstractions”. A short read of thirty-five minutes made it ideal for research in university classes. I played with the script for a few years in first year acting classes eventually developing something articulated as soul work .  My partner AeRan Jeong, an incredible performance artist and esteemed academic, introduced me to the Korean Arts - the mask dances, Temple stays, Pansori instruction, Piri lessons and a vast array of Korean theatre from puppets to drumming. ...

Jessica a Ceremony is a reimagined reworking of Jessica by Maria Campbell and Linda Griffiths. The book of Jessica: A Theatrical Transformation documents the collaboration between Maria Campbell, Metis writer, playwright, filmmaker, scholar, teacher, community organizer, activist and elder and Linda Griffiths (1953-2014), a Canadian actress, producer, writer and one of Canada's most lauded modern theatre voices as together they created the award winning play Jessica . To honour the 45th anniversary of Maria Campbells's memoir Halfbreed (1973), regarded as a foundational work of Indigenous literature in Canada, the E.D. Feehan Theatre Guild brings you the story of a young Metis girl struggling to find her voice.  A story that resonates even more today. The cast diligently sourced the original script by improvising around scenes to develop their own path which they wish to share with you. We welcome you to join us on our journey. Elder Vitaline conjures up the spir...

... just finished reading Jacob Wren “ Authenticity is a Feeling ” on the plane to Seoul ... in fact read the entire book on airplanes ... what sticks the most is the passage describing going to a round dance: “ ... that this was what I’d always been looking for in art. The way everyone could participate or not participate, how the dancing and singing and drumming was just going on in and around us, part of daily life, and at the same time we were all always part of it. (Well… I wasn’t but everyone else seemed to be.) Since, of course, this wasn’t only or even mainly art, it was culture in a larger sense. ... I couldn’t help but think: wasn’t this related to what I’ve always been working on. A performative feeling of community where the performers were no different from the audience, where everyone knew the rules yet engaged with them in some way where the rules barely seemed to matter at all. I was of course watching all of this as an outsider and a settler. I had no idea what ...

... entering the gym doors of Gimpo South Korean Boys Schoo we found ourselves backstage ... Yura greeted us warmly ... she had the aura of focused calm yet excited pre-show anxiousness ... a contained nervous energy ... she smiled & exclaimed as i embraced her, “Enjoy the show!” ... ... i remembered long ago waiting with Henry & Susan, esteemed veterans of the stage ... Henry turned to me commenting - “only those who have been backstage can know this feeling” ... I recognized in Yura the apprehension, the vulnerability, the joy & the breath of time waiting backstage ... ... Yura for the first time was dipping her toes into the way of the actor ... ... we (her father, aunt & uncle) made our way to the designated audience seats ... we had been placed ob the gym stage ... the light & sound crew just behind us ... an impressive scrim, a line of facing white chairs and four towering lighting trees created  a formidable performance thrust space ... ... Odys...