Stage Door News
Stage Door News
On the Other Side of the World is making its world premier at the Next Stage Festival in Toronto this January. The play tells the rarely told true story of a young Jewish girl and her family as they flee Nazi Germany, to one of the only ports that remained open to refugees at the time- Shanghai.
“The project has presented interesting challenges”, says Kulak, “I'm attempting to meld several musical styles while maintaining my unique voice as a composer. We've created a string trio of pipa (a four-stringed lute that is one of China's oldest instruments), erhu (the two-stringed Chinese fiddle), and cello. Through the sounds of these and several other instruments, I'm creating a score that incorporates European/Jewish and Chinese influences."
Bryce Kulak is an award-winning pianist, composer, singer, and actor. Bryce’s collaborations with playwright and filmmaker Trevor Anderson have produced the award-winning children's musical Nami Namersson: the Viking Who Liked to Name Things and the short movie-musical The Man That Got Away, which won the DAAD Short Film Prize at its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival. Bryce plays piano, sings, and composed new music for Bohemians in Brooklyn and The Judgment of Paris, theatrical chamber music concerts narrated by CBCʼs Tom Allen. His original music was heard in B.C. Place Stadium as the finale of the Yukon Experience at the Vancouver Olympics. He was the composer and conductor of the Toronto Complaints Choir, a public art project produced by Harbourfront Centre involving over 120 choir members. He was the pianist for November Theatreʼs Dora award-nominated Toronto production of Tom Waitsʼ The Black Rider.
“I'm most excited about how the instrumental ensemble is emerging as another character in the play. I think (director) Brenley's concept of using a live soundscape will really transport us to the other side of the world, stretch our ears, and impact our feelings in a way that recorded sounds cannot. I'm also writing for Chinese instruments, so I've been doing a lot of research and listening to a lot of new music, which at first was challenging to my ears. I've really grown to love traditional Chinese music, and I've developed a deeper appreciation for the sounds and expressive qualities of these instruments. To see and hear these instruments played live in a theatrical context will be a first-time experience for many in the audience” Kulak concludes.
The Musicians of ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD include:
ERIKA NIELSEN (Cello- Sudbury Symphony); ANNIE NING (Pipa); AMELY ZHOU (Erhu- Co-founder of “Spire”, a Chinese/Western fusion group)
The cast of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD includes:
ASHLEIGH HENDRY (Stratford Festival), NICHOLAS RICE (Acting Upstage, MTC) SAM ROSENTHAL (Drayton Entertainment), DALE YIM (fu-Gen, YPT), LIZA BALKAN (Theatre Passe Muraille, NAC), JORDAN KANNER (Stratford), DOV MICKELSON (CanStage, Catalyst Theatre, 4th Line theatre) DEBRA HALE (1000 Islands, Magnus Theatre), ESTHER THIBAULT, SUSAN LOCK, (fu-Gen, Convergence Theatre) PHOEBE HU, RAY JACILDO (Luminato, COC), EUNJUNG NAM (GBC), and MINH LY (Magnus Theatre)
Director BRENLEY CHARKOW’s most recent directorial credits include MO AND JESS KILL SUSIE (OUTSTANDING ENSEMBLE- NOW Magazine fringe wrap up 2013, "...director Brenley Charkow and her three actors create tension from the start and escalate it nicely over the course of the show."- NOW Magazine ); THE WAVES (5 NNNNN’s NOW Mag/ “...elegant direction allows the audience to stay immersed and engaged”- PLANK MAGAZINE) She was recently seen on stage as Frumah Sarah) in FIDDLER ON THE ROOF at Stage West, and Annabella in THE 39 STEPS.
On the Other Side of the World
Created & Directed by Brenley Charkow Composer/Music Director: Bryce Kulak; Set/ Costume Designer: Scott Penner; Lighting Designer Siobhan Sleath; Stage Manager: Laurie Merredew; Production Manager: Rae Powell; Produced by: HARLEY DOG PRODUCTIONS
Presented as Part of the 2014 Next Stage Theatre Festival
The Factory Theatre Main Stage
125 Bathurst Street
Tickets Online: www.fringetoronto.com, or by phone: 416-966-1062 All tickets $15
Photo: Brenley Charkow.
2013-12-13
Toronto: "On the Other Side of the World" premieres at the Next Stage Festival January 9, 2014