Stage Door News
Stage Door News
It's Christmas Eve at Melanka's house, but the Revolution is in full swing on the streets of Kyiv.
This is the story of riot cop-turned-protester Vasyl and caroller-turned-activist Melanka. It unfolds through traditional Central and Eastern Ukrainian carols, ballads, and psalms, in a fully interactive setting that places the audience in the centre of the action as they enjoy a traditional Ukrainian Christmas dinner.
The Backstory
Counting Sheep is based on the firsthand experiences of playwrights Mark Marczyk and Marichka Kudriavtseva, who were on the Maidan and the AntiTerrorist Operation (ATO) front in Ukraine in 2014. It stars members of local Juno-nominated guerrilla-folk party-punks The Lemon Bucket Orkestra (runner-up for Best Band in NOW Magazine's "Best of Toronto" poll).
The Music
Over the past 16 years, singer and ethnomusicologist Marichka Kudriavtseva has been traveling across Ukraine with the renowned folk ensemble Bozhychi, collecting centuries-old songs from the aging carriers of the world-famous Ukrainian vocal tradition. Now, she has come to Canada to teach the Lemon Bucket Orkestra this dying repertoire to help tell the story of the Revolution in her country. These are songs rarely heard even in contemporary Ukraine that will transport you to the plains villages of a country currently under siege.
The Videos
Thanks to camera phones and Youtube, this is the most documented revolution we have ever seen in the history of our planet. Marczyk and Kudriavtseva have spent the greater part of the last month collecting and editing these exact videos-- not high definition journalistic shots, but the stories of civilians shot from a wide variety of perspectives. We're going to blow up these gripping images onto three walls of St. Vladimir Institute, creating a fully immersive visual background that will help the audience see the Maidan Square through the eyes of the people.
The Dinner
With the help of local gourmet Shamez Amlani of La Palette, chef Dan Ihnatowycz has created a menu that will give our audience both a taste of a traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve dinner-- Svjata Vecherja-- and a glimpse into the culinary experience of the revolution. Following the philosophy that the way we feed ourselves is directly related to our paths in life, Ihnatowycz's unique take on Ukrainian cuisine will help complete the journey for the intimate 30-person audience.
Counting Sheep
by Mark Marczyk
St. Vladimir’s Institute, 620 Spadina Ave.
Jan. 22-23 at 7pm, Jan. 24 at 2:30pm
Jan. 29--Feb. 1 at 7pm
For tickets, visit www.countingsheepkoljada.com.
2015-01-22
Toronto: Lemon Bucket Orkestra presents "Counting Sheep" January 22-February 1