Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO, April 8, 2015 – On the heels of Acting Up Stage Company’s hit production of THE WILD PARTY, and coinciding with Why Not Theatre’s UK premiere LIKE MOTHER LIKE DAUGHTER in collaboration with Complicite, both companies in association with the Koffler Centre of the Arts are thrilled to announce that they will present the North American premiere of Theatre Ad Infinitum’s 2013 Edinburgh Festival sell-out hit, BALLAD OF THE BURNING STAR.
Co-created by Theatre Ad Infinitum’s Co-Artistic Directors George Mann and Nir Paldi, BALLAD OF THE BURNING STAR will run in Toronto from May 19 – 24 (Media night: May 19) at The Theatre Centre (1115 Queen St. West). Tickets from $20 to $50 are available by phone at 416-538-0988, online at www.burningstar.ca, or in person at the box office.
An ensemble musical, the cast of BALLAD OF THE BURNING STAR is lead by Nir Paldi as Star - a larger-than-life drag queen from Israel. Armed with music, killer heels and a lethal troop of divas, an enraged Star executes a story of victimhood, persecution, aggression and love. With shrapnel sharp voices and moves as smooth as an oiled tank chain, this cabaret troop invites you on a journey into the core of the conflicted Jewish State.
The piece began as an idea of Paldi’s for a semi-autobiographical play that would examine the ongoing war between Israel and Palestine through family stories. He aimed to explore identity, religion and politics in the region. However, after six weeks of development in Nov-Dec 2010, during which the company experimented with narratives, styles and ideas, the two creators realized that they wanted to find an unconventional and extraordinary way to tell their story.
Delving into a world of cabaret and drag and bringing an international all-female chorus to the UK seemed like the perfect way to lead their spectators on a tragic and explosive journey to the Holy Land.
As the piece evolved it departed from solely using Paldi’s autobiographical stories by drawing on the testimonies of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as well. Together, they formed a story that Mann and Paldi felt urgently needed telling.
Comments Paldi: “George and I went into a rehearsal space for six weeks. I thought we’d make a one-person show and I’d just tell my story, my life’s story, and we’d see what came out of it. At the end we had about 25 minutes of me standing there, and we thought ‘Yeah, that’s not it. It can’t be that!’ That was the first time we started thinking about using drag as a sort of a mask…”
…Drag and cabaret represent a sort of cover up: ‘It’s normal, everything is normal here!’ Throughout the show the character's mask is breaking down little by little. At the end, we unfurl a person who has been through very difficult experiences and who has also caused horrible misery to other people. And he’s left there with all the confusion. We want to create an open dialogue so people will actually speak to one another and see the human beings behind the myths - behind the stamp of an ‘enemy.’”
BALLAD OF THE BURNING STAR first premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2013 where it debuted to rave reviews and sold-out audiences.
“We are very excited to bring this truly singular piece of theatre to North America for the first time,” says Acting Up Stage Company Artistic Director Mitchell Marcus. “Theatre Ad Infinitum’s work is groundbreaking both in terms of its subject matter and how it approaches its subject, they are very much aligned with Acting Up Stage Company’s and Why Not Theatre’s own objectives.”
Why Not Artistic Director Ravi Jain adds, “We are thrilled to be part of this collaboration. This will be the third show we have presented from Theatre Ad Infinitum and we've no doubt it will be as much of a success as the others.”
During the one-week limited run of BALLAD OF THE BURNING STAR, there will be a 45-minute pre-show reception before each performance in the lobby, featuring a local expert touching on themes important to the play.
Get social:
Facebook: Acting Up Stage Company www.facebook.com/actingupstagecompany – Theatre Why Not www.facebook.com/theatrewhynot
Twitter: @ActingUpStage <https://twitter.com/ActingUpStage> - @theatrewhynot <https://twitter.com/theatrewhynot>
Hashtag: #BOTBS
About Theatre Ad Infinitum
Theatre Ad Infinitum is a multi-award-winning international ensemble based in London that develops new and original theatre for multi-cultural audiences.
We all share a passion for innovative theatre making that speaks to a global community, and create performances that harness the universal language of the body. Drawing on our differences in culture, nationality, and language we produce a unique and engaging form of theatre unified by our commitment to the audience.
That you may be moved, challenged and inspired by our work is our first priority.
“The Lecoq-trained mime ensemble Theatre ad Infinitum have moved to the front of the pack”
-The Guardian
Photo: Scene from Ballad of the Burning Star. ©2014 Alex Brenner.
2015-04-08
Toronto: Acting Up Stage Company and Why Not Theatre present "Ballad of the Burning Star" May 19-24