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LATEST NEWS, SEPTEMBER 2016: Luminate, Scotland’s Festival for Creative Ageing present the world premiere of a new work by poet and playwright Lee Gershuny
REFLECTIONS OF A CONSTANT MONK
Poetry, Parables and Live Music
Written by Lee Gershuny
Music Directed and Composed by Robin Mason
Presented by Corinne Harris, Robin Mason, Peter Galinsky and Lee Gershuny
A modern monk walks the world asking questions as he, or sometimes she, goes – the answers form a colourful fabric of paradox and insight.
Often gentle and funny, frequently poignant and always intelligently observed, Lee Gershuny’s Reflections of a Constant Monk is an interweaving of poetry, parable and original music.
It poses fundamental questions about human existence, whether it has purpose and why the bully seems to get away with trampling on the meek.
But far from despairing, the double gendered monk at the heart of the narrative sees beyond the immediate pain and drudgery of life and points to the possibility of beauty and freedom.
Reflections of a Constant Monk, which premieres at Summerhall in Edinburgh as part of Luminate, Scotland’s creative ageing festival, is rich with a sense of pilgrimage and possibility – a work born of deep experience.
This is brought out to the full by the Edinburgh-based Elements World Theatre, which, for this production, consists of older performers aged 50 to 70
Gershuny, an internationally published poet and award-winning playwright, says: “As life goes on we tend to become increasingly aware of our own follies and foibles, and certainly of our mortality.
“But hopefully we also pick up a little wisdom along the way. Reflections of a Constant Monk looks playfully at some of the big questions we all ask about life and the world through the eyes of a modern-day wandering monk.
“Like the rest of us he or she is confused about why we seem to be permanently teetering on the brink of catastrophe. But he has an endless curiosity and willingness to see beauty in the darkest moment.
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Venue: Summerhall, 1 Summerhall Place, Edinburgh EH9 1PL Time: 7.30pm | Tickets: £12/£10 | Dates: 12-14 October | Suitability: 12+ Box office: 0131 5601581
MESSAGES FROM A MENTAL INSTITUTION RETURNS TO THE STAGE
Strange messages from a Woman’s missing husband spark her heroic quest to find his true identity and rescue him from a mental institution. Is he the man she thinks he is? Does he even exist?
Presented in an absurd, surreal style, the play is a humorous multi-layered experience of reality where the boundaries between dreaming and waking life dissolve. “You’re getting all upset about a man who may not even exist and may not even be your husband. But I’m flesh and blood. I exist right here and now, making an offer you can’t refuse.”
This production was invited to premier in the 2014 Dream Up Festival of Theatre for the New City, Off Broadway theatre in New York City.
By Lee Gershuny | Directed by Corinne Harris with James Bryce
26 – 27 November, 19:30pm, Assembly Roxy, 2 Roxburgh Place, Edinburgh EH8 9SU
Edinburgh based Elements World Theatre Invited to Premiere Their Current Production in New York City Theatre Festival
Upon the invitation of New York’s Theater for the New City’s annual Dream Up Festival, the Elements World Theatre will be presenting five performances of its new play, Messages From A Mental Institution in late August of this year.
First presented in March at Summerhall in Edinburgh, the play tells a simple story of what happens when strange messages from a Woman’s missing husband spark her heroic quest to find his true identity and rescue him from a mental institution. Presented in an absurd, surreal style, the play deals with complex issues around identity, spiritual awakening and the nature of “reality.”
Theatre for the New City, established in 1970, maintains a unique commitment to high artistic standards and dedicates their annual Dream Up festival exclusively to new works of a non-traditional bent, offering audiences three weeks of original, innovative theatrical work.
Lee Gershuny, playwright and Artistic Director of the Elements World Theatre sees her return to her native New York City as “an opportunity to deepen my theatrical roots while recognizing the vital role theatre continues to play in my life.” Lee will be traveling to New York with the original cast – James Bryce and Corinne Harris.
The company returns to Edinburgh in time to begin their Scotland tour of Lockerbie – Lost Voices by Lee Gershuny, last seen on the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 at the Netherbow Theatre in the Scottish Storytelling Centre.
\ENDS
For further information click on Press Release.
I could untie you, but I won’t…