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Original work geared to children debuts at Factory163
A collaboration between cellist Ben Bolt-Martin of the Stratford Festival Orchestra and INNERchamber artistic director Andrew Chung is bringing a unique musical presentation to Stratford’s Factory163.
Lucky is a 40-minute music drama featuring live musicians and actors.
The show created by Bolt-Martin was developed following a conversation this past summer with Chung when the INNERchamber founder suggested a musical production for children that would have an educational component.
Bolt-Martin’s recollection is that Chung wanted something that would be “a little more than an instrument-petting zoo.”
“Then I thought about the idea for a long, long time,” said Bolt-Martin.
A key ingredient in the production, which will be staged for a general audience March 3, is the notion of music as direct personal expression and communication.
“It’s almost a personal manifesto about my take on music and the place it has in our society,” said Bolt-Martin in an interview.
The musicians in the production aren’t merely accompanists. They are immersed in the show. They even have a few spoken lines, making them characters in the production and blurring the usual actor /musician divide.
The story that’s told through music is hinged on a girl named Lucky (Leah Edmonds) who follows her dog Ralph (puppeteer Kristi Friday) through a hole in a fence into the land of Melodia.
In this strange world nothing happens except by music and Lucky must lean to express herself musically to gain the help of Melodia’s eccentric citizens (the Factory Arts Ensemble) to rescue Ralph from Queen Lyrica (Glynis Ranney).
“It’s utterly charming and delightful music,” said Ranney, whose stage performances have included eight seasons at the Shaw Festival and three seasons at the Stratford Festival.
Ranney’s contribution to the production includes connecting the producers with 16-year-old Leah Edmonds, who is a Kitchener resident.
Ranney recalled meeting Edmonds a few years ago when the student actor was playing the title role in a community theatre production of Anne of Green Gables, a role she herself has played in Price Edward Island.
The Factory Arts Ensemble in the show comprises Chung on violin, Ian Harper on flute and saxophone, George Meanwell on cello and guitar, and percussionist Graham Hargrove.
The production will also be staged at six area schools courtesy of the Foundation for Education Perth Huron.
The musical tale “is certain to delight across the generations,” say the show’s promoters.
“It’s a rare opportunity, this production. It’s not the kind of thing that comes along very often,” said Chung.
The show that’s scheduled for the first Sunday in March will run 2-3 p.m. See www.innerchamber.ca for ticket information.
