Spinning The Tale
The leaves are turning, sweaters are coming down from the shelf, and I’m entirely obsessed with butternut squash. In other words, a new subscription series must be on its way. Every year about this time, our big project for the year is well underway, but not yet visible to our fans. I tend to get the question “So… what exactly IS <insert title of show> anyway?” a lot. We break the rules, reinvent ourselves, and work with new collaborators, so our shows aren’t always self-explanatory. To give you a sense of what's up our sleeve, we have a great trailer created by our good friend Ezra Claytan Daniels. http://vimeo.com/15040955
So…I’m here to fill you in on what The Weaver’s Tales are all about. If you’re reading this blog, you probably know that we are all about connecting music and narrative. This year we decided to bring on a few specialists to work with us. Rebekah Scallet is a fantastic stage director, and also an old friend! The ensemble met Lindsey Marks through the Arts & Business Council, but fell in love with her performances as Lady Jack. With this great duo, we worked to identify how to incorporate actors into our storytelling this year. And thus, The Weaver’s Tales were born. For each show, we start with two or three classical fairy tales (most are from the Brothers Grimm), and bring them together. What happens when characters meet? Some very interesting themes emerge, and pair nicely with the diverse music we had slated for performance this fall.
When you come to The Weaver’s Tale premiere in November, you’ll see an amazing video installation (created by Steve Emmons, Kerry Yang, and Willy Chyr) that highlights the connection between fashion and our stories. To represent Snegurotchka, our loveless girl, Willy is building a dress out of balloons. The video will depict the construction of the dress, and how it comes to life only to dissolve back into the atmosphere. You’ll hear great music (Fish, Vaughan Williams, Maslanka, and our new friend Mason Bates!) and be swept away by our magical stories. What could be better? I’m guessing nothing…except maybe subscribing to the whole series. See you there!
Adam Marks is the pianist and Director of Artistic Programming for Chicago's Fifth House Ensemble. Fifth House Ensemble