Our next Rough Draft (#15) will be shown this Friday evening. It
is titled Birds Flying High, and it will weave together
the disparate threads of the music of the wonderful Nina Simone and
Greek tragic theatre.
Director Imara Savage (our current Richard Wherrett fellow) says of
the work-in-progress:
"Inspired by the music of Nina Simone and the writing of Euripides,
this project will pay homage to the high priestess of soul and the
high priestess of Hecate. It is a work about women with every cause
to sing the blues: women with something to say about violent
revolution, betrayal and revenge. How does Nina Simone's experience
as an outsider in her own country find parallels in the stories
told by the Greeks? What happens to women who insist on singing
their own song, regardless of what society wants to hear?
Using improvisation, jamming and elements of choreography, I will
use this Rough Draft to find a theatrical language with which to
retell a story that traverses generations. By dusting some the
glitz and glitter off the conventional musical, the cast and
I will explore the possibilities the form presents for
expressing rage and violence."
To get into the spirit of the work, here is some of Nina's best
work (which the cast is using for inspiration). If you only have a
few minutes to spare, have a look at this gem:
If you have a bit more time up your sleeve, check out this
one:
Rough
Drafts #15: Birds Flying High, Wharf 2 Theatre, 6pm, 20
July, 2012.
Video: Rough Drafts and Nina Simone
Date posted: 18 Jul 2012Author: STC