Podcast: What’s Up Bainbridge:
Lesser Known Players present Forest Song, a magical Ukrainian folktale, Dec. 14-17

In the Ukrainian folk tale Forest Song, a forest nymph falls in love with a human boy, and an intriguing clash of the human and spirit world ensues, with some surprisingly contemporary messages about environmental stewardship.

In this podcast we learn about the Lesser Known Players’ upcoming production of Forest Song, a verse play written by Ukrainian playwright Lesya Ukrainka, with music provided for this production (and this podcast) by local artist Jon Brenner.

Though one of the most beloved works of Ukrainian literature, Forest Song is virtually unknown in the West — which makes it a perfect candidate for the cleverly crafted staging of Bainbridge Island’s Lesser Known Players. Who better to artfully orchestrate curious stage directions that invite actors to dive into a river, fly in from the sky, appear out of tree trunks, and adorn themselves with fireflies like jewels?

In this podcast you’ll meet the play’s director, Jennifer Hodges, and hear about her own Ukrainian connections, plus we’ll hear from actors George Shannon, Mike Loudon, and the play’s young romantic leads, Citori Luecht and Lucien Caro.

The play and its themes are so appealing that both a video game and an animated film are in the works and scheduled for release in the next year or so, but you’ll have your chance to see it first at Rolling Bay Hall this December 14th – 17th. Shows start at 7:30 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and at 2:30 pm on Sunday. Get your tickets now by visiting Brown Paper Tickets.

Credits: BCB audio tech, Chris Walker; BCB host, audio editor and publisher: Diane Walker; flute intro/extro by Jon Brenner.