Song of the Goat Theatre to Bring Song-Cycle SONGS OF LEAR to BAM

Song of the Goat Theatre makes its BAM debut with a dramatic song-cycle that distills the plot, characters, and themes of King Lear into a non-linear musical journey. SONGS OF LEAR will run September 28 - October 1 at BAM Fisher.

Songs of Lear, which premiered at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival to rave reviews, is an intimate and compelling hybrid production. The Polish ensemble has chosen integral scenes from Shakespeare's tragedy to weave a story out of gestures, words, and music. With minimal staging, the 10 performers rely on the transformative power of their voices. The music--most of it loosely based on Gregorian chant--reveals the subtle, coursing energies of the play. Despair, madness, disappointment, and love take on a visceral urgency in the form of pounding drums, guttural wails, Balkan bagpipes, and a polyphonic chorus.

Established in 1996 by Grzegorz Bral and Anna Zubrzycki, Song of the Goat Theatre (Teatr Piesn Kozla) has developed a reputation as one of Europe's most innovative training-based theater companies. From its base in Wroclaw, Poland, the company develops its approaches and performances with the aim of unlocking theater's power to provide profound, life-affirming experiences. An experimental approach to training, rehearsal, and performance processes enables the company to evolve new techniques and performance languages. The company's commitment to sensory connection informs the development of each new training approach, which always seeks to integrate movement, voice, song, and text.

Grzegorz Bral is the director, educator, actor, and co-founder of Song of the Goat Theatre in Wroclaw, Poland. He is also the artistic director of Brave Festival-Against Cultural Exile, presenting art of vanishing cultures and traditions, and the president and founder of the charity organization Ropka Polska. He was the artistic director of Studio Theatre in Warsaw, Poland from 2010 to 2012. Awards for his artistic work include an Honorary Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Scotsman Fringe First 2004 and 2012, Herald Angel 2004 and 2012, and Musical Theatre Matters Special Award 2012. In 2009 his ensemble was nominated for a XII European Prize in the category New Theatrical Realities. He is a founder and head of Bral School of Acting, which provides training in Song of The Goat Theatre's Coordination Technique.

Watch a trailer for the show below!

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IF YOU GO:

Song of the Goat Theatre (Teatr Piesn Kozla)'s
Songs of Lear
New York Premiere
Sep 28-Oct 1
At BAM Fisher (Fishman Space) 321 Ashland Pl at 7:30pm
Directed by Grzegorz Bral
Music by Jean-Claude Acquaviva and Maciej Rych?y
Tickets: $25

Master Class: Song of the Goat Coordination Technique
With Grzegorz Bal
Co-presented by BAM and Mark Morris Dance Group
Sep 29 at 10am, Mark Morris Dance Center (3 Lafayette Ave)
Price: $30
For experienced and professional actors
Visit BAM.org/master-classes for more information and to register.

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