New Musical OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY Premieres at 59E59

59E59 Theaters (Val Day, Artistic Director; Brian Beirne, Managing Director) is thrilled to welcome the US premiere of OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY created by Hannah Moscovitch, Ben Caplan, and Christian Barry; written by Hannah Moscovitch; and directed by Christian Barry. Produced by the Nova Scotia based 2b theatre companyand part of 59E59's Subscription Series, OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY begins performances on Thursday, March 8 for a limited engagement through Sunday, April 22. Press Opening is Sunday, March 18 at 2 PM. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Friday at 7 PM; Saturday at 2 PM & 7 PM; and Sunday at 2 PM. Please note, there will be no performance on Friday, March 30 at 7 PM. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison). Single tickets are $25 - $70 ($25 - $49 for 59E59 Members). Tickets are available by calling Ticket Central at 212-279-4200 or online at www.59e59.org.

Inspired by the true stories of two Jewish Romanian refugees coming to Canada in 1908, the Fringe FirstAward-wining OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY weaves together this poignant folktale with a high energy concert to create "a thing of raw and unmissable beauty" (The Herald).

This genre-bending theatrical hybrid is about how to love after being broken by the horrors of war. It's about refugees who get out before (and after) it's too late. And it's about looking into the eyes of God.

Klezmer-folk sensation Ben Caplan is joined on stage with Mary Fay Coady, Jamie Kronick, Graham Scott, and Chris Weatherstone to tell this epic story of refugees finding their way (to a new) home.

The design team includes Louisa Adamson & Christian Barry with Andrew Cull (set design); Louisa Adamson & Christian Barry (lighting design); and Carly Beamish (costume design). The Production Stage Manager is Louisa Adamson.

Christian Barry (co-creator, director, co-lighting design, and co-set design) is an award-winning director and theater-maker from Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he is artistic co-director of 2b theatre company.Christian has directed shows that have toured nationally and internationally, including: The God that Comes (Edinburgh Fringe, PuSh, Tarragon Theatre, Pittsburgh International Fest, Noorderzon, Aarhus),Homage (Magnetic North, Luminato), Revisited (World Stage, Theaterformen, PuSh), and The Russian Play (Canadian Tour). Awards include: One Dora Award for Best Production, two Theatre NS Merritt Awards for Outstanding Direction (eight nominations) and one for Outstanding New Play and one for Outstanding Lighting Design. Christian is a two-time nominee for the NS Masterworks Award, received the 2008 Halifax Mayor's award for an Emerging Artist, and the 2006-7 Urjo Kareda residency grant at the Tarragon Theatre.

Ben Caplan (co-creator and performer) is best known as a singer-songwriter. He has released two albums to critical acclaim and actively tours with his band in over twenty countries. He was recently named Songwriter of the Year at the 2017 East Coast Music Awards. However, Caplan's first experiences as a performer were in the theater. He spent many years training, performing, and directing in the theater before leaving it behind to dedicate his full attention to music. This production is a first return to the theatre after a ten-year hiatus.

Hannah Moscovitch (co-creator and playwright) is an acclaimed Canadian playwright. Her work for the stage includes East of Berlin, The Russian Play, Little One, This is War, Infinity, What a Young Wife Ought to Know, and Bunny. Her plays have been widely produced across Canada, as well as in the United States, Britain, Ireland, Greece, Austria, Germany, Japan, and Australia. She's won multiple awards for her work, including the Dora Mavor Moore Award for Outstanding New Play, the Toronto Critic's Award for Best New Canadian Play, the Trillium Book Award (she is the only playwright to win in the award's 29-year history), and the prestigious international Windham-Campbell Prize administered by the Beinecke Library at Yale University. She is a playwright-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto.

Photo: Ben Caplan and Mary Fay Coady in OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY. Photo by Stoo Metz Photography

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