ONE DISCORDANT VIOLIN Makes US Premiere at 59E59

59E59 Theaters present the US premiere of ONE DISCORDANT VIOLIN adapted from Yann Martel's short story The Time I Heard the Private Donald J. Rankin String Concerto with One Discordant Violin, by the American Composer John Morton by Anthony Black, directed by Ann-Marie Kerr and Anthony Black, and featuring an original score by Aaron Collier and Jacques Mindreau. Produced by 2b theatre company, ONE DISCORDANT VIOLIN begins performances on Tuesday, October 29 for a limited engagement through Sunday, November 24. Press opening is Sunday, November 3 at 2:15 pm. The performance schedule is Tuesday - Friday at 7:15 pm; Saturday at 2:15 pm & 7:15 pm; Sunday at 2:15 pm. Performances are at 59E59 Theaters (59 East 59th Street, between Park and Madison Avenues). Single tickets are $25 - $35 ($26 for 59E59 Members). To purchase tickets, call the 59E59 Box Office at 646-892-7999 or visit www.59e59.org. The running time is 70 minutes with no intermission.

From the company behind Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story comes a new music-theater hybrid based on the short story by The Time I Heard the Private Donald J. Rankin String Concerto with One Discordant Violin, by the American Composer John Morton by author Yann Martel (Life of Pi).

An aspiring Canadian writer is visiting Washington D.C. on his first-ever trip to the United States. After stumbling upon a group of Vietnam War veterans performing classical concertos in an abandoned theater, he has a life-changing encounter with a forgotten American composer. ONE DISCORDANT VIOLIN is an extraordinarily moving duet for actor and violinist about finding beauty in unexpected places and what can happen when we reach beyond our grasp.

The cast features Anthony Black with a live score played by violinist Jacques Mindreau.

The design team includes Anthony Black (set design); Nick Bottomley & Anna Shepard (lighting design); Aaron Collier (live sound design and music direction); and Nick Bottomley (projection design).

Anthony Black (adaptor, co-director, performer, set designer) is a versatile artist who for 20 years has worked as a writer, director, actor, designer and as artistic co-director of 2b theatre company. His projects with 2b include: Invisible Atom (writer/ performer), which he toured for over a decade in both English and French; When it Rains (writer/ director/ performer), which has played across Canada and around the world, including directing a Spanish language version of the show in Buenos Aires; The Bridge by Shauntay Grant (director); Homage (writer); The Observed Flight of Birds (co-director/ lead writer); Unconscious at the Sistine Chapel by Michael Mackenzie (director); Rebecca Reads Nora Reads Molly, text by James Joyce (concept/ direction); The Story of Mr. Wright (co-director/ co-creator). Anthony's plays and productions have won awards and critical acclaim around the world and have traveled to some of the world's most prestigious arts festivals and venues, in cities across Canada and abroad including Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver (Canada); Sydney, Melbourne, and Albany (Australia); Auckland, New Zealand; Cork, Ireland; Edinburgh, Scotland; Mumbai, India; Cuanajuato, Mexico; New York, Nashville, Memphis, and Charleston (US). Anthony is a leader in the artistic community in Nova Scotia, mentoring artists, advocating for the sector, and provoking artistic discussion through 2b's Colloquium series- a program dedicated to fostering better conversations about art-making.

Ann-Marie Kerr (co-director) is an award-winning theater director, actor and teacher. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally. Select directing: Bed and Breakfast (Soulpepper Theatre Company); A Christmas Carol (Theatre New Brunswick); Daughter (Theatre Centre; Summerworks; four Dora Award nominations including Outstanding Direction ); Snake in the Grass (Neptune Theatre); I, Claudia (Neptune Theatre and Globe Theatre); Stranger to Hard Work (Cathy Jones / Eastern Front Theatre, Canadian tour); The Circle (Alberta Theatre Projects); The Debacle (Zuppa Theatre Company);Invisible Atom (2b theatre company, multiple awards including Herald Angel Award Edinburgh);Confession; As Ever (Mulgrave Road Theatre). A graduate of Ecole internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and York University in Toronto, she has directed and taught at National Theatre School, and is the former Artistic Associate of Magnetic North Theatre Festival.

Jacques Mindreau (score, performer) is a violinist, vocalist, and composer. He creates music for film, dance, and now theater. His recently launched solo project, 'Electro Jacques Therapy,' layers loops and vocals in an ethereal haunting manner. Jacques has collaborated with hundreds of musicians and co-founded the band Krasnogorsk and OQO.

Photo by Stoo Metz

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