Curio Theatre Company Welcomes Audiences Into The Philadelphia Premiere Of OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY

Curio Theatre Company will introduce audiences to the Philadelphia premiere of a hilarious and edgy love story interwoven with a high-energy Klezmer concert. Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story is a unique music/theater hybrid inspired by the true tale of two Jewish Romanian refugees finding love after arriving on the shores of Canada in 1908.

This compelling show features themes of hope and of learning to love after being broken by the horrors of war. Wherever it has been performed, this play has been met with delight by both audiences and critics alike spanning Canada, Great Britain, and New York. Old Stock, written by Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch, features songs by Ben Caplan and Christian Barry. 

At Curio, Old Stock will be directed by Rachel Gluck with sound and music direction by Damien Figueras. Artistic Director Paul Kuhn will bring his set design talents to the stage, using his well known ability to create detailed worlds using repurposed materials.

“As a Jewish woman, I feel as though Old Stock could be about my ancestors who came to the New World looking for refuge from anti-semitism at the beginning of the 20th century,” says Director Gluck. “Old Stock is a raucous, deeply moving punk-Klezmer musical that challenges us all to see ourselves as a part of a larger narrative that continues to this day. It's the story of refugees banging on the door, begging to be let into a place where they hope that they might finally be safe. It's the story of a love that is hard-won between those who have suffered immeasurable heartache. These outsiders struggle to be accepted into a society of people who have, perhaps, forgotten that their ancestors were immigrants as well.”

Gluck returns to Curio after last appearing in Three Sisters, by Rash Dash, After Chekhov in 2018 and co-directing I Heart Alice, Heart I in 2020.  Old Stock features three Curio debut actors: Alana Kopelove (Chaya),  Jack Taylor (Chaim), and Paul Harrold (The Wanderer). Kopelove and Taylor recently served as understudies in The BFG at the Arden and both are graduates of the theatre program at Arcadia University. Harrold has appeared in many local productions, such as Plum Bun at EgoPo and Head Over Heels at Theatre Horizon. Kuhn, who also is designing the set for Beginners at Hedgerow Theatre, has built a wide reputation for creating tangible worlds out of reused material, while leading the local charge for sustainable practices in theatre design. In addition to Gluck, Kuhn, and Figueras, Aetna Gallagher joins the crew as Costume and Prop Designer. Lightning design will be by Siobhan Ehresmann, and Gabriel Rosario will serve as the Intimacy Director. 

Tickets

Previews of Old Stock run from April 24th - 27th, with ticket prices starting at $20. From opening night on Saturday April 27th through May 11th, prices run from $25 - $30, with discounts for students and seniors available. Show times are 8 pm for evening shows and 2 pm for matinees. Curio Theatre Company is located inside the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue. Find tickets and more information at www.curiotheatre.org.

About the Playwright

Hannah Moscovitch is an acclaimed Canadian playwright and television writer whose work for the stage has been widely produced in Canada and around the world. Moscovitch has been honored with numerous awards including the Trillium Book Award, both the Herald Angel and a Scotsburn Fringe First at the Edinburgh Festival, the Nova Scotia MasterWorks Award, and the prestigious Windham-Campbell Prize administered by Yale University. She has been a finalist for the international Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and was a two-time finalist for the Governor General's Award. Old Stock: A Refugee Love Story played at both 59E59 Theatres Off-Broadway and at the International Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it garnered a landslide of critical praise including more than 50 four- and five-star reviews. It became a TimeOut and New York Times Critic's Pick, and earned six Drama Desk Award nominations. Old Stock had been touring internationally for two years before the pandemic hit. Moscovitch's other writings for the stage include Post-Democracy, Sexual Misconduct of the Middle Classes, East of Berlin, Infinity, Bunny, What a Young Wife Ought to Know, The Russian Play, This is War, Little One and a confessional work for the stage, Secret Life of a Mother, co-created by Ann-Marie Kerr and Maev Beaty. Currently, Moskovitch serves as playwright-in-residence at Canada's leading new works theatre, Tarragon Theatre in Toronto.

About Curio Theatre Company

Curio Theatre Company's mission is to serve audiences in West Philadelphia and beyond with high quality, affordable theatre performances; to develop artistic talent through ensemble, company-based training and rehearsal processes; and to further academic, social, and personal development through arts education. The artistic and educational arms of the theatre company are intertwined as we make our home in the diverse community of West Philadelphia. The company's educational program was awarded the 2017 Victory Theatre Education Award at the Barrymore Awards Ceremony. It marked the company's first Barrymore Award. Curio Theatre Company is a 501(c)3 non-profit company based in West Philadelphia. The Company was founded by professional artists and administrators who met at the Hedgerow Theatre in Rose Valley, PA, and incorporated as a non-profit in 2004. After touring locally and internationally for several years, the Company began a search for a permanent home. In January 2005, Curio Theatre Company joined in partnership with the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia. This partnership provides Curio with a performance venue and classrooms within the Calvary Center as well as office space and company housing in the adjacent parish house. 

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