Seattle Rep Presents ISLANDER, Opening October 25
Featuring an ethereal soundscape created live via looping technology, the North American tour of Islander opens at Seattle Rep October 20 – November 19, 2023.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 28, 2023
Seattle Rep has announced the cast and creative team behind Islander, an intimately staged new musical with a contemporary Scottish folk-inspired score. In Islander, two actors embody 25+ characters while weaving, building, and layering their voices using live looping technology.
Opening its North American tour in Seattle Rep's Leo K. Theater October 20 – November 19, 2023, Islander is conceived and originally directed by Amy Draper with staging and associate direction by Eve Nicol, book by Stewart Melton, and music and lyrics by Finn Anderson. Single tickets are on sale now online at SeattleRep.org or by calling the Patron Services Office at 206.443.2222.
Since its world premiere at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2019, Islander has gone on to receive critical acclaim in both the U.K. and New York. Called “New York's best new musical” by The Daily Beast, Finn Anderson (music and lyrics) had this to say about creating the music in Islander:
“The joy of setting the story on a fictional island is that we were free to draw from multiple musical traditions and styles. We've been heavily inspired by Scottish traditional and folk music, but also other traditions from across the world, and by contemporary pop and elements of electronica. The limitations of just two voices means that only certain harmonies are possible, which was a fun challenge. And of course, the loop station! Usually I would write at a piano, but for Islander I wrote pretty much the whole score on my headphones with a microphone and the loop station.”
Throughout the run of this show, Seattle Rep will host a series of events including a Teen Night (November 3, 2023) in partnership with TeenTix, during which teenagers can purchase $5 tickets to experience the show. Other events include a composers and theater-makers networking event, and meet-and-greet opportunities with Seattle Rep's new Artistic Director Dámaso Rodríguez in the lobby on select dates of Islander.
On November 7, Seattle Rep will present a one-time special event featuring four Celtic bands performing music inspired by Islander. The event will take place at The Royal Room in Seattle and tickets are on sale now.
For more information about this play and all the engagement programs associated with it, visit SeattleRep.org.
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