Claire Love Wilson and Peter Lorenz to Present World Premiere Experimental Musical MORAG, YOU'RE A LONG TIME DEID

In June, Scottish-Canadian multidisciplinary artist Claire Love Wilson and Austrian director Peter Lorenz will bring to stage the World Premiere of their experimental musical Morag, You're a Long Time Deid at The Russian Hall, June 9 - 19.

Produced in association with Touchstone Theatre, the piece follows the story of Sam (Claire Love Wilson), who inherits her grandmother Morag's piano and uncovers a cryptic love letter made from lyrics of old Scottish ballads. Compelled by the intimate correspondence and the silence surrounding Morag's death, Sam imagines a secret queer romance and begins transforming her ancestral songs. In the process, she discovers a voice of her own.

"This play is part love letter to my own grandmother, part queer journeying, and part ancestral grappling," performer and show co-creator Claire Love Wilson said. "I say grappling, because the show is about looking at the fullness of ancestral legacy- the joy, the grief, the trauma, the gifts and learning to take responsibility for one's own role in a greater story."

Morag, You're a Long Time Deid is a dynamic musical journey where original compositions are playfully interwoven with electronic loops to tell old stories anew. The show will invite audience members to close their eyes and listen to textured traditional songs, tap their toes to celtic grooves, and dance to club beats.

"The ballads, and the way we slowly transform them are songs I wished I'd heard, especially as a young queer person. When I began to uncover my own queer identity, I looked into my own family and Scottish cultural history and felt a void. In some ways, this show is the act of singing into that void and following the songs into previously unimaginable possibilities."

PLAY SYNOPSIS

Morag's death left a silence in her place. When her grand-daughter Sam inherits her piano, she also inherits the mystery of Morag's story. An intimate letter composed of fragmented Scottish

ballads leads Sam to uncover Morag's possible queerness. In piecing together Morag's history through their shared Scottish musical heritage, Sam discovers a voice of her own.

COMPANY ARTIST BIO

This transnational collaboration between Scottish-Canadian creator/performer CLAIRE LOVE WILSON and Austrian director/performance-maker PETER LORENZ emerged from a 5-year-long artistic conversation on cultural heritage, settler colonialism, place-making in performance, and queer musical storytelling. Claire and Peter's respective experiences in experimental theatre, contemporary opera and indigenous studies complement each other, allowing them to reach beyond their individual imaginations. As a result, they have nurtured a long-distance co-creating, co-writing and co-producing relationship built on mutual trust, honesty and care, which they generously extend to their collaborators and audiences.

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

World Premiere - Morag, You're a Long Time Deid

In Association with Touchstone Theatre

By Claire Love Wilson & Peter Lorenz

Directed by Peter Lorenz

VENUE: The Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Ave, Vancouver BC

SHOW RUN: June 9 - June 19, 2022

PREVIEW: June 9, 2022

OPENING NIGHT: June 10 @ 8:00PM

For TICKETS or PASSES visit: www.touchstonetheatre.com

Email: info@touchstonetheatre.com

Learn more about Touchstone's 2021/2022 and 45th Anniversary Season at touchstonetheatre.com

MORAG CREATIVE TEAM

Produced by Claire Love Wilson & Peter Lorenz in association with Touchstone Theatre

Original Story & Concept by Claire Love Wilson

Written by Claire Love Wilson & Peter Lorenz

Performed by Claire Love Wilson, Steve Charles, Rob Thomson, Sally Zori & Dennis Joseph

Directed by Peter Lorenz

Dramaturgy by Daniela Atiencia

Musical Direction by Sally Zori

Sound design by Rob Thomson

Composition and arrangements by Claire Love Wilson & Rory Comerford

Cultural Protocol and Consultation by Dennis Joseph

Set & Lighting Design by Wladimiro A. Woyno R.
Production Management/Technical Direction by Nicole Lamb

Communications Management by Anahita Monfared

ABOUT Touchstone Theatre

Touchstone Theatre has been a mainstay of theatrical innovation and excellence on the West Coast for 45 years. The company's all-Canadian mandate has helped launch and develop some of the country's most important theatre artists and its substantial body of work has garnered over 75 local and national awards. The company explores the contemporary Canadian play through content and form and stimulates public interest in Canadian cultural perspectives. www.touchstonetheatre.com

Photo credit: Sewari Campillo

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