Volume 27 Issue 4 - February 2022

“So much of the
dialogue is inspired
by and informed by
Gould’s work, …
a sort of contrapuntal
musical play.”
— Liza Balkan
in this country. You know that dark skin, Black women have it tough.
Right? So, is that mentorship? I guess you can call it that. In my head,
I think of it as radicalization. It’s about trying to find fearless artists
because I think there’s too much accommodation going on.”
Movement and Magic
In addition to writing, acting, directing and many other talents,
librettist Liza Balkan is also a dancer, she brings the essence of
motion, of movement to the text. “I feel the rhythm, in the language;
working on something like this project where so much of the dialogue
is inspired by and informed by Gould’s work, [I am] constantly
hearing a sort of contrapuntal musical play – rhythm, speed and
rests,” she tells me.
CLASSICAL AND BEYOND
Orchestras
and others
buying into
hope
PAUL ENNIS
“It’s just a flesh wound!” says the Black Knight,
after King Arthur chops his arms off in
Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
DAHLIA KATZ
Brian Current – “A few years of writing and workshopping”
How it all turns out remains to be seen. The show was originally
scheduled for mid-January and has been postponed due to Ontario’s
lockdown. In light of this new scenario, the idea of movement is even
more poignant. Philip Akin’s martial arts influenced direction that
ensures connection between performers working on multiple physical
planes, is now translated into working with time as well. And to land
us firmly in the present, Brian Currrent conductor and prime instigator
of this enormous undertaking, will be on site, swaying and
guiding each step of the musical journey.
“I believe art is a freaking mystery,” Akin says. “So things happen
serendipitously and my reaction when presented with a brick wall, a
cast and crew, a libretto is, ‘Let’s go! Let’s make magic!’”
Just as it seemed live music was reasserting its
presence in the GTA and beyond, the Omicron
variant of COVID-19 forced the Ontario
government to pivot to new lockdown guidelines
that nipped reopenings in the bud, and effectively
curtailed live music for most of January. The new
guidelines however offer hope. If they stick, from
January 31 to February 21, live music attendance
can resume, albeit capped at “50 percent or 500
people, whichever is smaller” a measure impacting
disproportionately severely on the smallest and the
largest venues. After February 21, barring setbacks,
progress accelerates: 50 percent capacity, no matter
the venue size, until March 15; and then, barring a
further re-assessment, permission for a return to
live performance at full capacity.
Gloria Blizzard is a non-fiction writer, poet and penner of songs,
whose wordsmithing has appeared in numerous literary publications,
magazines and sound recordings. She is currently completing
her first full-length book, a collection of essays, and can be reached
at www.gloriablizzard.com .
10 | February 2022 thewholenote.com