Enchantment: The Festival Program
Events:
Fri. Oct 16:
17:30 Opening & Discussion:
The Enchanted Theatre:
Artistic Partnering with Angels, Elves, Fairies & Other Muses
with Maryn Spangler & Greg Dinunzi
Maryn Spangler
Greg Dinunzi
Sat. Oct 17:
14:00 Workshop:
The Lost Scene from "The Immortal Hour”
with The Modern Theatre of Myth
Fra Gunn:
RJ Stewart
Greg Dinunzi
Meredith Ginsburg
Katie McGhee
19:30 Concert:
“Elven Songs”
The Blackbird Folk Chamber Ensemble:
-Including Storytelling: “The Golden Fly" with Fra Gunn & The Blackbird. An Irish Tale of Etain by Ella Young
The Blackbird: Voice & Guitar
Karola Elssner: Bass Clarinet, Duduk, Alto Sax
Jenny Bliss Bennett: Cello, Viol da Gamba
Claire Wilson: English Horn, Oboe
Robert Paul: Piano, Melodica
Fra Gunn: Storyteller
Sun. Oct 18:
15:00 Workshop:
“The Odyssey”
with The Modern Theatre of Myth Theatre
Join the Workshop exploring the Myth and Goddesses of The Odyssey
with
Fra Gunn
Meredith Ginsburg
Katie McGhee
RJ Stewart
Maxine Ridout Prime
Greg Dinunzi
Ruhiya
& guests from Taking-the-Space Theatre Makers
-Including a reading of: "Nausicaa" with Katie McGhee. A reading of P.L. Travers essay. (Original Title: "Maiden")
19:00: Workshop Presentation:
The Odyssey
Presented by The Blackbird & The Modern Theatre of Myth
Bios
Georgia McGill (Director/Playwright) is a Professor of Theatre at the City University of New York/Queensborough Community College. Her work as a playwright and director has been seen on stages nationally in the United States and internationally in Greece, Cyprus, Hungary, Germany, Scotland and the United Kingdom. Last year, her play “Ashes” was read as part of a series of new plays at La Mama Experimental Theatre Club. Georgia is excited to work once again with her longtime collaborator, Mr Dinunzi and the wonderful company of “The Immortal Hour”. Ms.McGill is a former National Chair of the National Playwriting Program of The Kennedy Center’s American College Theatre Festival. She has served as Artistic Director of The Modern Theatre of Myth, a New York based company whose work centered on ancient texts, mythology and ritual. Georgia lives in New York with her wonderful family.
Greg Dinunzi (The Blackbird) was born on Long Island, NY. He is a composer and a seasoned session guitarist performing in a wide spectrum of styles from musical theater, pop and rock to classical music. Some special experiences of his are playing “We Will Rock You” under the musical direction of Brian May, being part of Barrie Kosky's “The Threepenny Opera” on it's return to it's original stage at Berliner Ensemble, playing “Seven Deadly Sins” under the direction of Sir Simon Rattle, and Alban Berg's “Lulu” under the direction of Daniel Barenboim. His three CDs “The Early Years”, “Retro”, and “Music for Theatre and Dance” can be found on all the streaming platforms under the artist name The Blackbird. He is now turning to composing for classical instruments, including his Persephone Quartets for Three Strings & Guitar, and now Fiona Macleod's “The Immortal Hour”.
He is a founding member and composer of The Modern Theatre of Myth which is where he became addicted to Mythic work and intimate Theatre. He is happy to return to Glastonbury after last years production of “The Immortal Hour” with his long time partner Georgia McGill. Mr. Dinunzi lives with his wonderful wife and cat in Berlin.
Maryn Spangler: As the Executive Director of the Lorian Association, Maryn weaves an ingrained Incarnational Spirituality perspective into a decade of study and practice in the fields of mental, emotional and physical healing. She is passionate about spirituality, metaphysics and personal growth. Maryn lives in Western Washington and her favorite thing is to curl up with a cup of tea and a romance novel.
https://lorian.org/
R.J. Stewart has been part of this process with Immortal Hour for two years. He has been a guiding light for Mr. Dinunzi and is instrumental in bringing this performance back to the Assembly Rooms of Glastonbury. He will be introducing the piece and playing the Psaltery for this performance.
His full bio can be found here: https://rjstewart.org/bio/
Fra Gunn: Dalua (Immortal Hour) & Odysseusis an award-winning actor and storyteller from Belfast, in Ireland.
His clients have included theatre, film and television companies. His repertoire of theatre includes Bertolt Brecht's “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” with Bruiser Theatre Company, directed by Lisa May, “Belfast Bred” with Kabosh Theatre Company, directed by Paula McFetridge, “Tosca” with NI Opera, directed by Oliver Mears, “Gulliver’s Travels” with Wonderland Productions, directed by Alice Coghlan and “Macbeth” with Replay Productions directed by Richard Croxford.
Film credits include "Ditching" by Richard West and Stephen Hackett for Factotum Films, Wasteland" by Kerry Rooney for Kaleidoscope Films and “Mother’s Day” for BBC/RTÉ. TV credits include "Just For Laughs" by T. T. Miller/Francois Beland and BBC's "Spotlight" and "Scúp".
Fra is a member, and former board member of Aos Scéal Éireann/Storytellers of Ireland.
Kate McGhee is a gardener, an artist, and a member of the Lorian Association, where her work is to support the blossoming of Incarnational Spirituality, embracing and exploring the living universe more deeply each day. She lights up from wandering any art museum, dancing to live music, and making and seeing theater. You can find her outside enjoying nature trails, or inside, delving into the study and practice of spiritual healing.
Ruhiya is a singer, songwriter, and musician who bridges devotional expression with contemporary artistry. She invites listeners into a world of dreams, nostalgic longing and beauty, offering a sonic healing portal of remembrance.
Born in London to a British/Irish father and Filipino mother, and raised as a Quaker with fostered siblings in Herefordshire, her mixed heritage is reflected in the multitude of colours found in her music. Fusing influences of soul, folk, jazz and chant, Ruhiya's voice carries an ancient wisdom with a gentle innocence and purity that touches the heart and moves the spirit. https://www.ruhiya.com/
Karola Elssner is a German saxophonist, from Berlin. As a member of various ensembles, she also plays the flute and the rarely heard Armenian double-reed instrument duduk, and she performs regularly with German orchestras. Elßner received the Echo Klassik Award in 2010.
Karola studied saxophone and flute at the Hanns Eisler School of Music and agricultural sciences at Humboldt University of Berlin. She then went on to study saxophone and flute at the Hanns Eisler School of Music in Berlin. Since then, she has been actively involved in a wide range of projects, both in the field of chamber music and with renowned symphony orchestras.
Between 2007 and 2010, he made regular trips to Armenia to teach saxophone master classes and to study the traditional Armenian double-reed instrument, the duduk, with Tigran Ayvazyan in Gyumri.
Jenny Bliss Bennett, viola da gamba & cello
Jenny has toured the world with early music ensembles such as the Academy of Ancient Music under conductors including Simon Rattle. A unique improviser of music from the medieval to the psychedelic, she has performed live on BBC radio 3 a couple of times. Jenny also loves the process of performing new compositions by living composers. Performances include Malcolm Arnold’s double violin concerto in the composers presence and singing with the South Icelandic Choir under Ólafur Arnalds . Jenny lives in Glastonbury and also enjoys composing, particularly for her band Queen Space Baroque
Claire Wilson first studied at Oxford University before moving to Stuttgart, Germany where she took a degree in music performance. She has worked with both opera and symphony orchestras across Europe and played under conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Tadaaki Otaka and Claudio Abbado. As a freelancer her focus is on chamber music and studio work where the oboe often appears in an unconventional setting.
Robert Paul (Conductor / Keyboardist) Born in 1963 in Seattle, a small fishing village on the American west coast, Rob began playing the piano at the age of four and shortly thereafter decided to become a famous rock star, like a combination of Bruce Springsteen and Spiderman. Unfortunately, that hasn't quite worked out. At least not so far. Instead, he studied piano at the University of North Texas and the University of Miami, USA, graduating with a Doctor of Music degree, which has probably been useful for many things he no longer remembers. Afterward, he played with numerous talented musicians, bands, orchestras, theater companies, puppies and small children. In 1997, he moved to Germany and was forced to learn German.
Since then he mostly occupies his time with playing musicals, doing assorted band gigs, and conducting an orchestra while dressed up in a police uniform. He also enjoys hiking, canoeing, cooking, complaining about Germany, complaining about America, and going to friends’ houses to drink their beer.
Special Thanks:
Anna Knaifel, Rohan Diddley, Meredith Ginsburg, Michele Cuomo,
Lisa & Max Goodwin, Maxine Ridout Prime & Taking-The-Space (Theater Makers)
Claire Empson, and Diana Milstein