Theatre in the Raw is pleased to announce that we will be holding a pair of staged reading events Sunday May 21st and Friday May 26th of an original one-act play: The Village Girl and the Frog King. The play is written by Vancouver locals Paul Beckett and Mia Zhou with dramaturgical assistance and direction from Jay Hamburger and presented by Theatre In the Raw.
Synopsis: Enter the fabled Frog Kingdom. A land where a cold-blooded Frog King rules over his people without compassion, only to learn the folly of his ways and find out there are greater rewards than mere fear and obedience.
Inspired by traditional folk tales (but with some twists), this amphibious fairy tale was written by Mia Zhou and Paul Beckett. Mia Zhou is an oral story telling artist. Paul Beckett is a Vancouver based professional theatre artist, performer, and acting instructor. The pair have been writing this play for the past several years under the dramaturgical direction of Jay Hamburger. Theatre In the Raw will be holding these two staged readings in preparation for an upcoming audio drama broadcast of the play.
The first presentation was Sunday May 21st at 6:00 PM at the Gathering Place Community Centre. The Gathering Place (609 Helmcken St, Vancouver, BC V6B 5R1). This was a very moving and positive community event and we are very pleased with the participation and feedback we have received. It was a lot of fun too!
The Village Girl and the Frog King by Paul Beckett and Mia Zhou - Reading Presentation at the Gathering Place Community Centre (photo by Stan Fraser 2023)
The Village Girl and the Frog King by Paul Beckett and Mia Zhou - Reading Presentation at the Gathering Place Community Centre (photo by Stan Fraser 2023)
The second presentation will be Friday May 26th at 7:00 PM at The Kitsilano Neighbourhood House St. George’s Room (2305 West 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1Y4). Donations are welcome at this performance. Don't miss it!
The Village Girl and the Frog King will be broadcast on Vancouver Co-op Radio's The Arts Rational at 10:00 PM on June 29th! Tune in live at 100.5 FM or at: https://coopradio.org
The Village Girl and the Frog King by Paul Beckett* and Mia Zhou features performances by Paul Beckett, Alex Chisholm, Atty Gell, Ralston Harris, Irwin Levin, Kuei-ming Lin, Jewel Marshall, zi paris and Mia Zhou as well as original music and sounds from Andrew Beddoes and is directed by Jay Hamburger.
*The participation of these Artists are arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the
Dance • Opera • Theatre Policy.
....