THE CURST rocks SK

Thanks to Mia Michele CKOM for this article. Thanks to BritZ for the amazing photo. 

Please please please.....

This message from my beloved Dancing Sky Theatre"

 

In 2020 we planned to do a show called THE CURST by Kelley Jo Burke. But 2020 didn’t go as planned and it was cancelled. Now THE CURST is back on our schedule for 2023 Fingers crossed  things go right this season!
#dancingskytheatre #thecurst #hopeful #pandorasbox

— at Dancing Sky Theatre.

CV-19 adds to the The Curst curse

POSTPONED (in a hugely meta way)

This play obviously DID NOT open May 1st.

My letter to the amazing cast of THE CURST, sent when we were supposed to be in rehearsal starting this week--to prepare for our world premiere at Dancing Sky Theatre:

"First of all, a huge thank you to all of you for everything that you've put into the show up to date. 

Secondly a huge thank you to Dancing Sky Theater for giving our artists something in lieu of the salary they were expecting. This is more than some theatres are doing. We have reports at playwrights Guild of artists being asked to return advances, and actors being cut off without a cent.

 

I am not surprised that Dancing Sky chose the decent path.I am just hugely proud to be associated with a theatre that has done so.

This is such a discombobulating time that there seems to be nothing to say except how much I care about all of you. And value what you bring to the work, but more what you just bring to the world.

 

I look forward to a time when we all come together again and make this happen. 

And finally, my sincere apologies for writing a play about artists being chased by bad angels. I knew I was opening the door to some epic bad luck. But I never thought that it would end up in a pandemic.

My bad."

Kelley Jo

From Library Voices: Re THE CURST (a pop as f**k fantasia) POSTPONED

from Michael Scott Dawson of Library Voices:

"A telltale sign that a band has jumped the shark is when they announce that they're going to make a rock opera...

Things have been relatively quiet around the ol' Library Voices camp for the last few months (years) but I'm happy to share that we have been quietly collaborating with award winning playwright Kelley Jo Burke on a new work titled The Curst. The story centres around the fictitious characters that exist within our lyrics. It also features a bunch of new LV songs that likely won't ever exist elsewhere.

The Curst runs May 1-17 at Dancing Sky Theatre and there are only a limited number of tickets remaining. https://ontheboards.ca/events/the-curst/

Just so it's clear, I also wanted to point out that we are not in the theatre piece. They've cast a wonderful group of immensely talented professionals who portray a far more believable band than Library Voices ever could... We do plan to be around though, sipping wine and eating chicken burgers from the gas station up the street. xo"

"The Curst" heading into premiere production, Dancing Sky Theatre, May 1 2020

From the Dancing SKy Theatre website:

The Curst

by Kelley Jo Burke

​

May 1-17, 2020

“All my friends are buying diamonds for their girls

And bringing children into this world

Signing their name to a home on land they’ve captured

Me? I’m still writing songs I’m scared you’ll hear someday” — Carver, Library Voices

 The Curst may be the unluckiest band ever. They’re from small-town Saskatchewan, and they don’t play country. Their lead singer Merle is too neurotic to actually show anyone his songs. And it seems they’re being stalked by some kind of guardian angel gone really, really bad.  Their life on the road is such a series of injuries, freak catastrophes, and grueling hours in a beat-up van, that they are starting to wonder whether it’s just time to quit.

But sometimes, just sometimes, they make magic together and fly. Maybe it’s all worth it?

Then good fortune shows its face. To The Curst. All they need to do is keep it together and avoid any dodgy angelic interference for a few more days. What. Could. Go. Wrong?

Written by national-award winner Kelley Jo Burke (The Selkie Wife) and featuring the songs of Saskatchewan’s indi-pop legends Library Voices (Denim on Denim, Summer of Lust), The Curst is a funny, loving rock-musical about why year after year, generation after generation, bands climb into bad vans, and head out on another gig…no matter the cost.  

We've been through a series of amazing workshops. We have a killer cast (Tim Bratton, Kate Herriot, Felix Leblanc and Alyssa Billingly). We have the songs of the incredible Library Voices. And now the countdown starts--to the world premiere of this entirely made in Saskatchewan, pop as f*ck musical. Can't hardly wait.

Tickets are on sale here:  

Huge thanks to the Saskatchewan Arts Board, the Saskatchewan Foundation for the Arts, St. Peters College, and the Saskatchewan Playwrights Centre for their invaluable support of this project.