Manitoba Live Music Event

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MEDIA RELEASE

A Mixture As Dense As A Figgy Pudding

 

Winnipeg, July 17th, 2013 - Figgy pudding is a sixteenth century taste frolic comprised of imported ingredients and home grown produce. Kempe’s Jig is a sixteenth century tasteful frolic comprised of imported and homegrown ingredients. If Kempe’s Jig lacks Mediterranean figs it does have an imported flavor: a guitar professor from Poland, Ryszard Tyborowski, who gives a fig about the play. West Indian molasses arrives by way of the East coast of Ireland as Dublin import Brian Richardson, playwright and performer, treacles in. Staple wheat and buttermilk, Canadian homegrown in Quebec, is supplied by Renaissance singer Josée Vaillancourt. As for the Far Eastern spices: they can be found in the songs from England far off to the east. All three Winnipeggers go into the mixture as Damsel and Swains, to tell a tale of the clown who originated such roles as the gravedigger in Hamlet and Sir John Falstaff in Henry IV. They emerge with a figgy pudding of a play, a veritable sixteenth century treat.

 

It all began with a title of a tune Brian noticed Ryszard had in his music when they were playing at a mediaeval fair last summer. That was the title Josée, founder of the company, applied with to the Fringe with when she thought Damsel and Swains should perform at the festival. Once accepted, it was up to Richardson to come up with a script, and to write it in a form of English that would catch the sound of the language of Shakespeare’s time but be understood by a twenty-first century audience. After much research and much discussion about the music the group should perform, the play called Kempe’s Jig was created over a series of workshops and rehearsals. Now, after months of preparation, the group is ready to bring its jolly tavern fare to the Fringe.

Venue 11 (Red River College) 160 Princess St.

 

July 17 – 10:15 PM

July 19 – 2:00 PM

July 20 – 7:00 PM

July 22 – 5:45 PM

July 24 – 9:00 PM

July 26 – 1:45 PM

July 28 – 5:45 PM

 

For more information : www.winnipegfringe.com or http://www.memafestival.com/

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For more information please contact :

Josée Vaillancourt

Damsel & Swains

harbison@mymts.net

204-668-1445