Multidisciplinary Performances
Curiosity is a necessary threshold for the willingness to listen to perspectives, experiences and backstories different from one’s own.
Inquiry Arts plants seeds of curiosity through multidisciplinary performance.
Guy Mendilow Ensemble (GME) weaves inspiring stories through live riveting scores, narration blending memoir and poetry, and theatrically projected sand animation. GME’s productions center on real-world tales of choices people make as they negotiate thresholds, personal or historical. GME is especially intrigued by decisions animated by generosity and grace in the face of upheaval.
GME cultivates curiosity about experiences and perspectives across cultures and backgrounds through emotionally powerful performances in performing arts centers, cultural organizations and schools in urban, suburban and rural communities across North America.
GME is a recipient of multiple funding awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Boston Foundation, the New England Foundation for the Arts and Western Arts Alliance on the basis of artistry, cultural preservation and the strengthening of communities through the arts.
Elizabeth Friar Photography
Productions
The Forgotten Kingdom
The Forgotten Kingdom immerses audiences in the memories of a family confronting an unraveling, multiethnic Ottoman world brought to life through theatrically projected sand animation, narration blending memoir and poetry, and a riveting musical score. Breathtaking landscapes of sand give a dreamlike, intensely emotional quality to an adventure that “explodes with artistry, refinement, and excitement” (Hebrew Union College, OH).
Radio Play(s) Series
Like a stage-performed podcast, each Radio Play(s) episode unpacks a timely theme through a collection of stories whether told through the spoken word, musical segments or theatrically projected sand animation. A continuous score unites each episode, drawing on classical, contemporary and Ottoman Jewish influences and performed by a world-class, multiethnic sextet. A continuous score unites each episode, drawing on classical, contemporary and Ottoman Jewish influences and performed by a world-class, multiethnic sextet. Co-directed with spoken word artist Regie Gibson, Radio Play(s) addresses mounting civic/racial tensions in the US. Community conversations are a centerpiece of Radio Play(s) events and gatherings.
Around the World in Song
Joyous, interactive performances nurture children’s musicianship and multicultural inquisitiveness. Through traditional and original songs and stories from around the world, together with purposeful movement, Around the World in Song gives children tools to engage even more actively with music they love and to tap into the thrill of their own musical discoveries. Fun and pedagogically thoughtful, Around the World in Song is built on principles of Dalcroze Education and Fred Rogers’ philosophy.