Lesser-Known Players’ "Forest Song" Takes Root in Seattle

Rare English-language translation of a much-beloved Ukrainian classic wins praise from Ukrainian
Consulate; runs July 13-22 at Erickson Theatre Off-Broadway.

Seattle, WA, July 02, 2018 --(PR.com)-- The Lesser-Known Players' popular production, Forest Song,
which opened to rave reviews last year on Bainbridge Island, made a trip down to Portland, and picked up
praise from the Consulate of Ukraine along the way, will wrap up its Pacific Northwest tour with a
two-week run July 13-22 at the Erickson Theatre Off-Broadway in Capitol Hill. Tickets are on sale now
at: https://forestsong.brownpapertickets.com/

“It is an honor to share this magical work with a wider audience,” said director Jennifer Hodges. "Forest
Song's warm reception, and the enthusiastic support of our sponsors and our community are testaments to
the beauty of this play and the timelessness of its message.”

Forest Song, written by female Ukrainian playwright Lesya Ukrainka in 1911, is about a forest nymph,
Mavka, who falls in love with a mortal youth, Lukash, and the clash of values and cultures that results
from their union. “Forest Song is kind of like one part Midsummer Night's Dream, and one part Romeo &
Juliet, with hauntingly beautiful music and some surprisingly contemporary themes about freedom and
conservation of nature mixed in,” said Hodges. An original score by Seattle composer and music director
Jon Brenner, written with a nod to Ukrainian folk music and composers, makes Forest Song a draw for
music lovers as well as theatre fans.

The production has drawn praise from more distant quarters, as well. The Consul General of Ukraine in
San Francisco, Sergiy Aloshyn, surprised the cast and crew at the close of their Portland run with a letter
of commendation. “Your exceptional performance gracefully exemplified Ukrainian culture, tradition,
and people,” it read. “Furthermore, your portrayal of the characters was transformative and executed with
the utmost finesse...It is a true honor that performers such as yourselves were able to bridge our cultures
with such grace and appreciation.”

The cast insists it is they who have been honored by the experience. “I love acting, but working on this
play, that means more to the Ukrainian people than I may ever understand, has taken this theater
experience to a whole new level,” says Jennifer Pippin-Montanez, who plays Lukash's mother. “Every
gesture, every line, is a gift to the audience, and I am humbled to be able to share it with them.”

Hodges, a third-generation Ukrainian American and a longtime fan of the play, spent years searching for
a good translation to produce locally. She found one in the translation developed by Virlana Tkacz and
Wanda Phipps of Yara Arts Group in New York under a grant from the National Theatre Translation
Fund. Yara Arts Group is a resident company at La MaMa E.T.C., recipient of the 2018 Regional Theatre
Tony Award.

The Lesser-Known Players is a Bainbridge Island -based 501(c)(3) nonprofit performing arts organization
dedicated to bringing lesser-known works of artistic and literary merit to a wider audience, and to

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fostering connections between the music and theatre communities through collaborative projects and the
development of new works.

Photo credits: Derek Villanueva

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Contact Information:
The Lesser-Known Players
Jennifer Hodges
206-696-8728
Contact via Email
www.lesserknownplayers.org

Online Version of Press Release:

You can read the online version of this press release at: https://www.pr.com/press-release/758286

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