 | Hana Brady (Jessica Greenberg),
surrounded by Figures on a train. |
The impact of Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine speaks to its quiet power and haunting beauty: it has been translated into more than a dozen languages and published in over thirty countries. Emil had the honour of transforming Karen's book into a stage play that features parallel narratives in which the past and present merge, punctuated by ghost-like Figures. He worked with the creative team at the Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People - artistic director Allen MacInnis and dramaturges Stephen Colella and Nancy Guertin - a journey made all the richer when the cast, crew and designers contributed their respective gifts, leading to the world premiere of Hana's Suitcase in March 2006. Several productions are slated for upcoming seasons in Canada and the United States, including the U.S. premiere at Metro Theater Company (St. Louis) in January 2007.
Karen's story and Emil's play have been published in Hana's Suitcase on Stage from Second Story Press. For more information about Hana and George Brady, visit www.hanassuitcase.ca.
"The scene where a photograph of the real Hana Brady flashes across the stage, behind live actors, is one of those moments in the theatre that just stops you in your tracks. A little girl. One in six million. The one-on-one identification that engages your mind and breaks your heart is what Hana's Suitcase is all about." |
Liz Nicholls, Edmonton Journal
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"Through the first act, Hana and George flit like ghosts, present yet silent, mere figures among a faceless multitude, hauntingly indicated by eerie masks... In the second act... the ghosts find their voices. It's a striking yet subtle tactic, emotional without being sentimental, excoriating but not gratuitously so. Sher points up the human tragedy through small acts of cruelty... The language is simple, and although rich it exhibits the spare eloquence of haiku rather than the high-flown grandeur of overtly poetic prose." |
Eva Marie Clarke, See Magazine
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Photo credit: Daniel Alexander
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