In conversation with Esther Jun about her upcoming concert The Promised Land, presented by Soulpepper. Esther talks to us about the pursuit of that Promised Land, the power of music to elevate a concept, the relevance of Steinbeck’s work today, and the joy this production has brought her.
Small Island principal actors Gershwyn Eustache Jnr (Gilbert) and Leah Harvey (Hortense) reflect on their characters, the legacy of the Windrush generation, and what cinema audiences can expect from Small Island.
Sometimes the little cities can surprise you.
“What do you do with desire in a marriage where you cannot fuck your husband without the consequences being disfigurement and death?”
The question, “What is the opposite thing that we’re not doing in this moment, and can it help us?” feels more vital to me than it did in the past.
“I wasn’t interested in telling a story as such, or having characters as such. For me it was about tapping into this kind of primal howl.”
“This is all I know. I’m not a lawyer, I’m not a doctor, I’m not a soldier. If the war comes, I’m fucked.”
“I think everyone is afraid.”
“I had a little break before Shaw rehearsals started, and so my husband and I went to France to do the Joan pilgrimage.”
“I don’t want to be considered an ‘Iranian theatre director’ or even an ‘Iranian-Canadian theatre director.’ I’m simply a director.”
“I used to recite Shakespeare in my spare time. I was a strange child.”
“You think the writer’s going to go away and come back with blue, red, and green. But this is where art happens, because they come back with something plaid and on fire.”