The Ensemble
An international tour de force, the Guy Mendilow Ensemble (GME) is a cutting-edge collaboration of world-class musicians, singers, visual artists and theatrical designers. GME weaves inspiring stories through live riveting scores, narration blending memoir and poetry, and theatrically projected sand animation. GME productions center on real-world tales of the choices people make in times of personal or societal change — especially unexpected grace in the midst of upheaval.
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.
Video
scroll through videos below | click to play
What is Radio Play(s)?
What purpose does the series serve?
What do scenes sound and look like?
Through directors' words and brief samples of the music, spoken word and theatrically projected sand animation, this video offers an overview addressing these questions.
Productions
click on arrows to see GME’s productions | click on each image to learn more
Story-Driven Learning
GME designs and implements distinct, multifaceted residencies driven by diverse strategies for partnership, listening, disrupting assumptions, and fostering group cohesion.
GME also delivers a breadth of high caliber, pedagogically sound story-driven learning experiences, from story circles and choral/collaborations to workshops and lectures.
GME’s arts-in-education programming is informed by:
Over twenty years of expertise as educators;
Developing programs for universities across the U.S. from Harvard University to the University of Washington;
Designing ongoing residencies for leading performing arts organizations like Celebrity Series of Boston.
GME’s story-driven learning programs are recognized by leading cultural institutions like the National Endowment for the Arts for the strengthening of communities through the arts.
Featured News
The Radio Play(s) writing team is honoured to be invited for a week-long writing residency at Slough Farm, an oceanside 50-acre working farm on Martha’s Vineyard.
We are thrilled and honoured to share that Radio Play(s) Ep. 3 will receive a funding award from The Boston Foundation’s Live Arts Boston.
Live Arts Boston provides nearly $1 million in grants and support to 50 artists in commitment to arts equity
What is the Radio Play(s) series, and what is its purpose?
Watch this 1 minute sizzler to find out!
Watch a full scene from The Forgotten Kingdom, and learn about its staging and theatrically projected sand animation
We’re thrilled to share that GME is one of 192 organizations receiving support through Boston Cultural Council/Reopen Creative Boston funding this year! More than $3.4 million has been awarded to local organizations for general operating support and COVID-19 relief.
COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on Boston’s arts community, and we want to share our support for the many organizations that have continued to bring Bostonians together through innovative arts programming.
We're delighted to announce that Guy Mendilow was awarded as a fellowship finalist by the Mass Cultural Council in the music composition category.
The fellow and fellowship finalist awards are granted to New England artists who contribute significant cultural value to our community ecosystem.
See: https://massculturalcouncil.org/gallery/guy-mendilow-20213380-2021/
Via Airmail weaves a tapestry of real-world stories told through the spoken word, music, and sand animation. The tales' relevance is unpacked through conversation between Mendilow and historian Devin Naar about Ottoman Sephardi history, how this history may inform present dilemmas, and the courage to be fully human when humanity is least expected.
Stream the world premiere of the sand story edition of The Forgotten Kingdom with full sand animation.
History and emotion collide in a sweeping family story brought to life by radio-theatre narration, sand animation and a riveting musical score.
The Forgotten Kingdom is a family travelogue through an unraveling Mediterranean world at the turn of the 20th century, glimpsed in settings of Ottoman Sephardi women’s songs portraying the visceral, personal experience of family members and neighbors caught up in the upheaval of wars and migrations.
Stream the world premiere of the sand story edition of The Forgotten Kingdom with full sand animation.
History and emotion collide in a sweeping family story brought to life by radio-theatre narration, sand animation and a riveting musical score.
The Forgotten Kingdom is a family travelogue through an unraveling Mediterranean world at the turn of the 20th century, glimpsed in settings of Ottoman Sephardi women’s songs portraying the visceral, personal experience of family members and neighbors caught up in the upheaval of wars and migrations.
Streaming now.
A collection of true stories looking to the past to ask questions about the present, created during the pandemic. From a tale of an escape from a Hungarian Arrow Cross work camp in 1943 to the dilemma of families in the former Ottoman Empire looking at the threats of war and wondering whether to stay or go.
{From Celebrity Series of Boston}
Guy Mendilow shares a backstage look at two sand stories in the performance
{from Celebrity Series of Boston}
Guy Mendilow offers a reflection and backstage look into how the narrative portions of his concert were captured.
{From Celebrity Series of Boston}
Guy Mendilow shares a backstage look at reasons to look to stories from the past
{From Celebrity Series of Boston}
Guy Mendilow offers a backstage look into the stories he directed and produced, showcased in this performance
{From Celebrity Series of Boston}
Guy Mendilow offers a reflection and backstage look into directing and producing during the pandemic
GME is honoured to participate in We Remember, a performance honouring International Holocaust Remembrance Day, presented by the US Embassy Moscow, on Wednesday January 27
Join us for the premiere of Radio Play(s), closing out the Stockbridge Theatre’s virtual fall season on December 11, 2020 at 7PM EST.
Radio Play(s) is a performed podcast unpacking a significant and timely theme. A radio-drama style presentation in which story, song, and powerful spoken word are intertwined with a riveting score and punctuated by moving musical segments. These poignant evenings are co-directed and produced by literary performer Regie Gibson and composer/performer Guy Mendilow, and feature a phenomenally multi-talented multicultural cast of classical and contemporary musicians.
Sparkplug Foundation awards funding to GME for completion of The Forgotten Kingdom — Sand Stories
Watch the premiere of a sand story and a live reading from The Forgotten Kingdom on ALL TOGETHER NOW
The National Endowment for the Arts doubles its funding support for The Forgotten Kingdom – Sand Stories for its artistry, cultural preservation and the strengthening of communities through the arts
How does sand artist Kseniya Simonova manage to coax so much emotion out of…sand??
Watch this video from the finals of America’s Got Talent: The Champions to learn more about how she casts her spell
We are honoured to have The Forgotten Kingdom — Sand Stories selected as one of 18 featured presentations at UP NEXT! at the Association of Performing Arts Professionals in New York.
A presentation about The Forgotten Kingdom — Sand Stories is featured at the 17th Annual Idea Swap, hosted by the New England Foundation for the Arts.