Now that sitting in a packed theatre is off the table for the foreseeable future, Ottawa Public Library is partnering with a Company of Fools to bring Love from Afar, a unique and original Shakespearian mashup, to your home and screen.
The pandemic has allowed many artists to do things differently and express their creativity in a whole new way. The local actors from a Company of Fools are among many local artists who have adapted their work to the needs of day and created a uniquely captivating video that will satisfy your craving for culture and entertainment.
If you love Shakespeare, you will surely appreciate this remarkable mashup, Love from Afar, which was born out of an altruistic initiative to bring the comedy and drama of some of Shakespeare’s greatest love stories to residents of eight senior care facilities throughout Ottawa in September. Hot on the heels of these rousing live performances viewed through windows and heard through short-range FM radio at the seniors’ homes, OPL jumped in as partner to take the creative storytelling to a wider audience and support the recorded play’s transformation into a animated comic!
Enjoy a great love story from the comfort of wherever you are, delightfully performed by actors Geoff McBride, Mitchel Rose and Maryse Fernandes in Romeo and Juliet, As You Like It, Much Ado About Nothing, Hamlet, King Lear and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Directed by co-writer Nicholas Leno, with costumes and masks designed by Hannah Ferguson, set design by Franco Pang, and an original score by Alli Harris, transformed into an animated comic thanks to the magic hands of artist Sara Mizannojehdehi, this lively and expressive medley of Shakespeare’s most memorable romances is sure to warm the heart during these difficult times.
You will also enjoy the musical score of Love from Afar composed by Ali Harris, also of Ottawa. She recently received two Prix Rideau Awards for Emerging Artist and Best New Work, for her one-woman-musical-comedy High School High, which she brought to the Toronto Fringe this summer. She also composed the original music for Lauren and Amanda Do It (Toasted Theatre).
You will be amazed by the talent of local illustrator and comic artist, Sara Mizannojehdehi, a graduate of Canterbury High School, who is currently in her third year of the Media Production and Design program at Carleton University. Sara Mizannojehdehi joined in the Fools' artistic pandemic period adventure in 2020. She is an experienced illustrator, animator, media writer, and web designer and has won several awards for her visual and written work.
Cozy up in front of your screen in the next three weeks to enjoy this limited- time presentation available only through the Ottawa Public Library website and YouTube channel:
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Until October 29 - Watch the digitized animated comic on our YouTube channel. The 45‑minute video will be available for a limited time, from today, October 6 to Thursday, October 29.
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Attend a live Q&A session with the writers and actors of A Company of Fools on Wednesday, October 14 at 2 p.m. Shakespeare lovers and high school students are invited to register to receive a Zoom link, or to tune in live on either YouTube Live or Facebook Live. Enter your questions in advance with a form or live. Be sure to watch the digitized animated comic first.
You can also read the original versions of Shakespeare's plays used in the mashup by browsing OPL’s collection.
For more information on this program, visit BiblioOttawaLibrary.ca.