Marty, Wendy and Caitlyn
Quinn star in this original theatrical adaptation of Baha'u'llah's The Seven
Valleys. Written around 1855 in answer to questions from a Sufi about the
nature of the spiritual journey, this book is one of Baha'u'llah's most beautiful
and poetic works.
Now, in the tradition of presenting spiritual based drama and musicals such
as the Broadway hits "Godspell" and Alec McCowen's "St. Mark's Gospel", the
Quinns bring this deeply moving work to life on the stage.
Featuring original music and dance by the internationally known Quinn Family.
Directed by award-winning Bill George and choreographer
Ben Hatcher. With beautiful silk costumes and sets by
Ellen Spring and calligraphy by Burhan Zahrai.
Marty
Quinn has performed in theatre for most of his life. He grew up playing drums,
piano, and tablas (hand drums of India) and studied with Jim Chapin and Paramjoti.
He studied voice at the New York School for Commercial Music and the Voice Studio
in Boston. He has played percussion for National Broadway Touring Companies
throughout the United States including Godspell and has written compositions
for dance performers Dudek-Mann and Sarah and Jerry Pearson.
For 7 years, starting in 1984, he was the percussionist/vocalist with the renowned
Doah World Music Ensemble performing extensively throughout New England, the
continental US, Alaska and India. He has recorded for many artists including
jazz guitarist Pat Martino, pianist Darius Brubeck and choral group On Wings
of Song.
Marty also teaches drums and is a software engineer. He has created the Design
Rhythmics Sonification Research Lab for the purpose of analyzing and perceiving
information through music. His work on turning ice core data into a 'Climate
Symphony' is being well received throughout the scientific community.
Wendy
Quinn received her BS in dance from Hunter College and her MS in Dance Therapy
from The City
University of New York. She has studied modern dance with Peter Boneham (La
Groupe de le Place Royale) in
Montreal and Dorothy Vislocki (Alwin Nickolais) in New York. Currently, she
studies ballet with Bill Pisutto
(White Oak Dance Project) at Ballet New England in Portsmouth. She has performed
in Canada, the United States, Belgium, Hungary, Taiwan and Germany.
Wendy has trained in classical music (piano) and choral music and studies voice
at the Voice Studio in Boston. Previously, she was an active member of the avant-garde
performing arts community in New York, performing with Pooh Kaye and Simon Forti.
Her work includes performances at the Judson Church, Trisha Brown Studio, Grommet
Theater and Razor Gallery, as well as publications in Art in the Seventies
by Jean Dupuy and Women's Work by Alison Knowles. Currently, she performs
with her husband, Marty, in their two shows, The Magic Bird and The
Seven Valleys.
In addition, she attends Antioch New England Graduate School where she is a
doctoral candidate in clinical psychology. She is conducting research on women's
birthing experiences.
Caitlyn Quinn, now 15 years old, has performed since the age of 6 with her parents in The Magic Bird and The Seven Valleys. In addition, she is a member of the Oyster River Players Theater Company. In recent years, she has performed as Puck and Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Pan in Peter Pan, Zaneeta in The Music Man, Louise in Carousel, Josephine in H.M.S. Pinafore. Caitlyn studies dance at Ballet New England and voice at the Voice Studio in Boston.
Bill George received his MFA in Theatre from the Dallas Theatre Center under
Paul Baker, studied mime for five years in New York with Paul Curtis of the
American Mime Theatre, co-founded the People's Theatre Company in 1976 with
his wife, Bridget George, and founded Touchstone Theatre in 1981 where he was
Producing Director until 1991.
He received the Edinburgh Fringe Festival Award for outstanding new work in
1981, is the 1995 Pennsylvania Solo Theatre Artist Fellowship recipient and
is presently working with Bridget to establish Little Pond -- an artist's retreat
on a small farm in the Pennsylvania countryside. He has toured "The Kingfisher's
Wing", the story of the martyrdom of Badi, with Styve Homnick for the last few
years and is presently creating a new work based on the marriage of Munirih
Khanum and Abdu'l-Baha.
Ben Hatcher is a demi-soloist with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens since 1990. He joined Les Grands Ballets in 1987. He has had numerous lead roles in such dances as The Green Table, Death by Kurt Jooss, In Paradisum by James Kudelka, Coppelia by Martinez / Petipa and Swan Lake by Ivanov / Petipa. He has recently returned from touring Portugal, Holland and Belgium with Jean-Pierre Perreault. In 1998, he received the choreography award at the St. Saveur Arts Festival.