Esther: The Feast of Masks
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This special Sound & Spirit program is a unique performance piece of story and music, written and narrated by Ellen Kushner with music performed live in the studio! Experience the Biblical story of Esther, juxtaposed with the stories of four modern characters: Rita, a New York wife, defies her husband...Ida, a quiet schoolteacher, struggles with questions of "passing" in America... Natalie, an American diplomat in Rwanda, views a mounting tragedy and must make a difficult choice... Nate, a high school student, must stand up to his homophobic friend.
Esther and Ahashuerus at the Feast
From original music to folk, blues and African songs, all are performed by Michael McLaughlin of Shirim Klezmer Orchestra (of Klezmer Nutcracker fame), Mary Casey and Josef Kessler.
Ellen, the band and our production team spent many long hours putting the show together. Check out The Making of Esther for the inside story on how we made this program -- including some pictures from the studio and early live performances.
In 2004, Esther: The Feast of Masks won a "Gracie": Presented by the Foundation of American Women in Radio and Television [AWRT] The Gracie Allen Awards (established in 1975) honor programming and individuals of the highest caliber in all facets of radio, television, cable and web-based media.
Live Performances:
Experience it online! June 28th, 2003 a Live performance of Esther in Boston was videotaped, and you can watch it on the WGBH Forum Network.
Please note: Due to some mature content, the show is not recommended for children under 12.
Feedback:
If you heard the radio show or attended a live performance and would like to comment, please do! You can use our feedback form, or you can just write to spirit@pri.org.
And if you have time, would you be willing to answer some questions about the show?
This program was made possible by a grant from the Jewish Outreach Institute; your feedback will provide the JOI with useful data on audience responses to radio programming that involves Jewish themes.
Thank you!
If you would like to learn more about the JOI, check out their quarterly newsletters online.
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