About Different Trains 2012 at The Jewish Theatre

DIFFERENT TRAINS AGAIN
– LONGED FOR REVIVAL
By Steve Reich
Direction, concept and set design: Pia Forsgren
Glass design: Ann Wåhlström
Lighting design: Hans-Åke Sjöquist
Costume design: Mikael T Zielinski

DIFFERENT TRAINS is one of the Jewish Theatre’s greatest successes. When it opened in 2008 the 70 performances sold out instantly and since then the requests for it to come back have been numerous. So, at the audience’s request: On April 18, 2012, we open again!

In the meantime the celebrated Different Trains performance has made a guest appearance at the Jerusalem City Museum the Tower of David during the Summer of 2011 – and in 2013 it will visit the famous BAM in New York, a stage that, among others, Ingmar Bergman, Robert Wilson and Kevin Spacey have visited.

What happens when numerous different works of art come together and make up something new? Different Trains is an example of this and an example of Pia Forsgren’s ability to move between and combine various art forms to a new and independent work – something that has made the Jewish Theatre a ground breaking stage for performance art.

The basic idea was the American composer Steve Reich’s Different Trains, a piece in three parts written for a string quartet in which melodies are interspersed with recorded, authentic voices. Reich spent a lot of time in his childhood traveling by train between the American West and East coasts. Had he instead lived in Europe during this time, the early 40’s, he would have, being a Jew, travelled on entirely different trains.

Pia Forsgren made the bold choice to let the Flesh Quartet perform Different Trains. She also asked them to compose and perform a new piece – Tears Apart. At the same time she realized a long-cherished dream – to build a set design in glass. The design by artist Ann Wåhlström is ravishing and surrounds the audience as well as the musicians – open to all interpretations.

Different Trains Jerusalem 2011 »

Different Trains Stockholm 2008/2009 »