Composer and pianist Michael Park is about to make his Vancouver Fringe Festival debut with Performing Memories at Leap Creative Studios. Michael is unique as a pianist in tackling tough issues like mental health and childhood trauma. Even more impressive is that he can do it while referencing The Joy of Sex and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while dressed like Liberace! We asked him to tell us more about himself, and his upcoming solo show. —Vita Daily
Hi Michael! Please tell us a bit about yourself to start.
I’m a composer and pianist, and I’ve been living in Vancouver for the last 15 years. I’m really drawn to the unexpected. My goal with my art is to make people think twice about what a musician can and should do. I’ve written an interactive opera about diabetes, I connected organ pipes to a functioning bouncy castle, and I’ve given a Ted Talk about how music can show us what it’s like to experience Alzheimer’s disease.
You’re making your Vancouver Fringe Festival debut with Performing Memories at Leap Creative Studios this year! Congrats! Are you excited?
Thanks, and absolutely, I’m excited! I applied for a Fringe spot at the suggestion of a friend, who’s now the director of my show. In less than a year, ‘Performing Memories’ has developed from something that would be fun to perform live, into a show that I’m soon to be sharing with audiences. There are so many steps involved in bringing a show like this to life, and each one has made the project feel more real.
What are you most looking forward to?
Fringe audiences are known for being receptive, enthusiastic, and earnest. Performing Memories developed out of my journey towards improved mental health. Growing up gay, queer, or different comes with a lot of baggage. It takes more work than it should for us to accept and love ourselves fully. So I’m truly excited to present such a deeply personal story to an intimate and appreciative audience.
We understand that you’ll be tackling tough issues like mental health and childhood trauma while referencing The Joy of Sex and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles while dressed like Liberace. Where does the piano come into play?!
It turns out that being able to speak naturally while playing piano is quite a rare skill. In Performing Memories, I’m really taking ownership of my role as a storytelling pianist. Of the 40-minutes in the show, I’m playing piano for at least 35 minutes, and acting for another 35 mostly-overlapping minutes. Music and the piano are how I process the world around me. The piano is at times another character, at other times a soundtrack to colour the stories I’m sharing. It is comforting, uplifting, exhilarating, soothing, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Who is this show for, and what do you hope the audience takes away from it?
While I go heavy into the 90’s nostalgia of my own youth, this show is essentially for anyone who had a childhood! It truly speaks to those moments growing up when we felt curious, confused, excited, ashamed … I think the show runs the full gamut of emotions, but I don’t shy away from those that are a little less comfortable. The idea for the show came from the fact that I had some blank spots in my memories from childhood. When I started uncovering those memories, I realized they were tied to some big emotions for such a little kid. What I want to show audiences is that instead of pushing those memories behind us, we can reflect on those memories with a new lens, and use that to become better grown-ups ourselves.
As 90s kids ourselves, we gotta know: what other musical references from that time can we expect to hear at your show? And … do you encourage us to sing along?!
Whether I’m improvising music for a ballet class, or writing something for theatre, the tunes and theme songs from my childhood have a way of sneaking in. But just a little bit! All the musical references are piano-only, and go by quickly, so I doubt anyone will be fast enough to sing along. Audiences can expect to hear snippets of music from Disney, Ninja Turtles, Diana Ross, Elton John… a total of 16 references throughout the show. There’s actually going to be a musical-reference scavenger hunt, so I won’t give it all away, but maybe your readers should bookmark this article as a cheat-sheet!
Technical details: where and when is the show, and how do we snag tickets?
I’ll be doing six shows throughout the run of the Fringe Festival, all at Leap Creative Studios. Tickets are available through the Fringe website, and I’ll pop the link down below!
Event Details:
- Thursday, September 7 8:30pm
- Saturday, September 9 6:15pm
- Tuesday, September 12 5pm
- Friday, September 15 9:45pm
- Saturday, September 16 12:45pm
- Sunday, September 17 6pm
All performances at: Leap Creative Studios in Vancouver, B.C.
Tickets: vancouverfringe.com
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