PETE SEEGER'S THE INCOMPLEAT FOLKSINGER WITH MARK HELLMAN 

Local actor, musician and independent producer, Mark Hellman is delighted to bring his rollicking one-man singalong musical, PETE SEEGER'S THE INCOMPLEAT FOLKSINGER, back to the Saanich Peninsula, after recent tours to Montreal, Winnipeg, and beautiful Kaslo BC.

Pete Seeger (1919-2014) was a key figure in the mid-20th century global folk music revival. He sang in defence of the poor, the oppressed, and the exploited, and always to enliven and encourage, to delight, and to tell tales. This unique full-length solo performance (adapted from Seeger's 1972 autobiography of the same name) imagines a concert 'somewhere on the road, 1970, weaving together verbatim theatre, live music and audience participation into a journey spanning 35 years (1935-70) and featuring all or part of 29 songs.

Seeger reflects on his involvement in the union movement, WWII, his public stand against McCarthyism(HUAC), his actions in support of the Civil Rights Movement, global travels (with many stops across Canada) and visits to conflict zones overseas, while honouring his greatest inspirations: Woody Guthrie, Lee Hays, Leadbelly, Martin Luther King, and his great love, Toshi Ohta.

Invited to sing along at every turn, the audience is completely engaged and embedded in the story, and by the finale of “If I Had a Hammer” audience and performer merge into a single voice, embodying the principle that Seeger lived through his life and art:  “Participation. That’s what’s gonna save the human race."

Written by Ross Desprez & Mark Hellman
Directed by Ross Desprez
Musical Director : Tobin Stokes

CHOIR DISCOUNTS! (contact Mark for discount code)
GROUP DISCOUNTS! (10 or more)
CHILDREN UNDER 12: FREE

markhellman.ca
Pete Seeger's The Incompleat Folksinger (short promo)

NOTE: A live video recording will take place during this performance, for archival purposes. Short segments will be used for promotional purposes only. (Not for broadcast)

....it's so real. It became this huge singalong...I've never been to a piece of theatre like that.
- David Lennam, CBC Radio, Victoria

...Hellman shines...playing a five-string banjo and a 12-string guitar, and getting the audience to sing along with classics like “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, “Guantanamera”, and “We Shall Overcome”....I can’t remember a play that had me singing along so much.  - Kathleen Oliver, Georgia Straight

...a beacon on the horizon that calls out to our better selves to respond, to act....this show, an old-style hootenanny, will get you humming and singing and clapping and tearing-up at just the right times : you'll thank yourself for taking it in. - Baird Blackstone, BrokenLegReviews(Vancouver, BC)

...beautiful tunes, accomplished story telling, and an immense heart...It takes an assured performer, one familiar with the vagaries of audience participation, to stand, in-effect naked, and take the assembly on a journey through collective memory. Hellman, with his years of performing, and community work—particularly as founder of the Vic High Neighbourhood Choir—definitely has the necessary skills....I can think of a more fitting tribute to [Seeger's] life than this joyful exploration in word and song... - Janis La Couvée (blogger, Victoria BC)

MARK HELLMAN (AFM, CAEA)

Mark's career as a professional actor, musician, composer/arranger, dancer, puppeteer, teacher, director and independent theatre producer began in 1981. He has lived and worked in Victoria (Belfry Theatre, Theatre SKAM, Other Guys Theatre Co, Kaleidoscope Theatre), Montreal (Centaur Theatre, Ass'n of Producing Artists), Winnipeg (Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg's Contemporary Dancers, Manitoba Theatre for Young People) and Armstrong, BC (Caravan Stage Co.), and he has toured extensively across Canada and the U.S. Recent credits include: Flotsam & Jetsam, Good Timber, Moodyville Tales (Other Guys), The Life Inside, Ethan Claymore (Belfry), Smalltown: a Pickup Musical (SKAM), Minstrel's Dream, Mean Old Mackie's Last Xmas (Story Theatre), and a solo reading of Shakespeare's The Tempest (self-produced). This is Mark's first time appearing at the Charlie White Theatre, but certainly not the last! To contact Mark, and for more information about his work in education and community development, please visit his web site.