Baba Yaga's Hut

at the 2002 Saskatoon International Fringe Festival

Written, composed and performed by Lia Pas

with Anita Verlangen as the Doll

Venue #5: The Refinery (609 Dufferin Avenue at 12th Street)

Only 5 shows!
Saturday, August 3 2002, 12:20 pm
Sunday, August 4 2002, 8:20 pm
Monday, August 5 2002, 4:20 pm
Thursday, August 8 2002, 6:20 pm
Saturday, August 10 2002, 10:20 pm

Tickets: $8 adults, $5 children under 12

This show sold out at Her-icane Dorothy (March 2002) so get your tickets fast!

Baba Yaga's Hut is a multi-disciplinary telling of the Russian Folktale "Vasalisa the Wise". Vasalisa, a sweet young woman with a magical doll, is sent to fetch fire from Baba Yaga, who eats sweet young things. Baba Yaga controls the movement of light through the world, and lives in a hut that dances on chicken legs. In this dark and strange story of initiation, intuition, and the meeting of the crone, Baba Yaga gives Vasalisa a number of impossible tasks, which the doll helps her complete.

Original script, incantatory music, and surreal setting by Lia Pas. Performed by Lia Pas with Anita Verlangen as the Doll.

About Lia Pas

Lia Pas is a writer, musician, composer and multi-disciplinary performer who grew up in Saskatoon, studied music (composition, improvisation and world music) at York University and returned to Saskatoon in 1994 to pursue her artistic career. Lia has played oboe with the Saskatoon Symphony, and has performed as vocalist, oboist, and keyboardist with DUCT (Saskatoon's premier Free-Improvisation Ensemble) and as a vocalist with aBANDon. In June 2002 she performed the female lead role in The Band Known as Seawater Bliss' rock opera, "Room to Breathe", which was produced by the Mendel Art Gallery. She has had poetry, articles and essays published in a number of magazines and periodicals, and her chapbook of poetry, vicissitudes, was published in 2001 by Underwhich Editions.

Also in 2001, Lia was the creative impetus behind the extremely successful multi-disciplinary show "The Descent of Inanna". The show was written and the music composed by Lia, included choreography by Paulette Bibeau, and was directed by Beata Van Berkom with a cast of eight multi-disciplinary performers. "Inanna" sold out at Her-icane Caroline, 2001's Her-icane Arts Festival, played the Billy Tent at the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Festival to two mid-sized crowds, and was invited to play the University of Saskatchewan Drama Department's festival picks with Mansel Robinson's "Ghost Trains" where two "Inanna" shows sold out.

About Anita Verlangen

Anita Verlangen is a potter, teacher, director, singer and actor. Anita grew up in Saskatoon and completed an Education degree at the University of Saskatchewan. She has performed in a number of productions including "A Christmas Carol" at St. Thomas More College, "Sister Mary Ignatius explains it all for you" and "The Actor's Nightmare" at the Billy Tent on the Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan Site, and last year appeared as the Storyteller in "The Descent of Inanna". Anita's gorgeous voice and intense stage presence promises to enrich this production of "Baba Yaga's Hut".

About Lapis Productions

Lapis Productions is a new solo venture for Lia, fulfilling her creative aspirations as writer, composer, singer, actor, and artistic director. "Baba Yaga's Hut" is an exciting dive into multi-disciplinary performance.

"...an incredible feast for the eyes, ears & mind."