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Burnaby performers in Songs for a New World

Burnaby performers are taking to the stage in a musical that explores issues of immigration and war. Songs for a New World, presented by Fabulist Theatre, is onstage at the PAL Studio Theatre in Vancouver from March 23 to April 1.
Songs for a New World
From left: Damon Jang, Shina Likasa and Aerhyn Lau are among the Burnaby performers involved in Fabulist Theatre’s Songs for a New World.

Burnaby performers are taking to the stage in a musical that explores issues of immigration and war.

Songs for a New World, presented by Fabulist Theatre, is onstage at the PAL Studio Theatre in Vancouver from March 23 to April 1.

The musical by Jason Robert Brown, a song cycle that is somewhere between a musical and a revue, explores themes of immigration, war, motherhood, poverty and “the singular moments that transform our lives,” as a press release notes.

It’s being staged by a new company, Fabulist Theatre, that was founded by Mary Littlejohn and Burnaby’s Damon Jang – both graduates of Capilano University’s musical theatre program. The company is committed to producing shows that promote diversity and creating opportunities for a wide variety of amateur and professional performers.

This show is typically performed by four people but has been expanded to 15, ranging in age from 11 to 62 - including those new to Vancouver’s theatre scene and those new to Canada.

Jang appears in the show, alongside fellow Burnaby residents Shina Likasa, Aheryn Lau and Charity Principe.

“In this reinterpretation, audience members will be taken on a journey to new worlds including Syria, Afghanistan, the North Pole, the Philippines, a Shaughnessy mansion, Colonial America, the Bronx and the middle of the Pacific Ocean,” the release says.

Fabulist Theatre will donate partial profits to the UN Refugee Agency in Canada and will also donate tickets to new immigrants.

The PAL Studio Theatre is at 581 Cardero St., Coal Harbour.

Evening shows are at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday, March 26 and Saturday, April 1.

Tickets are $28 general admission, $24 for students and seniors, with a two-for-one preview on March 23 and a pay-what-you-can performance on March 29. Buy through fabsongs.bpt.me.