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Projects and Performances

The following is a partial list of previous performance events:

Tree Lore and Solstice Legends : This Storytelling and Celtic harp journey featuring myths and legends of trees from around the world takes place at Arnold Arboretum, Boston MA at the time of the Summer Solstice. During the two hour walking/singing concert, audience members follow the performers to seven different groves of trees to hear legends which highlight these particular trees. The evening culminates with the haunting Czech legend of the Dancing Spirit of the Birch Grove told among the birches of Bussey Hill at sunset. Created with Celtic harper Margot Chamberlain.

Millennium LabyrinTh : Bell the Minotaur: Interactive performances in the subway November 24th, 1999- New Year's Eve.
In Millennium LabyrinTh the myth of the Minotaur is brought to the heart of the transit system. The twists of the subway are compared to a Cretan labyrinth and the image of the maze becomes a metaphor for the difficult choices we face as we enter the new Millennium. Ariadne and her Clone (costumed and masked goddesses) enter the subway as guides to this underground world of dangerous timelines and Minotaur-like trains. They search for Theseus, who is disguised as an average commuter. Interactive subway events with Ariadne and her Double, lead up to the New Year's Eve event. At this event, stone subway benches were transformed into 'Contemplation Stations'. There the public wrote down the burdens from the past Millennium on belled luggage tags. Over 1,000 tags were hung in the front window of Back Bay subway station. At last the Minotaur appeared led by the twin Ariadnes. In a ritualistic scapegoat event he took on the burdens of the past, devouring them until, by knowing our sins, he became humanized as well.

Millennium LabyrinTh : Ariadne's Thread: Interactive performances in the subway December 1st, 2000- December 31st 2000
During Part Two of this Millennium Year project, the twin Ariadne's encouraged individual commuters (Theseus) to contemplate on the meaning of the golden thread and the various maps (external and internal) which inform our lives. Nine interactive subway events at various locations (on trains, platforms, entryways) led up to the First Night event. Here, a giant video screen conjured up visions of Atlantis. As the environment transformed from water to a space-age arena- Athena rose up from the depths. Despite the challenge of the Minotaur, Athena resolved all differences and amidst a blinding blue light carried belled tags of hopes into the future. Commissioned by First Night Boston, also supported by the BCC and MBTA Created and performed by Diane Edgecomb and Mari Novotny-Jones with Ean White.

Performances with Experimental Theatres:

Song of Absence: 1989-92 Double Edge Theatre, International Ctr., Ashfield, MA Bruno Schultz/Adele in Double Edge Theatre's exploration of the Holocaust. Song of Absence received: "Best of Boston" 1989 in: The Boston Globe, The Boston Herald, The Boston Phoenix, and The New England Monthly. "Critic's Choice" in: The Boston Globe, The Allston-Brighton Journal.

Song of Songs: 1990-2 Double Edge Theatre, International Ctr., Ashfield, MA Company member for developmental period of Song of Songs. Created paired role with David Flaxman. First presentation at Baltimore Theatre Project 1992.

Sebri Eyub: May, 2000; performance in conjunction with Teatro di Nascosto at the Generazioni Festival Incontro Internazionale dei Teatri in Pontederra, Italy. Sebri Eyub by Teatro di Nascosto is 'Teatro Reportage', journalistic theatre, and included group actions in the city covering conditions in Iraqi-Kurdistan.

Solo Performances: written. performed, and directed by Diane Edgecomb

Telling Kurdish Tales: April, 2000; commissioned by the Kurdish Library, Brooklyn, New York Diane Edgecomb- storyteller/singer accompanied by Margot Chamberlain, harp and Jay Rosenberg, oud and drum Re-telling of Kurdish Tales from Iraqi-Kurdistan collected by Mohammed Tofiq Songs from Turkish-Kurdistan in the Kurmanji dialect. Later performance at Club Passim included Kurdish musician Andrew Aytac and Kurdish tales collected by Diane from area tellers.

Twilight of the Stones: 1999- premiere at Three Apples Storytelling Festival. Performance piece with interactive slide show based on a true ghost story about the Standing Stones of Avebury, England. Original story was collected by Diane Edgecomb in 1993.

Midsummer Magic: 1988 premiere at Friends Meeting House With Margot Chamberlain- Celtic harper A collection of myths, legends and songs of the Summer Solstice. Later versions of the performance ended with stories at sunset on the hills of the Arboretum.

Winter Solstice in Legend and Song : 1987 premiere at Habitat & Charlestown Working Theatre with Margot Chamberlain, Celtic harper. A collection of myths and legends relating to the winter solstice. They included A re-telling of Baldur and the Mistletoe and the Cherokee myth of the Evergreen.

Deirdre of the Sorrows: 1990 premiere at Stories after Dark; Original adaptation of one of the 'Three Sorrows of Irish Storytelling" With original music by Tom Megan accompanied by Celtic harper Margot Chamberlain

New Age Gawain and The Green Knight : 1993; premiere First Night, Boston A unique adaptation of the 14th century poem; Gawain and the Green Knight. A mysterious 'green man' bungee jumps into the middle of Arthur's men's group. Gawain sets out on a quest down the road less traveled by and tries to maintain his virtue against an unusual triple goddess.

A Celtic Evening: 1995; premiere at various venues Performance developed in conjunction with Michael Punzak, storyteller and violinist, and with Celtic harper Margot Chamberlain

Works in Progress

RESTRAINTS : presented at Mobius Artists Group 2003; A WORK IN PROGRESS created and performed by Diane Edgecomb with the help of Jola Cynkutis. RESTRAINTS is a voice and image exploration of one woman's struggle to vindicate a life of madness and sorcery. It utilizes theatrical processes developed by the Grotowski Theatre Lab of Poland. The piece is woven through with Shakespearean texts, Shaker hymns, the ecstatic poems of Rumi and recollected dreams. RESTRAINTS tugs at the cords that rein us in and those that pull us over the brink of reality.

1985 "Untitled" explorations based on work begun with Zbigniew Cynkutis

1986 "Untitled" 2nd set of explorations based on work begun with Cynkutis