Composer
Ursa: A Folk Musical
Music, lyrics, and book by Jake Schindler and Sam Boer
Ursa is a one-act folk-musical that tells the story of an audacious girl, Ursa, and her strange codependent friendship with a bear she meets in the forest. A concert/musical hybrid that draws equally upon from the worlds of folk coffeehouses and campfire folklore, Ursa speaks to the restlessness many young people growing up in the present moment must navigate; how this anxiety complicates their relationships; and the catharsis they feel as they accept the ways they grow and change throughout early adulthood.
Production History:
- Watershed Festival (Queens University) - May 2021
- Next Stage Festival (Toronto Fringe) - January 2022
- Watershed Festival - Headlining Performance (Queens University) - 2022
- Ontario Tour (Tweed and Co. Theatre) - September 2022
The Light Goes Round
Music and Lyrics by Ben Kopp and Jake Schindler
Book by Margot Greve
Performed by Margot Greve, Ben Kopp, Jake Schindler, Ben Yoganathan
A new musical that tells the true story of J.P. Radelmuller and the lighthouse he kept at Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Islands. In 1815, Radelmuller was known to store bootleg alcohol which he would serve to Fort York soldiers who visited the point. This is the story of the night it went wrong. This is a ghost story.
Produced for the Toronto Fringe 2020 Community Booster.
Where Do We Begin?
Music and lyrics by Jake Schindler
Book and Lyrics by Thalia Ranjbar
How do we respond when we are forced to face a tragedy? Four friends find themselves on the roof of their school asking, where do we begin?
John Berry, a 16 year old boy, has taken his own life. We follow four of his friends, Jonas, Maria, Mac, and Beth, who find themselves in the very place where John spent his final moments—the roof of their school. As four friends learn more about each other, they share memories about John and find ways to speak out about their own struggles with mental illness. Through music, movement, and spoken word, Where Do We Begin? asks us to think about what it means to grieve, and ultimately, where do we find hope in the face of a tragedy?
