About

Frederick Glaysher, Apollo's Troupe, Epic Poet, Rhapsode, Producer. 
I'm an epic poet, rhapsode, poet-critic, author or editor of ten books, including The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem (294 pages).

Seeking solo performance in theatres, amphitheatres, colleges and universities, or other venues, TOURING, USA, CA, UK, EU, for the theatre version of The Parliament of Poets. 100 minutes. 

SYNOPSIS

Apollo, the Greek god of poetry, calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the moon to consult on the meaning of modern life, seeking our common humanity, coming together in peace and global community, with Don Quixote as Master of Ceremonies. 

Thirty years in the making, set partly at the Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, Frederick Glaysher revives and combines the chanting and storytelling of the ancient Greek rhapsodes, Charles Dickens, and Edgar Allan Poe. Glaysher performs solo The Poet of the Moon, Don Quixote, Merlin, Black Elk, Chief Seattle, Du Fu, Faerie Queene, Tolstoy, Dante, Job, Vyasa, Rumi, Borges, Sogolon, and other poets from around the world.

One of the major themes is the power of women and the female spirit across cultures. Glaysher's lunar epic honors the great world religions and traditions of Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Confucianism, Daoism and Indigenous peoples.

The 100-minute solo production includes world music interludes, literary and cosmic projections.

GOALS 

I seek a theatre in the Bay Area, or a space in which I can create one, near as possible to Union Square, perhaps a storefront theatre on Powell Street, to accomplish the goals set out in my Theatre Industry Marketplace and am seeking donations from supporters or shareholder investors, or Fiscal Sponsorship. In San Francisco in 2017 and 2018, I read at several poetry readings, including performing at Shelton Theater in the latter year. After more than another 30 performances, and performing Off-Broadway in February 2024 at the Actors Temple Theatre in NYC, I believe San Francisco is the city in which to develop my epic tale and revive the performing art of the ancient Greek rhapsodes for a contemporary audience. I'm currently working on presenting in San Francisco a reading / showcase of the production, perhaps in its entirety, for potential supporters, shareholders, and sponsors. Since I live in Michigan, I'd be grateful for any advice on how to successfully put that together. I'm anticipating coming to San Francisco to work locally on all that before the end of 2024 and attending General Auditions 2025. 

At some point I'm intending to hire two actors with experience performing Shakespeare for roles as accompanying rhapsodes for a two-hour production, and then ultimately bringing in many of the 30 other major characters for a three-hour production. Details below in Theatre Industry Marketplace. 

PRESS KIT

https://earthrisepress.net/press_kit.html

Theatre Industry Marketplace 

https://earthrisepress.net/press_kit/Theatre_Marketplace_and_Touring.pdf

Apollo's Troupe Webpage  

https://earthrisepress.net/apollos_troupe.html

Press_Release_Apollos_Troupe

https://earthrisepress.net/press_kit/Press_Release_Apollos_Troupe.pdf

NYC Playbill Program for Solo Performance

https://earthrisepress.net/images/Program_for_Solo_Performance.pdf

Over 70 epic poetry readings and performances at Off-Broadway Actors Temple Theatre (NYC), Theatre Passe Muraille at Toronto Fringe Festival, Theatre NOVA (Ann Arbor), Ringwald Theatre, St Mark's Unitarian Church at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Hathaway’s Hideaway (Ann Arbor), Underground at Hilberry Theatre (WSU), Shelton Theater (San Francisco 2018), University of Michigan’s Rackham Amphitheatre, Wayne State University, Saginaw Valley State University, Detroit Public Library, Troy Public Library, Hannan Café, Austin International Poetry Festival (TX), Hudson Valley Writers Guild (Albany), Paint Creek Unitarian Universalist, Birmingham Unitarian, Grosse Pointe Unitarian, Universalist Unitarian Church of Farmington, Troy Interfaith, Theosophical Society of Detroit, Crazy Wisdom Bookstore, East Side Reading Series, MUSINGS, Borders, Barnes & Noble, BookWoman (TX), Espresso Royale, Sweetwaters, Himalayan (Berkeley, CA), Café Trieste (SF), Cafe International (SF), Sacred Grounds Café (SF), Tuesdays at North Beach Branch Library (SF), Washington Park (SF), Florey’s Books (Pacific, CA), The Farmhouse, West Park (A2), Rochester Municipal Park Band Shell, St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 8th Parliament of the World's Religions 2021, etc.

In addition to a theatre course in the Interpretative Reading of Poetry in 1977, I studied Shakespeare with an Oxford scholar and in another course with one from Harvard. I have been a theatre goer all my life from my early twenties, and at the Stratford Festival in Canada since 1998, usually seeing three to four plays or more a year, a few times five to six, a major influence on my own performance, as well as the Shaw Festival, the Old and Young Vic, Noh plays in Japan, and Chinese opera in Beijing, and so on. I’ve also had voice lessons with a member of the Detroit Opera chorus and private lessons with a theatre coach in the Michael Chekhov Technique, who was the director for my two-hour production at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Opening Hymn. Theatre Passe Muraille, Toronto Fringe Festival. July 10, 2023. 2:16 minutes. https://youtu.be/m5Tv-nS9lRY

At Sea of Tranquility, Off-Broadway Actors Temple Theatre, NYC, March 2, 2024. 3:45 minutes. https://youtu.be/1QyXdrmhiVE

REVIEWS

"A memorable invocation began the show and, like a rocket, The Poet of the Moon is propelled into the Cosmos. With a long wooden staff, Glaysher appears like Prospero, a lasting call for peace and unity, a unique type of optimism." —Theater Pizzazz, NYC Review, Feb. 20, 2024, Off-Broadway Jewish Actors Temple Theatre

https://theaterpizzazz.com/the-parliament-of-poets-at-the-actors-temple/

"A unique and moving experience.” —Michigan Michael Chekhov

“Certainly wowed the crowd with the performance and the words themselves.” —Hudson Valley Writers Guild

“A hopeful vision of peaceful coexistence as one united humanity. The performance was thought-provoking, moving, and inspiring. Our world is desperately in need of this message of peace, love and humanity.” —Rev Eric Williams, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Rochester, Michigan 

“Impressed, moved to laughter, tears. Held our attention for 90 minutes, stayed so energized, a feat in itself. A creative, powerful message with so many of the poet masters, phenomenal! Amazing life-time work!” —Rev. Leonetta Bugleisi, Unitarian Universalist, Michigan

"Like a story around a campfire." —From The Audience

“A great epic poem of startling originality and universal significance, in every way partaking of the nature of world literature.” —Hans G. Ruprecht, CKCU Literary News, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada

“Mr. Glaysher has written an epic poem of major importance.” —ML Liebler, Department of English, Wayne State University, Detroit

"Very readable and intriguingly enjoyable. Frederick Glaysher’s hours of dedication have produced a masterpiece that will stand the test of time." —Poetry Cornwall, No. 36, England, UK

Seeking solo performance in theatres, amphitheatres, colleges and universities, or other venues, USA, CA, UK, EU, for the theatre version of The Parliament of Poets. 100 minutes.