Magpie Artists' Ensemble
About Us
Magpie Artists’ Ensemble is a collective of Queer artists who are passionate about collaboration, representation, accessibility, and creative storytelling.
The Myth Cycle
In this powerful series of retellings of the Greek canon, the Magpie ensemble takes on the roles of Gods and mortals, heroes and villains, as they explore themes of identity, belonging, and Pride - or hubris.
Rust
Part medieval drama, part horror movie, Rust follows a cast of familiar archetypes after the curtain has fallen on their story - "Shakespeare after Shakespeare."
About Us
Magpie Artists’ Ensemble is a collective of Queer artists who are passionate about collaboration, representation, accessibility, and creative storytelling.Mission: Our artistic mission is to push the boundaries of print and performance mediums, bringing diverse stories to life in exciting and accessible ways.Vision: Magpie will create a community of intersectional Queer artists and audiences, connecting them across all barriers. We will give Queer stories a voice, and give visibility to those who have not seen themselves represented before.History:
We originally came together through various theatrical productions (a queer outdoor version of Camelot, the workshop process for trans fairytale musical Briar/Rose, and the Qabaret: A Queer Cabaret series).When COVID hit, we were inspired to find new ways to keep making art despite our usual medium being cancelled. This birthed the Phoenix Rising Project, a hybridized art book/script/poetry zine featuring work by nine visual and theatre artists from across the globe. Inspired by the process and success of that project, the creative team made the decision to start Magpie as a way to organize future endeavors and keep our momentum going.Subsequent projects have included Kickstarter "Project We Love"/"Featured Publishing Project" Sealed with Honey, a workshop of the Queer/Feminist Shakespearean revenge thriller RUST, and filmed generative theatre festival The Myth Cycle.
Rust
Our February production will be a workshop reading of Rust, a new Shakespearean thriller by James T. Washburn, featuring music by Fiona Balbirona.Part medieval drama, part horror movie, Rust follows a cast of familiar archetypes after the curtain has fallen on their story - "Shakespeare after Shakespeare."
A skeleton crew of courtiers and servants wander the abandoned hallways of a once-great castle, haunted by the dramatic events that led to the fall of the royal family. As a strange song fills the halls, each member of the court begins to succumb to their own form of madness. The survivors are forced to confront their roles in the story - and decide whether to accept their fates as written, or try to create their own destinies.Individual tickets available through Ko-fi.Become a Patron of Magpie Artists' Ensemble at any time in the month of February for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, posts from the creative team, a livestream ticket (10:30am February 20th), and access to the recording of the live reading.
The Myth Cycle
In this powerful series of retellings of the Greek canon, the Magpie ensemble takes on the roles of Gods and mortals, heroes and villains, as they explore themes of identity, belonging, and Pride - or hubris.
ICARUS FALLS
One of two world premier Ensemble-generated works. Icarus Falls is a heartwrenching love story that explores generational tensions and the complicated grey area between Pride and Hubris.MEDUSA'S BLESSING
The second world premier Ensemble-generated piece. Medusa's Blessing reimagines Medusa's origin story to become one of empowerment and connection between queer women in the face of patriarchal violence.PHOENIX RISING
A fresh addition to the Greek canon, Phoenix Rising follows a "forgotten" child of Zeus as he dares to defy his father and live as the man he knows himself to be. Drawing inspiration from other mistreated mythological figures, he finds the strength to rise again in the face of adversity.BONUS: ACHILLES + PATROCLUS [Workshop Documentary Performance]
An intimate retelling of Achilles & Patroclus’ relationship from childhood to the Iliad, exploring the nonlinear nature of relationships & memory. Achilles + Patroclus deals with themes of fate and choice, and the intersections of loyalty, grief, and sacrifice.
Streaming available on-demand through Ko-fi.
Or
Become a Patron of Magpie Artists' Ensemble for exclusive behind-the-scenes content, posts from the creative team, and access to the theatrical short films of each piece.
Past Projects
Sealed With Honey (2021-2022)
If you’ve ever spent your days gazing wistfully out the window, awaiting the evening post (or you’ve wished you were expecting a letter so you could); if you love to imagine yourself in the kinds of stories the Brontes and Jane Austen wrote; if you love queer romances written by queer people, then Sealed with Honey is for you.
Sealed with Honey is a queer epistolary* romance novel set in Victorian times, but it’s also much more than that. Instead of a traditional book, you get to experience each event along with the characters, at the same pace they do - every two weeks, one of their letters will be delivered to you in the mail.*Epistolary - adjective | (of a literary work) in the form of letters. "an epistolary novel"
Phoenix Rising Zine (2020)
Phoenix Rising is the epic story of a forgotten trans child of Zeus, dealing with themes of identity, intersectionality, and resistance. The ten-minute play was first workshopped for O!Fest 2019 at Cornish College of the Arts, and was featured in Third Citizen Theatre Company’s Digital Dionysia in December 2020.
The Phoenix Rising zine included a fully illustrated copy of the script, along with three brand-new illustrated short stories about the mythological figures Phoenix is inspired by: Echo, Prometheus, and Hephaestus. Backers also had the option to order additional prints and stickers designed by the contributing artists.