About
Welcome to the online presence of The Western Star, an epic poem, with songs, written and performed by Jack DesBois. Here you will find an introduction to the piece and its influences and intentions. You can also see a video excerpt of The Western Star’s first performance, read that performance’s program notes, listen to and download mp3 audio files of the songs and poetry, and contact me to start a conversation about joining the project as an artistic collaborator or producer. This website is intended primarily for artists and producers who share my vision of creating performances that build community and foster hope and who are interested in joining me in nurturing The Western Star and sharing it with a wider audience.
about the western star
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A solo performance project retelling the Biblical story of the Three Kings in poetry and song, The Western Star mixes storytelling genres into a unique form with transportive power and transcendent beauty. The poetic fancy of Longfellow and Yeats, the emotional depth of traditional Anglo-Celtic ballad melodies, the oratory of a Homeric epic and the intimacy of the fireside storyteller mix with Matthew’s Gospel tale and Vermont’s winter landscape to create a fresh contribution to the living Biblical storytelling tradition. This epic poem, infused with the wisdom of the Kings’ two-thousand-year journey through the ages, gives a glimpse into the rejuvenating potential of storytelling. It invites audiences to slow down and enter the realm of the imagination, guiding them through a world of blinding blizzards, allegorical figures and quiet miracles. Through this novel interpretation of ancient forms, The Western Star seeks to breathe new life into the hope of the world.
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About JAck DesBois
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I am an actor, singer, and poet from the North Shore of Massachusetts. I seek to create performances that build community and lift the soul.
I graduated from Middlebury College in March 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music. I’ve worked withperforming arts organizations in Vermont's Addison County, acting and singing with Opera Company of Middlebury, Middlebury Actors Workshop, Town Hall Theater and the Middlebury Bach Festival and teaching for Town Hall Theater Young Company. My work as a teacher and elder caregiver has richly complemented my performance work, introducing me to new perspectives, new depths of humanity, and new experiences of the power of community. My family’s decades-long management of chronic Lyme disease and co-infections, has shaped me into an artist dedicated to serving the forces of meaning, hope and redemption that imbue humanity, in its suffering as in its joy. I spent a year in Staunton, Virginia, studying Shakespeare & Performance at Mary Baldwin University. As of summer 2020, I am living in Topsfield, Massachusetts, where I have joined my siblings in founding an academic tutoring and educational enrichment service, DesBois Tutoring & Enrichment (desboistutoring.org). We seek to help North Shore area families give their children a quality education by providing tutoring support, homeschool curriculum development and implementation, and enrichment programs including The Western Star. I welcome any comments about this website and my vision from artists and art lovers alike, whether you are creating in New England or on the other side of the world. See my Contact page for more about me or to send me a note. |
"The Story Matters" Interview
Len Rowell of StoryMatters interviews Jack DesBois for the Middlebury Community Television program “The Story Matters." They discuss The Western Star, being a performer, and the vital importance of storytelling. Recorded February 10th, 2017.
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