Turkish folk tale inspires musical ‘Chasing Fear’ next weekend – San Diego Union-Tribune

“Chasing Fear,” the folk tale-based musical that originated at the La Jolla Playhouse in 2016, will return for two stage shows this weekend at the Epstein Family Amphitheater at UC San Diego.

“Chasing Fear” is an adaptation of the ancient Turkish folk tale “The Tale of the Boy Who Seeked Fear.” The music for the song is composed by Truth Future Bachman, and the libretto is written by Blake McCarty, artistic director of the San Diego-based Blindspot Collective.

This weekend’s performances, featuring a 25-person cast and live orchestra, are co-presented by Blindspot and ArtPower at the University of California, San Diego.

Chasing Fear is a coming-of-age story about a boy who leaves home to confront the true meaning of fear, encountering ogres, ghosts, and mermaids along the way. Fantasy and reality blur while hope and strength are found in unlikely places. The musical originated at the La Jolla Playhouse and has received development support over the years from New York University, New Village Arts, Cygnet Theatre, and New York Theatre Barn. In 2022, Envision Theatre Arts performed the musical at Canyon Crest Academy in San Diego.

This weekend’s concert performances will be co-directed by Desha Crownover, former artistic director of San Diego Junior Theatre, and Sarah Salonga, a recent graduate of San Diego State University’s MFA musical theater program. Matt Ignacio will serve as musical director, and Aisha Reddick is choreographer.

“We are thrilled to bring this magical and deeply moving story to life,” Crownover said in a statement. “The themes of courage, growth and finding identity are more relevant than ever, and we hope audiences will find it both entertaining and inspiring.”

The musical’s composer, Truth Future Bachman, is currently the artist-in-residence at Joe’s Pub at The Public and La MaMa ETC in New York City. Bachman’s next musical, “Second Sight,” will premiere at New York’s Lincoln Center in October. Bachman is a non-binary composer, vocalist, writer, and athlete.

Chasing Fear is the first presentation of the Young Artist Collective, a new program developed with support from the California Arts Council. Produced in partnership with UCSD, the program aims to expand the body of work available to young performers by creating roles that resonate with their lives and identities while uplifting historically excluded or marginalized voices and communities.

By engaging with diverse themes of folk and contemporary, Chasing Fear provides a platform for emerging artists who want to express themselves and connect with their audiences on a deeper level, while gaining practical professional experience.

“Supporting innovative new works like Chasing Fear and educating emerging artists is central to our mission,” said Colleen Kollar Smith, executive director of the Campus Performances and Events Office at UC San Diego. “This partnership exemplifies the incredible talent and creativity that UC San Diego proudly nurtures, and we are thrilled to be a part of bringing this unique story to the stage.”

“Chasing Fear” will be performed by: Mara Ayres, Virgil Bilben, Ximena Bradford, Jay Campbell, Joshua Carrillo, Caroline Chernock, Cole Chinn, Isabella Combs, Nataly Cunningham, Jansen Espares, Alaina Mae Fairchild, Eli Hawley, Richard Hefner Jr., Sarah Kaplan , Jamie Kramer, Quinn Ladran, Heather Little, Elizabeth Ramirez Flores, Joshua Ramos, Sophia Sayre, Victoria Alegra Villanueva, Cori Young and Paulina Zepeda.

“Chasing Fear”

When: 8:00 PM Friday and Saturday

Where: Epstein Family Amphitheater, 9480 Innovation Lane, UC San Diego, La Jolla

Tickets: 30 dollars

Online: blindspotcollective.org/chasing-fear

Originally published: July 29, 2024 at 6:00 AM