Described as a “spellbinding and relevant musical statement” by the Luther College Ticket Office, Small Island Big Song will feature music, dance, spoken word, film footage at the Center for Faith and Life on April 23rd.
The cast of performers included representation from many nations in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, including Thailand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Madagascar, Mauritius, Taiwan, Tahiti and more. Many of these performers performed songs on traditional, non-Western instruments unique to their culture. In a video trailer for the production, viewers can see the landscape that inspired the production and hear from some of the performers.
The film footage in the production comes from an award-winning documentary, also titled “Small Island Big Song.” This documentary was filmed in 16 island nations, and the production’s website describes the process of how the documentary was developed.
“After hearing the [fifth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change] report, Taiwanese theatre producer BaoBao Chen and Australian music producer/filmmaker Tim Cole quit their jobs and spent three years visiting artists on their homelands, recording with their guidance in nature, sharing songs from island to island,” the website states.
Throughout the performance, “Small Island Big Song” features themes and messages relating to environmental conservation of the ocean and connecting to the Earth. Deepa Gayadin (‘24), a member of Luther’s Performing Arts Committee (PAC), highlighted what she hopes people will take away from these messages in the show.
“I think it’s very important to decolonize our ideas of what life is supposed to look like,” Gaydin said. “It’s very important for people to acknowledge that there isn’t one mold of life. You can be a happy fisherman by the seaside. That’s a very valid mode of life. Not everyone has to buy into the hustling culture, and indigenous knowledge is as important as the research and development we’re doing right now.”
Gayadin also highlighted the unique nature and structure of the show, especially when compared to other Center Stage Series productions. She said she was looking forward to the “multimodal” nature of the production.
“I think usually we get a very strict-discipline kind of show,” Gayadin said “If you’re doing a theater act, it’s just gonna be a theater act. But in this one, there will be a movie going on in the background; there will be songs, dances and singing. So, [“Small Island Big Song”] is gonna be a bit of everything.”
Director of Campus Programming Kristen Underwood felt that an important message from the production was its message of the ocean’s ability to unite people.
“My favorite message is that the oceans don’t divide these places and these cultures, they connect them. They’re connected by the ocean, not separated by them,” Underwood said. “Then I started thinking about the planet as an island in space. We are on an island, and we are all connected by water, no matter where we live. So, perfect for Earth Day.”
The group also performed their show for a school performance on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. “Small Island Big Song” is the final show in this year’s Center Stage Series. Underwood also hopes to encourage more student attendance for Center Stage Series shows going forward.
“I want students to know what an opportunity it is to have these artists come to Luther College from all over the world,” Underwood said. “Challenge yourself to take advantage of it. I don’t know if anyone ever comes to a Center Stage Series and says ‘Oh, I wish I hadn’t come.’ It’s a great opportunity, and it’s free.”
Small Island Big Song’s performance will start tonight at 7:30 p.m. A Center Stage Dinner Series event will precede the show at 5:30 p.m. in Peace Dining Room. Tickets for the dinner and the show are still on sale and can be ordered online at tickets.luther.edu, or by phone at (563) 387-1357.
