“I dare any audience to not be swept away by this show.” — Natalie Neuert, UVM Lane Series, Burlington VT

The Forgotten Kingdom immerses audiences in a family’s memories of an unraveling, multiethnic Mediterranean world, brought to life through theatrically projected sand animation, narration blending memoir and poetry, and a riveting musical score.

A young woman sifts through a memory book her mother made for her so that, when she was grown, she would remember how it felt to live in her family home by the sea, before the upheavals at the turn of the 20th century splintered the Ottoman Empire into ethnic nation states.

Breathtaking sand images are created, morphed and obliterated to form dreamlike, intensely emotional chronicles. The cinematographic score reframes Ottoman Jewish women’s song, drawing on the bittersweet rawness of Tango; the rhythmic fire of classical Arabic percussion; and gorgeous vocal harmonies with Western classical music’s harmonic roots. Sand and music intertwine with “masterfully narrated” (Welland Port Colburn Concert Association) tales and an evocative scenic and lighting design.

In a multimedia adventure that “explodes with artistry, refinement, and excitement,” (Hebrew Union College, OH) The Forgotten Kingdom moves audiences with questions about struggles we still face today.

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Guy Mendilow Ensemble (GME) weaves moving stories through riveting scores, narration and theatrically projected sand animation. GME productions center on true tales of people’s choices and chances as they navigate thresholds, whether personal or historical. GME is especially intrigued by decisions of generosity and grace despite upheaval.

GME operates on the conviction that moving, multidisciplinary stories can be powerful agents for conversation: A coming together to listen to one another and share our stories in the service of exploring who we are and who we wish to be, building an understanding of how the other has come to see what they see, believe what they believe and know what they know. When equipped with well-crafted questions —fueled by genuine curiosity and inviting honesty, dignity and aliveness —conversation promotes a willingness to be vulnerable; to be surprised; to NOT have quick answers; to suspend assumptions; to probe ambiguity. Conversation is not necessarily about agreement, or common ground on specific issues, other than the meta-issue that we are humans worthy of being heard and understood.

GME is a recipient of multiple funding awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Boston Foundation, the New England Foundation for the Arts and Western Arts Alliance on the basis of artistry, cultural preservation and the strengthening of communities through the arts.