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Produced by Here for Now Theatre. Summer 2021 

Written, directed and co-created by Liza Balkan

Composed and co-created by: Paul Shilton

Additional compositions by Katherine Wheatley and Bruce Horak.

Photo by York Lane Channel .

L-R Marcus Nance. Barb Fulton, Evangelia Kambites, Trevor Patt. Paul Shilton 

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J. Kelly NESTRUCK REVIEW Globe and Mail August 2021.

So, how’s it been? is a new song cycle about life in Stratford during the pandemic. The lyrics are based on interviews Liza Balkan conducted with the cast and other local residents; Paul Shilton composed the music (with assists from Katherine Wheatley and Bruce Horak).

The performers – Marcus Nance, Barb Fulton, Trevor Patt and Evangelia Kambites – talk about their own lives and tell the stories of others during the pandemic, both in the songs and while introducing them.

I found this show simple, moving and intimate, with an honest connection forged between the artists and audience.

Karen Fricker

"So, How's It Been?" is a warm and subtly layered musical window into the experiences of many residents of Stratford during the COVID pandemic. It's remarkable how many stories and perspectives Liza Balkan and her collaborators have been able to include in a 90-minute-show without it ever feeling rushed or over-stuffed. There are welcome funny moments and some harder-hitting material, most notably performers Marcus Nance and Evangelia Kambites' personal reflections on being Black in Stratford. It brought great pleasure and comfort to see the show in a beautiful outdoor setting in the summer of 2021, with a local audience recognizing many of the names and references. I think that the material could also resonate outside of Stratford, as a sort of musical time capsule of a unique, unforgettable period in peoples' lives. 

 Lynn Slotkin 

So, how’s it been? is a beautifully crafted show. 

Liza Balkan, writer-director-Stratford resident began a project in the summer of 2020, interviewing people who live and work in Stratford to see how they were doing in the pandemic. She interviewed business owners, employees, artists, nurses, retirees, kids, farmers, actors, and parents. Then she and composer-musical director Paul Shilton put those words from the conversations into songs.

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