Stage Door News
Stage Door News
TORONTO, ON – Jazz Squared Theatre will mount a brand new production of their original musical comedy, The Beaver Den, Feb. 24 - Mar. 1 at Storefront Theatre in Toronto featuring brand new songs and a revised script.
The Beaver Den, lovingly described as “You Can't Do That On Television meets Robin Sparkles” is growing to be Toronto's favourite cult musical comedy. In a city where Canadian Musical Theatre is hard to come by, and often over-shadowed by its American musical counter-part; a cast of children's television misfits and a sassy loud-mouthed Beaver are ready to win your heart with a show pack with “wacky songs, funny bones, and relentlessly Canadian goodness.”
Twin sisters, Jennifer and Jaclyn Enchin created Jazz Squared Theatre with the intention of contributing to the world of Canadian Musical Theatre. So far The Beaver Den has been produced by Lower Ossington Theatre (2012) and Korda Artistic Productions (2014) and has also been seen at the Winnipeg Fringe Festival (2013) and Storefront Theatre (2013).
The story follows Tom, a young Torontonian fresh out of acting school who joins the quirky cast of “The Beaver Den”, an out-of-date, out-of-money Canadian kids' show lost in the fray of flashy, action packed, brain-numbing cartoons. After hearing word “The Beaver Den” is under threat of cancellation, the cast must put aside their differences and ban together in order to save the show once and for all.
The creators (Jennifer Enchin, Jaclyn Enchin and Taylor Abrahamse) were inspired by classic children’s television shows such as “Camp Caribou” and “Fred Penner’s Place,” which proved the perfect canvas to celebrate goofy Canadian culture. Although The Beaver Den takes place in a kid's tv universe, themes such as drug addiction, sexual identity and divorce are explored underneath the camp and comedy.
For this particular production, the creators had the chance to work with Dramaturge, Justen Bennett (The Fantastical Adventures of [Not] Being With You), in reworking the script as well as adding in new music and scenes. “We [the creators] have been working on this project for three years, and through many productions and workshops, have found the final shape of 'The Beaver Den',” said book writer Jennifer Enchin.
“The Beaver Den shows how with a common goal, some motivation, and a little bit of elbow grease, little people can accomplish big things. It's thrilling to be immersed in this collaborative think tank, with each and every member of the cast and crew having a hand in creating this original musical,” said director Alex Dorward.
"In traditional musical theatre formats you'd normally expect to see the romantic leads as male and female respectably. During the rewrite, it came to be that Derek and Johnny were fitting into these traditional roles more naturally, so we followed this idea and their story has developed into the true heart of the show," said book writer Jaclyn Enchin.
Featuring performances by Mark Kreder, Brodie Nicholls, Chelsey MacLean, Christina Leonard, Izad Etemadi, Franny McCabe-Bennett, Kyle Pitre and Nabil Ayoub.
Directed by Alex Dorward. Music Directed by Alex Purcell. Set/Prop Design by Fraser Schouten-Pace. Choreography by Jaclyn and Jennifer Enchin. Stage Managed by Nastazja Palonka.
The Beaver Den opens February 24 and runs until March 1 at the Storefront Theatre. Tickets are $20 and may be purchased online at www.secureaseat.com or at the door. Suitable for all ages.
The Storefront Theatre955 Bloor St. West
Feb. 24 – Mar. 1, 8PMFeb. 28 – Mar. 1, 2PM Matinee
Twitter: @BeaverdenshowFollow us on Facebook!
Photo: Cast of The Beaver Den. ©2015 Jazz Squared.
2015-02-17
Toronto: Jazz Squared Theatre presents the musical "The Beaver Den" February 24-March 1