Stage Door News
Stage Door News
August 4, 2015. Toronto, Ontario… Theatre 20 and Musical Works In Concert are pleased to announce the complete line-up for Musical Works: A Festival Celebrating New Musical Theatre. Returning to Toronto for the 6th time, under the Artistic Direction of Tracy Michailidis, the festival will facilitate the dramaturgy and workshopping of four new musical works in development over the period of a week, with showcase presentations taking place from August 20-23, 2015 at Factory Theatre in Toronto. In addition to these presentations, the festival will also host talkbacks and interviews with the writers, composers, and artists involved in each of the shows.
Founded in 2010 as a part of the SummerWorks Festival, Musical Works In Concert was formed as an initiative to provide a forum for Canadian writers and composers to help develop and present original works of musical theatre. The series offers artists a space to have their work presented in a stripped-down concert format in front of an audience.
2015 MUSICAL WORKS: A FESTIVAL CELEBRATING NEW MUSICAL THEATRE
FITZ HAPPENS!
Book, Music, & Lyrics by Mark Weatherley
Fitz Happens! is a raucous musical comedy in which a blundering Mountie in the Canadian old west foils the bad guys, gets the girl, and sings a lot.
Featuring: Cara Hunter, David Leyshon, George Masswohl, Ronald Pederson, Shaina Silver-Baird
MISPRINT (ACT I)
Book by Lauren Toffan
Musical Contributions by Yan Li
For decades, millions of readers have known Sunnydale as a quirky, heartfelt daily comic strip. When a small seed of change arises, what happens when one character decides to play outside of the lines?
Featuring: DeAnn Degruijter, Brittany Lauren Kay, Doug MacLeod, Eric Morin, Kevin Morris, Megan Poole, Sabryn Rock, Adam Sanders, Lauren Toffan
OUT OF THE LENS
Book & Lyrics by David Kingsmill
Music by David Kingsmill & Nicholas Chave
After a chance encounter leads to an unconventional friendship, an uninspired photography student and a homosexual dilettante are forced to examine deep-rooted motivations and prejudices in this two-man, contemporary musical.
Featuring: Victor Pokinko, Kholby Wardell
THE YELLOW RIBBON (ACT I)
Book & Lyrics by Sara Farb
Music by Jesse Farb
The Yellow Ribbon is a musical adaptation of a classic folktale about a young woman who, strangely, always wears a yellow ribbon around her throat. She wears it for her entire life, careful never to reveal the reason why, until one night, her husband can no longer contain his curiosity.
Featuring: DeAnn Degruijter, Brittany Lauren Kay, Megan Poole, Sabryn Rock, Adam Sanders, Lauren Toffan
ABOUT THEATRE 20
Theatre 20 was founded in 2010 by a group of Canada’s top musical theatre artists – many of who are Broadway and international theatre stars – with a mission to advance the development of musical theatre in Canada. The company achieves its mission through three core program areas: the Academy (education, mentorship, and training); Development (new musical works, workshops), and Production (full-scale musical theatre productions).
Since its inception, Theatre 20 has supported the development of Canadian musical theatre through various workshops of new musicals, ‘Pitch Week’ outreach initiatives, and its Composium for aspiring musical theatre writers. Theatre 20 has run the Company We Keep cabaret series with regular sold-out performances and has produced two large-scale musicals – the original Canadian musical Bloodless: The Trial of Burke and Hare (nominated for 9 Dora Mavor Moore Awards) and the classic musical Company (winner of 4 Broadway World Awards). Theatre 20’s Conservatory and Composium programs have been the cornerstone of the company, providing mentorship, education and career-driven performance opportunities to young artists and musical theatre writers.
ABOUT MUSICAL WORKS IN CONCERT
Musical Works In Concert, was established in 2010 at Toronto’s SummerWorks Festival, where 14 original Canadian musicals were developed and presented. These shows have gone on to further development with companies such as Acting Up Stage, Theatre 20, and the Stratford Festival, as well as continuing on to be presented at Festivals like The New York Music Theatre Festival, The Edinburgh Fringe, and Canadian Stage’s Festival of New Ideas and Creation.
Its mandate is to help develop and present original musical theatre working with both traditional and non-traditional forms. Musical Works In Concert encourages synthesis and collaboration between the theatre and music communities, bringing the disciplines together in original and unexpected ways. The company has featured everything from a bluegrass band, a jazz trio, a string quartet, a sci-fi opera, and hip-hop dance. The focus is not on spectacle, but the spectacular idea, which is reflected in its annual programming.
SHOW DETAILS
Runs: August 20-23, 2015
Location: Factory Theatre – 125 Bathurst St, Toronto, ON M5V 2R2
Advance Sales: www.theatre20.com or www.musicalworksfestival.com
Door Sales: Cash Only, 1 hour prior to showtime at Factory Theatre
Ticket Prices: Festival Pass for ALL Shows – $50 in advance / $55 at the
door
Individual Tickets – $20 in advance / $25 at the door
Websites: www.theatre20.com or www.musicalworksfestival.com
Performance Schedule:
Thursday August 20
7:30-9:30 pm - MISPRINT (ACT I) & THE YELLOW RIBBON (ACT I)
Friday August 21
7:00-8:15 pm - OUT OF THE LENS
9:00-11:00 pm - FITZ HAPPENS
Saturday August 22*
2:30-4:30 pm - MISPRINT (ACT I) & THE YELLOW RIBBON (ACT I)
6:30-8:30 pm - FITZ HAPPENS
9:15-10:30 pm - OUT OF THE LENS
*Talkbacks w/ Audience following all performances on Saturday.
Sunday August 23
1:00-3:00 pm - FITZ HAPPENS
3:15-4:00 pm - Talkback with Creators (Free Admission, No Ticket Required)
5:30-6:45 pm - OUT OF THE LENS
7:15-9:15 pm - MISPRINT (ACT I) & THE YELLOW RIBBON (ACT I)
2015-08-04
Toronto: Musical Works returns with a weekend festival of new musicals August 20-23