The Musical Stage Company and Yonge Street Theatricals, in association with The Globe and Mail, are pleased to announce complete details, casting, and run dates for REPRINT, the inaugural production of three original musicals generated in LAUNCH PAD.  First announced in November 2018, LAUNCH PAD is a ground-breaking musical development residency developed by The Musical Stage Company and Yonge Street Theatricals that makes a strategic investment in leading Canadian musical theatre writers and collaborators. On stage August 19 -22, the imaginative triptych of short new musicals will be presented on the 17^th floor of The Globe and Mail Centre, overlooking Toronto’s breathtaking cityscape.

The inaugural LAUNCH PAD cohort includes Anton Lipovetsky (music & lyrics),Steven Gallagher (book), Ann Hodges (director) and Wayne Gwillim (music director & supervisor) creators of CYGNUS; Anika Johnson and Barbara Johnston(music & lyrics), Nick Green (book), Tracey Flye (director), and Adam Sakiyama(music director & supervisor) creators of FANGIRL; and Colleen Dauncey (music), Akiva Romer-Segal (lyrics), Ellen Denny (book), Lezlie Wade (director), and Shelley Hanson (music director & supervisor) creators of WHAT GOES UP.

All three musicals will star Brandon Antonio, Kaylee Harwood, Michael De Rose, and Kelsey Verzotti. 

This first cohort of teams have been working over the past ten months to develop their musicals based on Globe and Mail archive stories selected by the editorial department of The Globe and Mail.  This intensive residency period has taken the teams through all of the complex milestones of a full musical development process, including multiple workshops and a rehearsal process incorporating the input and support of seasoned artist collaborators.

Artistic Director, The Musical Stage Company Mitchell Marcus says: “With new Canadian musicals currently gaining global recognition, there is a timely opportunity for Canadian musical theatre on an international scale. We recognize, however, that there is a unique skill set that musical theatre writers require to succeed, which can only be developed through the practice of bringing a new musical to life from start to finish. With so few production opportunities for new musicals, most Canadian musical theatre writers, directors and musical directors do not get the chance to demonstrate and hone this full scope of skills. Launch Pad intends to change that, building a strong army of ‘musical theatre making artists’ to create work for our stage and stages around the world in the years to come. Working through the development of these first three original musicals has been a thrilling process resulting in the creation of a beautiful triptych of work.  We can’t wait to showcase these new pieces against the beautiful backdrop of Toronto in the Globe and Mail Centre in August.”

As part of the LAUNCH PAD program, internationally recognized producers and presenters will be invited to attend the final production alongside public audiences, followed by feedback and networking sessions with participating artists. The final pieces will also be recorded and disseminated globally via podcast.

Tickets to the public presentation are available now beginning at $25 and can be purchased at musicalstagecompany.com.

Website: musicalstagecompany.com

Facebook: @MusicalStageCo

Twitter: @MusicalStageCo

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Hashtag: #Reprint #CanadianMT

ABOUT REPRINT:

Program Directors: Robert McQueen & Lynne Shankel

CYGNUS

Music & Lyrics by Anton Lipovetsky

Book by Steven Gallagher

Directed by Ann Hodges

Music director & supervisor Wayne Gwillim

In the middle of a blackout, when there are no city lights, you can finally see the stars. Two young men meet on the night of August 14, 2003, and a constellation changes the course of their lives.

CYGNUS is inspired by an article written by Sean Fine that ran in the Globe and Mail on August 16, 2003.  The headline read: “In the hot, muggy heat of the blackout, millions were left to count the minutes.”

FANGIRL

Music & Lyrics by Anika Johnson & Barbara Johnston

Book by Nick Green

Directed by Tracey Flye

Music director & supervisor Adam Sakiyama

Inspired by a Globe and Mail photo by Boris Spremo of a crowd of teenagers screaming at a packed Beatles concert at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1967, FANGIRL follows an aspiring YouTube star on her quest to meet her idol.

WHAT GOES UP

Music by Colleen Dauncey

Lyrics by Akiva Romer-Segal

Book by Ellen Denny

Directed by Lezlie Wade

Music director & supervisor Shelley Hanson

WHAT GOES UP was inspired by a 1977 Globe and Mail article by Paul McGrath entitled THE FRISBEE AND THE SOUL and by a 1985 photo in the Globe captioned A MAN AND HIS SHADOW also featuring a man with a frisbee WHAT GOES UP is a journey to the corporate Toronto of 1980 as three young disc heads fight to go pro.

STARRING: 

Brandon Antonio, Michael De Rose, Kaylee Harwood & Kelsey Verzotti 

Accompanist/Copyist: Jonathan Corkal

Stage Manager: Dustyn Wales

Apprentice Stage Manager: Hannah MacMillan

Production Manager: Dave DeGrow

Production Designer: Brandon Kleiman

Costumes Provided by: Alex Amini