Angelwalk Theatre is delighted to bring some musical theatre fun to the fall lineup with its brand-new online series Backstage Tea, airing every Tuesday at 5:30 pm (EST) starting October 20th and available until 11:59 pm (EST) the following Monday. The series will run for a total of 9 episodes, with the final episode airing on December 15th.

Backstage Tea is a musical theatre focused variety talk show. Alene Degian and Danny Sylvan – Assistant Producers at Angelwalk Theatre – will host the show and invite guest artists to discuss their journeys in musical theatre and to 'spill the tea’ on their theatre experiences in general. Each episode will be approximately 30 minutes in length and will feature 2 guest artists. The show will include ‘Spill the Tea’ conversations, live musical performances, and a fun musical theatre trivia game.

In an effort to make the series more accessible, episodes will be available for purchase on a Pay-What-You-Can-Afford model, with tickets ranging from $5-$25 per episode. Angelwalk Theatre recognizes that times are currently challenging. Those who are able to are encouraged to support the series to their ability.

Backstage Tea will feature the following guest artists: Thom Allison (Killjoys, Broadway, Stratford, Shaw, Miss Saigon, Tommy, Rent), Saccha Dennis (Come From Away, We Will Rock You, Shaw Festival), Steffi DiDomenicantonio (Come From Away, Spring Awakening, Cracked, Nikita), Beau Dixon (Stratford Festival, Crow’s, Tarragon, 2x Dora Award Winner), Bruce Dow (Broadway, Stratford Festival, Buddies, 2x Dora Award Winner), Gabi Epstein (Stratford Festival, Once, Funny Girl, Dora Award Winner), Alexis Gordon (Stratford Festival, Shaw Festival, Factory, Obsidian), Ryan Hinds (New York, National Arts Centre, Pride Toronto, alongside Liza Minnelli), Kelly Holliff (Colm Wilkinson special guest, Charlottetown Festival, Drayton), Elena Juatco (CTV's JANN, Schitt’s Creek, Killjoys, Kinky Boots, Les Misérables), Evangelia Kambites (Minority Report, The Boys, Stratford Festival, Soulpepper), Hailey Lewis (Disney’s Zombies, American Gods, Charlottetown Festival, YPT), Jeff Madden (Come From Away, Jersey Boys, Murdoch Mysteries, Shaw Festival), Ali Momen (Come From Away, Star Trek: Discovery, Beeba Boys, Kim’s Convenience), Rebecca Perry (Ponysitters Club, Best Friend From Heaven, A Gay Victorian Affair), Andrew Praschad (Riverdance, Monsoon Wedding, Shaw Festival, Best Short Film), Vanessa Sears (Dora Award, Toronto Theatre Critics Award, Kinky Boots), Joseph Zita (Soulpepper, Buddies, Shakespeare BASH’d).

Alene Degian is a Toronto-based actor and producer who graduated with a background in Finance and French from the University of Western Ontario. She has studied film, improv, and voice with various teachers, both in Toronto and New York. She has worked with Stratford Festival and Shaw Festival veterans as an emerging artist in Theatre 20’s Conservatory Program, followed by a summer at The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute in New York City. More recently, she completed an apprenticeship in arts administration for the next generation of female leaders in Canadian theatre through Shadowpath Theatre. She was also in the North American premiere of the beloved classic Bend It Like Beckham, at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. Currently, Alene is completing a post-grad program in Content Strategy at Humber College. She is excited to be part of the dynamic team at Angelwalk Theatre.

Danny Sylvan is a theatre actor, playwright, director and producer. His acting credits include Des/Kai/Devon in There Is No Maybe, Albert/Kevin in Clybourne Park, Angel/Ensemble in Rent, and most recently, Dan Goodman in a production of Next to Normal. Danny is completing his undergraduate Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Performance, with a specific study in the field of playwriting and new play dramaturgy. Danny worked closely with film project Beyond That Night as a Production Assistant and completed a successful season as Company Manager for Vanier College Productions. In addition to directing self-written independent projects, Danny served as Assistant Director for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Most recently, Danny worked with Angelwalk Theatre as a Production & Marketing Assistant is excited about continued opportunities as an Assistant Producer.

Angelwalk Theatre is a not-for-profit professional musical theatre company based in Toronto that promotes an environment of equity, inclusion, and diversity. Founded in 2009, it is dedicated to producing musical theatre and to providing opportunities to students, emerging artists and professional artists. To date, Angelwalk Theatre has produced 20 shows and has been nominated for 11 Dora Mavor Moore Awards. Select credits include the world premiere of Off-Broadway On Stage; the Canadian premieres of Stars of David, Ordinary Days, and I Love You Because; and the Toronto premieres of Altar Boyz and Title of Show. Through its productions, Angelwalk Theatre has raised money for The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and Heart & Stroke.  

SHOW DETAILS:

Airs:                            Every Tuesday at 5:30 pm (EST) 

                                    Available until 11:59 pm (EST) the following Monday

Runs:                          October 20 – December 15, 2020

                                    9 episodes 

Tickets:                      Pay-What-You-Can-Afford – $5-$25

Online Access:          www.angelwalk.ca