Only three months after a devastating fire swept through the historic Hernder Estate Wine facilities, the producers of Winesday: the Musical + Wine Tasting are thrilled to announce a fully Niagara-based cast and crew for the performance run.

The cast includes Tamera Broczkowski (The Importance of Being Earnest, The Rocky Horror Show) as Jess, Nicole Cino (Next to Normal, Rent) as Molly, Victoria Kyoko (Falsettos, Addams Family) as Vanessa, Melissa Penner (Oh Canada, Eh!, The King Henry Vlll Feasts) as Winter, Adrianne Polito (Beauty and the Beast, She Loves Me) as Sammie and Alex Titei (Rocky Horror Show, Rock Show) as the Wine Steward. Louisa O’Keane (The Rocky Horror Show, Oh Canada, Eh!) and Chelsea DiFranco (Company, Damn Yankees) will be on standby as swing/understudies.

The creative team includes Chelsea DiFranco (Musical Director), Louisa O’Keane (Tap Choreographer), and Matthew Yipchuck (Director, Musical Staging and Production Stage Manager).

The Niagara premiere of Winesday: the Musical + Wine Tasting opens at Hernder Estate Wines on July 20, 2022. Performances, the first public events at Hernder since the fire, will take place in the Luna Lounge, a space at the winery that was spared. This production is Canada’s only wine-themed musical, produced by one of North America’s only all-female theatre production companies.

“We could not be more excited about this cast and crew for our Niagara production,” says Alysson Storey, co-founder of Five Cork Productions. “The experience, talent and enthusiasm our actors and crew have for this show is inspiring. They work beautifully together and it’s just the icing on the cake that they are all Niagara-based, since this show is all about supporting and celebrating local.”

“We can’t wait for Winesday: the Musical to open at Hernder,” says Angel Fusarelli, Manager of Hernder Estate Wines. “It’s been such a challenging few months, and seeing these actors rehearsing in the space that was spared from the fire is so heart-warming as we begin to rebuild.”

With book and lyrics by Jenne Wason and music by Joseph Benoit, Winesday: The Musical + Wine Tasting is the journey of five wine-drinking women who get together every Wednesday night. Theoretically they’re meeting for book club or yoga, but really they just want to drink wine and talk about their lives. Imagine “cabaret” meeting “cabernet” with a healthy dose of great music and dance in between. This theatre run is not only a celebration of Hernder’s rebuilding, but also a rare opportunity to attend performances produced by one of Canada’s only female-founded and operated theatre companies. Winesday: The Musical + Wine Tasting offers wine drinkers, theatre aficionados and musical lovers a one-of-a-kind production: celebrating female friendship through song, dance and wine.

Tickets are now on sale, with shows running from July 20 to August 31, 2022. To purchase, visit www.winesdaymusical.com.

About Five Cork Productions

Founded in 2017 in Chatham, Ontario, Five Cork Productions’ Winesday: The Musical + Wine Tasting premiered at the Chatham Capitol Theatre in the Fall of 2017 with several sold out series across southwestern Ontario, including the Olde Walkerville Theatre in Windsor. The company was preparing to launch additional theatre runs across southern Ontario, including the London Fringe Festival, when the pandemic brought theatre production around the world to a halt. Five Cork Productions seeks to be a premier company showcasing entertaining and engaging work that place women at the centre of the story, both on stage and behind the scenes in production.