The Musical Stage Company: Recent Episodes
Victoria Barber
The Musical Stage Company is the largest and leading charitable musical theatre company in Canada. Established in 2004 as Acting Up Stage Company, we strive to make Canada a leader in musical theatre.
We believe it’s better with music.
We are inspired by music’s unique ability to viscerally affect people and are committed to cultivating experiences – onstage and off – that transform lives, build empathy and create community through musical theatre.
Up Next: Releasing 3 New Musicals as part of FIRST DRAFTS, a co-production with Sheridan College
About: TINY TENEMENT OF TERRORS
Music and Lyrics by alaska b.
Book by Aaron Jan
Directed by Jay Northcott
Music Direction by Robert Steven Wilkinson
After 57 days in stasis, Aubry and 10 of Brooklyn's finest cops must return to her dead boyfriend’s spore-infested apartment to destroy the multitude of plant-monsters he created. TINY TENEMENT OF TERRORS is an unholy fusion of gory 80’s sci fi and 1960’s camp, all done through the wonder of radio.
About First Drafts
A new work development program by The Musical Stage Company & Sheridan College.
Grounded in the urgency of the stories we need to hear now, First Drafts is the commission, drafting, workshopping, rehearsal, and public audio presentation of three new short musicals which reimagine, reconstitute, and reanimate the Western “musical theatre canon”. Sheridan students will audition, rehearse and perform the new works while collaborating in the creative process with experienced individuals, gaining valuable skills needed for workshop performance that is integral for their professional success but not offered in traditional theatre training programs. The culmination of the 2022 First Drafts program will be performed by the graduating class of 2022.
About: PARKDALE Music and Lyrics by Chris Tsujiuchi
Book by Meghan Swaby
Directed by Julie Tomaino
Musical Direction by Alexa Belgrave
Welcome to 110 Parkdale Ave, the last subsidized low-rise building in the neighbourhood. It's special, but you can’t tell that from the outside. The building is far from perfect, but for the tenants who occupy its cracked walls and uneven floors, it’s home. When the tenants are faced with an eviction notice, they (reluctantly) step out of their bubbles to band together as a community in order to save their homes.
About: First Drafts
A new work development program by The Musical Stage Company & Sheridan College.
Grounded in the urgency of the stories we need to hear now, First Drafts is the commission, drafting, workshopping, rehearsal, and public audio presentation of three new short musicals which reimagine, reconstitute, and reanimate the Western “musical theatre canon”. Sheridan students will audition, rehearse and perform the new works while collaborating in the creative process with experienced individuals, gaining valuable skills needed for workshop performance that is integral for their professional success but not offered in traditional theatre training programs. The culmination of the 2022 First Drafts program will be performed by the graduating class of 2022.
About: Destination: Wedding! Music and Lyrics by Kodie Rollan and Maria Aragon Book by Jennifer Villaverde
Directed by Ann Hodges
Associate Director Jordan Laffrenier
Music Director Stephan Ermel
When a tropical storm descends on the island of Kapalaran, our "nearlyweds" are forced to move the beach wedding of their dreams indoors. This not-so-simple relocation immediately becomes the least of their problems. In the midst of a hurricane of drama and homicidal coconuts, our couple must let go of their best laid wedding plans and trust that their love will find a way through the storm.
About First Drafts
A new work development program by The Musical Stage Company & Sheridan College.
Grounded in the urgency of the stories we need to hear now, First Drafts is the commission, drafting, workshopping, rehearsal, and public audio presentation of three new short musicals which reimagine, reconstitute, and reanimate the Western “musical theatre canon”. Sheridan students will audition, rehearse and perform the new works while collaborating in the creative process with experienced individuals, gaining valuable skills needed for workshop performance that is integral for their professional success but not offered in traditional theatre training programs. The culmination of the 2022 First Drafts program will be performed by the graduating class of 2022.
CYGNUS
A New Canadian musical by Anton Lipovetsky (music & lyrics) and Steven Gallagher (book).
Starring: Brandon Antonio & Michael De Rose.
Prompted by major breaking news and surprising niche headlines, Canada’s most exciting musical minds have created an imaginative triptych of short original musicals inspired by the archives at The Globe and Mail. REPRINT was the inaugural production of Launch Pad, a ground-breaking musical development residency from The Musical Stage Company and Yonge Street Theatricals. This innovative program offers a 10-month residency in which musical theatre creators and artistic teams navigate a full developmental process, shepherding 30-minute musicals from conception to production, with guidance from internationally renowned mentors.
"We were inspired by the Toronto Blackout of 2003--in particular, a photograph that was taken from the top of a hill in Riverdale Park overlooking the city just as the sun was setting. Soon, the buildings would be dark, and for the first time in forty years, you could see the stars. We wanted to explore the mystery and the excitement that people felt during that night. Instead of mass panic, there was a sense of camaraderie and friendship, and for a while, the loneliness that can sometimes be part of city living disappeared. There was a sense of freedom and bravery that this special night brought out in people. They shared secrets and said things they might not say in the
light of day. When two strangers meet on the darkest night of the century, under the glow of Cygnus, how will the stars change their lives?"
— Steven Gallagher and Anton Lipovetsky
Additional Credits:
Director: Ann Hodges
Music Director & Supervisor: Wayne Gwillim
Program Directors: Robert McQueen & Lynne Shankel
Accompanist/Copyist: Jonathan Corkal
Stage Manager: Dustyn Wales
Apprentice Stage Manager: Hannah MacMillan
Production Manager Andrei Mazuruc
Production Designer: Brandon Kleiman
Costumes Provided by: Alex Amini
Audio Recording & Mix: Earl McCluskie, Chestnut Hall Music
WHAT GOES UP
A New Canadian musical by Colleen Dauncey (music), Akiva Romer-Segal (lyrics) and Ellen Denny (book).
Starring: Brandon Antonio, Michael De Rose, Kaylee Harwood & Kelsey Verzotti.
Prompted by major breaking news and surprising niche headlines, Canada’s most exciting musical minds have created an imaginative triptych of short original musicals inspired by the archives at The Globe and Mail. REPRINT was the inaugural production of Launch Pad, a ground-breaking musical development residency from The Musical Stage Company and Yonge Street Theatricals. This innovative program offers a 10-month residency in which musical theatre creators and artistic teams navigate a full developmental process, shepherding 30-minute musicals from conception to production, with guidance from internationally renowned mentors.
"On a nice day in Toronto’s Trinity Bellwoods Park, it’s easy to find folks tossing a disc. Without realizing, you may even be watching national and world champions in the little known sport of flying disc freestyle: a dance-meets-acrobatics frisbee fantasia played to music.
Thanks to vibrant archival photos of Toronto Island and Paul McGrath’s article ‘The Frisbee and the Soul’, we were introduced to the Canadian Open Frisbee Championships, held on the Island from 1975-85. In its prime, companies like Labatt, Air Canada and Orange Crush took notice of the youth disc craze and began to sponsor tournaments, as well as frisbee teams who would tour shows across the country.
For up-and-coming freestyle stars, a dream was emerging - to turn their passion for disc into a professional career... All of this was set
against the new era of electronic music and corporate greed in 1980s Toronto.
On behalf of the writing team, we would like to thank the many members of the international ‘jamily’ (freestyle frisbee community) who shared their stories with us for this project. Spread the jam!
— Ellen Denny, Akiva Romer-Segal, and Colleen Dauncey
Additional Credits:
Director: Lezlie Wade
Music Director & Supervisor: Shelley Hanson
Program Directors: Robert McQueen & Lynne Shankel
Accompanist/Copyist: Jonathan Corkal
Stage Manager: Dustyn Wales
Apprentice Stage Manager: Hannah MacMillan
Production Manager Andrei Mazuruc
Production Designer: Brandon Kleiman
Costumes Provided by: Alex Amini
Audio Recording & Mix: Earl McCluskie, Chestnut Hall Music
FANGIRL
A New Canadian musical by Anika Johnson (Music & Lyrics), Barbara Johnston(Music & Lyrics), and Nick Green (Book).
Starring: Brandon Antonio, Michael De Rose, Kaylee Harwood & Kelsey Verzotti.
Prompted by major breaking news and surprising niche headlines, Canada’s most exciting musical minds have created an imaginative triptych of short original musicals inspired by the archives at The Globe and Mail. REPRINT was the inaugural production of Launch Pad, a ground-breaking musical development residency from The Musical Stage Company and Yonge Street Theatricals. This innovative program offers a 10-month residency in which musical theatre creators and artistic teams navigate a full developmental process, shepherding 30-minute musicals from conception to production, with guidance from internationally renowned mentors.
“Our musical prompt is a photo of a huge group of teenagers freaking out at a Beatles concert in Toronto. It’s an iconic image. The Beatles aren’t in view, but through this crowd’s reaction, you somehow know everything you need to know about them and their significance in the world at that time. The fandom in this photo comes to represent the music, celebrity, values, and culture of a generation. We asked ourselves how the ‘fangirl’ has evolved since this photo was taken.
Today, YouTube stars become multimillionaires through their vlogs, make-up tutorials, homemade music videos, pranks, and more. Their fandom is ferocious, as a generation of people find community through their love of a mentor who seems to speak their language. Through the stars’ pranks, partying, and apology videos, a generation is feeling seen, understood, represented, and ultimately defined by their militant fandom. FANGIRL is a love letter to the fans who are trying to find themselves, and a call to action for all the mentors out there. Your fans deserve the best.“ — Nick Green, Anika Johnson, and Barbara Johnston
Additional Credits:
Director: Tracey Flye
Music Director & Supervisor: Adam Sakiyama
Program Directors: Robert McQueen & Lynne Shankel
Accompanist/Copyist: Jonathan Corkal
Stage Manager: Dustyn Wales
Apprentice Stage Manager: Hannah MacMillan
Production Manager Andrei Mazuruc
Production Designer: Brandon Kleiman
Costumes Provided by: Alex Amini
Audio Recording & Mix: Earl McCluskie, Chestnut Hall Music