Theatre Sheridan sets stage for a new season

Theatre Sheridan proudly announces the lineup of shows for its 49th season, featuring the return of First Drafts - Sheridan’s innovative new works development program that spotlights historically underrepresented voices. 

Also on deck for the new season are productions that reimagine well-known stories, including a musical adaptation of a Shakespeare classic and a contemporary retelling of a modern German play. 

With much of Canada’s theatre industry changed by the pandemic, the season intends to celebrate the ingenuity, dedication and bravery of the next generation of performers - Sheridan students. Patrons will be able to purchase tickets to view the shows from their homes, with many of the productions to be performed live on stage and streamed to home audiences. 

The new season features two dance pieces, two studio theatre plays, three contemporary musicals, and three new musicals as part of Sheridan’s First Drafts initiative. 

The shows feature works directed by Shakeil Rollock, Natasha Powell, Philip Akin, Courtney Ch'ng Lancaster, Julie Tomaino, Jay Northcott, Ann Hodges, Bobby Garcia, Allyson McMackon and Marie Farsi. 

For the first time, Sheridan will be partnering with Toronto-based The Musical Stage Company on First Drafts – an initiative launched last year that aims to acknowledge and celebrate  historically marginalized voices, conceived with the understanding that not everyone with the desire and talent to experiment and produce work that impacts culture has had equal access to a platform. Over the course of the academic year, three new musicals will be commissioned, drafted, workshopped, rehearsed and performed as a public audio presentation the by the graduating class of the Sheridan’s Bachelor of Music Theatre Program in 2022. 

"The new season of Theatre Sheridan - and the productions being workshopped for First Drafts, in particular - is a vehicle for embracing the change that new works can offer into being. When we develop and present offerings that challenge discrimination, we have the power to shift the very fabric of the power dynamics that govern our industry,” says Jordan Laffrenier, Music Theatre Program co-program coordinator and Theatre Sheridan’s Artistic Producer. “We’re incredibly grateful for the support of our patrons and their love of musical theatre. We can’t wait to showcase what our students have been working on.” 

The list of productions and streaming dates for the 2021/22 Theatre Sheridan season include: 

Dance 
Two original dance pieces, choreographed by Shakeil Rollock and Natasha Powell. 
Streaming February 21 to February 28, 2022 

Studio Theatre Plays 
Casmir and Caroline, adapted by Paolo Santalucia, Holger Syme and the Howland Company. 
Streaming: January 12 to 16, 2022 

Concord Floral, written by Jordan Tannahill and directed by Philip Akin 
Streaming: January 12 to 16, 2022 

First Drafts  
Presented by Theatre Sheridan and The Musical Stage Company  
Launching mid-March

After its debut last year, First Drafts – a new works development program at Sheridan – is returning with three new writing teams. The innovative new work development program aims to champion writers creating original musicals that break away from the Western canon of musical theatre. Each installment of the initiative supports three teams of writers/composers to generate 30 minutes of new musical to be developed with and performed by Sheridan’s fourth-year students. The three musicals will be launching in mid-March. 

Tiny Tenement of Terrors 
After 57 days in stasis, Aubry and 10 of Brooklyn’s finest, must return to her boyfriend’s spore-infested tenement 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. 

Book by Aaron Jan 
Music & Lyrics by alaska b 
Directed by Jay Northcott  
Music Direction by Robert Wilkinson 

 
Destination: Wedding!  
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. 

Book by Jennifer Villaverde 
Music & Lyrics by Kodie Rollan (he/him) & Maria Aragon 
Directed by Ann Hodges 
Music Direction by Stephan Ermel
Associate direction by Jordan Laffrenier 
 

Parkdale 
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. 

Book by Meghan Swaby  
Music & Lyrics by Chris Tsujiuchi 
Directed by Julie Tomaino 
Music Direction by Alexa Belgrave 

To round out these creative teams for First Drafts, additional support will be provided by Kevin Wong (dramaturgy), Ray Hogg (dramaturgy), Jordan Laffrenier (dramaturgy) and Adam Sakiyama (Copyist)  

Contemporary Musicals 

Twelfth Night  
Streaming: May 20 to May 25, 2022 
A new and accessible version of the classic Shakespeare play, exploring gender, love, and the power of music within a show and community. 

Directed by Marie Farsi 
Conceived by Kwame Kwei-Armah and Shaina Taub 
Music and Lyrics by Shaina Taub  
Music Director: Rachel O’Brien 
Choreographed by: Alyssa Martin 


Head Over Heels 
Streaming May 13 to May 18, 2022 
A joyous mashup adaptation of Sir Philiip Sydney’s 16th Century prose pastoral romance Arcadia and the iconic music of the 80’s all-female rock band The Go-Go's. 
 
Songs by The Go-Go's 
Based on 'The Arcadia' by Sir Philip Sidney 
Conceived and Original Book by Jeff Whitty 
Adapted by James Magruder 
Directed by Bobby Garcia 
Choreographed by Stephanie Graham 
Music Direction by Paul Moody 

Happy End 
Streaming May 27 to June 1, 2022 
A play about music, capitalism, spiritual and gang-land armies, and theatre. Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht’s attempt at a follow-up to the very successful Threepenny Opera follows the romance between a Salvation Army worker and gang leader. 

Written by Elisabeth Hauptmann 
Music and Lyrics by Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht  
English adaptation by Michael Feingold  
Directed by Allyson McMackon 
Music Direction by Jonathan Corkal-Astorga 



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