St. Lawrence College’s Music Theatre Performance program has partnered with Terra Bruce Productions for a co-production of Let’s Dance! November 4-6, 2022, at the Thousand Islands Playhouse’s Firehall Theatre in Gananoque.
The production is a culmination of a workshop process completed by SLC’s music theatre students, led by SLC music theatre alum Victoria Wells-Smith of Terra Bruce Productions, a Creation Company based in St. John’s, Newfoundland, whose producers, filmmakers, musicians, singers, and actors represent a creative, collaborative force in the production of quality entertainment content for the stage and screen. Terra Bruce previously produced “No Change in the Weather”, most recently presented by Mirvish Entertainment in November 2021.
"This production is one of three workshop projects SLC Music Theatre Performance students are doing with industry creatives. The workshop experience gives students a chance to engage directly with the creation of new work - to help shape it and give it a voice. It's an incredible creative experiential learning opportunity and we are thrilled to partner with artists in the creation of new repertoire," said Les Casson, Dean, Faculty of Creative Industries and Brockville Campus, St. Lawrence College.
Executive Producers Walter Schroeder and Bob Hallett use music from the 1960s as the foundation for Let’s Dance!, a new musical both written and produced in Canada. SLC students will be the first performers in the roles for the first public showing of the production.
“It’s important to us to fulfill our mandate to produce original Canadian work” says Hallett, of Great Big Sea and Come From Away.
“Let’s Dance! uses some of the best music ever written. The choreography is electric! It’s two hours of pure entertainment,” says Schroeder.
The production features music by The Drifters, Joey Dee and The Starliters, Mama Cass Elliot, Chris Montez, Joe South, Frank Mills, Petula Clark and more. Let’s Dance! is a revuesical comedy about Marco Del Monte, a failed opera singer turned music teacher at his Manhattan alma mater, Northumberland High. There he helps Sophia, the quirky dance teacher, and a group of talented students revolutionize their old fashioned and exclusive school. Marco discovers more than one new passion as he reinvents himself and the stuffy curriculum. Rock & Roll is at the heart of this heartwarming story about finding yourself!
Direction: Heather Braaten
Musical Direction and Arrangements: Aaron Eyre
Choreography: Chad McNamara
Set Design: Joshua Quinlan
Costume Design: Graham McMonagle
Lighting Design: Frank Donato
Sound Design: John Shisko
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St. Lawrence College is situated on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe and Haudenosaunee peoples; we are grateful to live and learn on these lands. With campuses in Kingston, Brockville, and Cornwall, SLC delivers education and training that meets the needs of community, industry, and employers. The College prepares students to succeed in the global economy through relevant, practical programs and experiential learning opportunities. SLC offers more than 100 full-time programs including diplomas, degrees, graduate certificates, apprenticeships, micro-credentials and life-long learning opportunities. Everyone belongs in the SLC community, comprised of 12,000 full-time students and more than 100,000 alumni in 75 countries around the world.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Media Contact:
Julie Einarson
Senior Advisor, Communications and Government Relations
St. Lawrence College
613.328.2440
communications@sl.on.ca
Terra Bruce Contact:
Bob Hallett
Executive Producer
Terra Bruce Productions
709.351.3385
bhallett@terrabruce.com