Musical Theatre Radio presents "Be Our Guest"

Led by like-minded arts performers and creators from the Toronto theatre community, Bowtie strives to illuminate impactful stories and produce intimate, rarely produced pieces of fan-favourite theatre. 

Bowtie hopes to continue providing opportunities for artistic expression, community building and professional growth within the Toronto arts community.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch tells the tale of how a “slip of a girlyboy” from communist East Berlin, Hanschel, becomes the “internationally ignored song stylist” known as Hedwig after a botched sex change operation. The show daringly breaks the fourth wall, as Hedwig directly tells the audience of her past tribulations and heartbreak in the form of an extended monologue paired with rock songs. With a little help from her band and her back-up singer Yitzhak, Hedwig examines her quest for her other half, for love, and ultimately for her identity. 

Theatre Passe Muraille Mainspace 

September 1-7, 2024

CAST

JESSIE JAMES as HEDWIG

LUCA MCPHEE as YITZHAK

CREW

DIRECTED by MEREDITH SHEDDEN

MUSIC DIRECTED by ETHAN ROTENBERG

PRODUCED by IAN KOWALSKI

SET AND PROP DESIGN by QUÝNH DIEP

LIGHTING DESIGN by NIALL DURCAN

COSTUME DESIGN by IRENE LY

SOUND DESIGN by PARKER MERLIHAN

WIG DESIGN by BRANDON DARCEL

WIG SUPERVISION by HANNAH DULONG

PROJECTION DESIGN by ALEX GROZDANIS

TECHNICAL DIRECTION by MATT HALLWORTH

STAGE MANAGED by TALFRYN QUIRING

ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGED by JENNA BROWN

Logo Design by Valentina Caballero

Graphic Design by Macy Nguyen

Carol Ziske is an accomplished theatre director, choreographer, and actor with over five decades of professional experience in the industry. They have numerous acting credits on Broadway, Off-Broadway, regional theatre and national tours. She has starred alongside the likes of John Lithgow, Jerry Zaks, Bob Gunton, Beth Fowler, Robert Morse, Rudy Valee, Rita Rudner, Chip Zien, Ron Holgate, and F. Murray Abraham. Additionally, I have worked with notable directors including Jerome Robbins, Joseph Hardy, Patricia Birch, and John Bowab. Carol is a recipient of the Colgate Palmolive Achievement Award and the New Jersey Drama Critics Award. They are directing a production of One Touch of Ava this summer at Ivoryton Playhouse as well as a series of workshops for the musical, Hurricane Jimmy later in 2023.

The musical centers around Quentin Roosevelt, the youngest son of Theodore Roosevelt, who embarks on a forbidden romance with Flora Payne Whitney, a wealthy heiress from a different social sphere. The Roosevelts, renowned for their political activism and their role in trust-busting (which significantly impacted the Whitney family's wealth), stand in stark contrast to the reserved Whitneys, who are determined to avoid scandal of any kind.

The story follows Quentin as he navigates the pressures of familial expectations, personal ambition, and the looming shadow of war. Through a mix of historical events and artistic interpretation, the musical delves into themes of heroism, love, and the impact of war on individuals and their families. Quentin weaves together dramatic scenes, emotional soliloquies, and powerful musical numbers to create a moving portrait of a young man caught between personal desire and duty, love and loss, and the enduring question of how to make one's mark in the shadow of a powerful legacy.

Composer, Lyricist

Lawrence Joseph Glatt Is a composer specializing in musicals and guitar music.  After 30 years as a teacher, many of his works deal with issues faced by young people. His work brings together a deep understanding of classical, jazz and the history of musical theater, but also an awareness of current trends and world music.  He has worked with a variety of collaborators in the musicals, Life,the Musical, Not the Cereal,  Nellie Bly and The Snow Queen.  Now, collaborating with his son, writer, Benjamin, They have produced two completed works, Miranda’s Quill and Roll of a Lifetime, along with several that are in different stages of development. 

Writer, Lyricist

Benjamin Glatt is a teacher and a writer based in Toronto, Canada.  He specializes in writing the plays and lyrics of musicals and collaborating with musicians. He has written Myranda’s Quill a prequel and sequel to the tempest, and Roll of a Lifetime a table top RPG musical. He also writes novels and short stories. 

Douglas J Cohen

Doug received the 2010 Fred Ebb Award for Musical Theatre Songwriting and won two Richard Rodgers Awards for writing book, music, and lyrics for NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY (produced twice off-Broadway resulting in over 100 productions worldwide; an upcoming NY commercial production in-the-works through producer Larry Hirschhorn) and THE GIG (O’Neill National Music Theatre Conference, Manhattan Theatre Club Stage II, Goodspeed, York Theatre Company concert on CD and reading in conjunction with the Noël Coward Prize, and Sacramento Music Circus). Doug is the composer/lyricist of THE BIG TIME (book by Douglas Carter Beane) which debuted at the NYMF Festival; plans are underway for a Broadway-bound production. Nominated for a 2005 Drama Desk Award (Outstanding Lyrics, CHILDREN’S LETTERS TO GOD), he penned co-book, music, and lyrics for THE OPPOSITE OF SEX (Williamstown Theatre Festival) and received a Jonathan Larson Grant for composing BARNSTORMER, which has recently been optioned for New York by producer Lawrence Poster. Doug is the composer of GLIMMERGLASS (NAMT Conference 2000, readings through the Village Theatre and Melting Pot, productions at Goodspeed at Chester, Spirit of Broadway – Best Production of 2008) and A CHARLES DICKENS CHRISTMAS (produced by Theatreworks/USA and licensed through MTI). He also penned book and lyrics to VALENTINO’S TANGO (with music by Howard Marren, choreographed/directed by Chet Walker) and contributed original songs to JACKIE COLLINS’ HOLLYWOOD LIES, and BOOZY (Robert Moses), the latter produced by Les Freres Corbusier and directed by Tony nominee Alex Timbers, which enjoyed runs at both the Ohio Theatre and Culture Project.

His latest musicals are NINE WIVES with collaborator Dan Elish (which has been optioned by producers Larry Hirschhorn and Jayson Raitt and selected for the 2013 Goodspeed Festival of New Artists) HELEN OF TROY written with future West End lyricist/ playwright Zoe Samuel and workshopped at Coastal Carolina University, and BRIDGES, commissioned by The Berkeley Playhouse written with BARNSTORMER collaborator, Cheryl L. Davis. His new play, LOVELY SEND ANYWHERE, a finalist for the Laurents-Hatcher Award, has been developed at the Lark Play Development Center and received a reading in October 2012 starring Santino Fontana and Condola Rashad.

A graduate of Amherst College, Doug recently joined the faculty of the Neighborhood Playhouse where he teaches the 2nd year students in song interpretation. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild, ASCAP, and the BMI Musical Theatre Workshop.

When the young composer-lyricist Douglas Cohen first secured the musical rights to the novel No Way to Treat a Lady by William Goldman—the acclaimed author of The Princess Bride and Marathon Man—he hoped it would be his big break, the first step on a gilt path to artistic triumph and commercial success in the form of a hit Broadway musical.

What happened after that, while memorable, was anything but.

How to Survive a Killer Musical chronicles Cohen's decade-long quest to bring that musical to the stage—writing, re-writing, and shepherding it across the US and Europe amidst all manner of adversity and plain rotten luck. It's a fascinating portrait of passion, persistence, and resilience—a coming-of-age story populated with famous mentors and formidable adversaries, told with refreshing honesty and humor.

Award-winning director and choreographer, acclaimed as a 'director with a joyous touch' by the New York Times, Jeff Whiting specializes in work for theater, television, special events and concerts around the world, including James Taylor, Bette Midler, Steve Martin, Tony Bennett, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Sting.

Jeff is the Owner of the largest rehearsal studio in New York City, Open Jar Studios, Artistic Director of The Open Jar Institute, renowned music theatre training program, the Creator/Founder of Stage Write Software, the digital documentation tool used by theatre makers around the world, and CEO of GIGnition, the digital marketplace connecting creative artists.

Jeff also founded The Broadway Relief Project employing over 400 individuals during the shutdown to make PPE for NYC public hospitals, in response to COVID-19, co-founded SwifTesting which provides ongoing Covid Compliance support for the Broadway community.

Track movement of actors, set pieces, props, light cues with:

Adam Martino - Breakaway Entertainment

Breakaway Entertainment is a dance entertainment & production company with years  of industry experience performing across Canada and abroad. 

A Musical Theatre Jazz production house, Breakaway Entertainment draws its inspiration from classic 1950s & 1960s performers such as Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Frank Valli & The Four Season, The Rat Pack and Frank Sinatra as well as many of broadway’s most memorable and outstanding shows (Jersey Boys, 42nd Street, Cabaret, Chicago to name a few). This eclectic mix of timeless vintage theatre combined with today’s ever evolving dance world make Breakaway Entertainment’s performances one of a kind. 

Breakaway offers a variety of live entertainment experiences: Musical Theatre Jazz Galas, Broadway Dance Revues, Cabarets, Classic Astaire Tap Dances, Romantic Duets, Soloists and much more.  

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Most recently Breakaway Entertainment has jumped head first into the world of feature length show production. Currently building two unique and exciting show properties set to debut in 2018, look out for all that Breakaway Entertainment has to offer the Toronto theatre world and abroad. 

Breakaway Entertainment is Toronto’s premier professional Musical Theatre/Broadway Jazz company and is quickly becoming recognized as one of Canada’s most exciting!

MADAME WINIFRED'S CIRCUS OF WONDERS

Creators: Fiona Cain, Emily Elizabeth, Karly Friesen, Elyssia Giancola, Sarah Kaufmann, Adrian Marchesano, Reid Martin, Briony Merritt, Liam Ryan, Austin White
Runtime55 minutes

Sheila the Musical

Jewelle Blackman is a Dora nominated Canadian actor, violinist, singer/songwriter and playwright.  Born and bred in Toronto, Jewelle has worked extensively in theatre, television and film across North America.  She was most recently seen on Broadway starring as “Persephone” in the Tony and Grammy winning Best Musical HADESTOWN.  The same show where she made her Broadway debut and was part of the OBC originating the role of “Contralto Fate”. While in New York Jewelle performed two sold-out Cabarets at the iconic 54 Below and was the anthem singer at Madison Square Gardens. Canadian credits include the Companies of HADESTOWN, WE WILL ROCK YOU; THE LION KING; CAROLINE OR CHANGE; DREAMGIRLS; CROWNS, and three seasons at The Stratford Festival. She was also the headliner for the Toronto Symphony’s 2023 Canada Day Celebration. Jewelle’s other show ROOTED: A Musical Poem is also debuting at the Toronto Fringe this year and will be presented Off-Broadway later this summer.