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MADELAINE KEENLYSIDE TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
The Capitol Theatre and music ensemble Tutta Musica will team up to stage their first joint theatrical production, The Sound of Music, in early 2016 as a means to bring New Brunswick actors home.
Directed by Marshall Button, actor and founder of the Capitol School of Performing Arts, and with musical direction by Antonio Delgado, conductor of the New Brunswick Youth Orchestra and Tutta Musica, the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical will open on Thursday, Feb. 18.
(Director Marshall Button, left, and Musical Director Antonio Delgado announce the upcoming production of The Sound of Music, to take the stage at Moncton's Capitol Theatre Feb. 18-21. Photo: MADELAINE KEENLYSIDE)
“This production will include more than 20 local theatre, music and dance professionals,”Button said Wednesday at a news conference to announce the production.“(And it will) provide professional opportunities for artists from the region who work nationally and internationally.”
Moncton East MLA Monique Le-Blanc announced that the province will contribute $85,000 to the production as a show of support for youth in the arts.
Button said while the two lead roles of Maria and Captain von Trapp have been cast, additional casting is ongoing and open to all New Brunswick actors, whether they’re currently at home or abroad.
“We want to demonstrate to our young people (here in the Maritimes) that it is possible to have a career in the arts,” he said.“We’ve seen inestimable talent (in the casting process).”
Shediac-born actress Josée Boudreau will play Maria, a role made famous by Julie Andrews, while Halifax actor Réjean Cournoyer will play the Captain.
Boudreau, 32, first played Maria in 2011 at the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton.
“I think I’ve learned a lot these past four years,” she said Wednesday.“Playing other roles and working with other people, I think I’ll be bringing something different to the character (of Maria) this time. I’m looking forward to that journey.”
Boudreau and Cournoyer just finished touring with the musical Evangeline, performing their last show was on November 22.
For Boudreau, who comes from a “pretty big theatre family,” this is a homecoming in more ways than one. Not only has she returned to her home province, but much of her childhood was spent in the Capitol Theatre’s audience.
“We went to see Les Muses, the Christmas shows, every year,” Boudreau said.“I came here all the time and saw a lot of artists.”
She hopes The Sound of Music project will encourage other young performers to seek careers in their home communities.
“Instead of having to go to Ontario to work in musicals there, I can stay home and do it here,” she said. “It’s 10 times better in my opinion, and I’m looking forward to seeing our (talent) here.”
Button should be commended for taking the initiative to launch this collaboration, she said.
“I always felt (the Capitol) was an amazing place to have a musical in,” she said. “I think we’re going to hit it out of the park.”
Delgado said auditions are open to all, regardless of training or background in music.
“We have the belief that talent is not limited (to experience),” he said.
Tutta Musica, an ensemble of teachers from New Brunswick’s Sistema program, will form the orchestra for the production.
“We’re very excited,” Delgado said. “We want to offer in New Brunswick a very high quality of production, in collaboration with the Capitol’s school of theatre. And we’ve been having so much fun – there’s so much talent in the province.”
Auditions will be held Saturday, Dec. 28, at 10 a.m. Performers can apply for a time slot by emailing the Capitol Theatre at capitol@capitol.nb.ca , and should prepare one song and one monologue.
Blair Lawrence, chairman of the Capitol Theatre board of directors, announces the upcoming musical The Sound of Music, a joint production of the Capitol Theatre and Tutta Musica, Wednesday in the Capitol lobby. PHOTO: MADELAINE KEENLYSIDE/TIMES & TRANSCRIPT
SHOW FACTS
• WHAT: The Sound of Music
• WHEN: THURSDAY, FEB. 18, AT 9 A.M. (STUDENT MATINEE) AND 7 P.M. (OPENING NIGHT); FRIDAY, FEB. 19, AT 7 P.M.; SATURDAY, FEB. 20, AT 2 P.M. AND 7 P.M.; SUNDAY, FEB. 21, AT 2 P.M. (SINGALONG PERFORMANCE)
• WHERE: Capitol Theatre, 811 Main St., Moncton
• TICKETS: $37.50 to $82.50. Mid-range tickets (normally $48.50) are 30 per cent off from Wednesday, Nov. 25, to Friday, Nov. 27, at 9 p.m. Available by calling 506-856-4379 or 1-800-567-1922 or online at capitol.nb.ca
