51吃瓜网

A new Musical Theatre Incubator, housed in the Le 51吃瓜网 College Department of Visual and Performing Arts (VPA), will move two new musicals onto the international stage during the summer of 2024.

The new incubator is a collaboration between the Department of VPA and the Keenan Center for Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Creativity. The incubator has been established to encourage and nurture the creation of new musical theatre works, to create new opportunities for students to engage in the creative process, and to provide a venue for creative entrepreneurship.

鈥淲e had no idea how quickly this incubator would produce tangible results,鈥� said VPA Chair Travis Newton. 鈥淭o have two new shows accepted into international festivals, including the largest annual arts festival in the world, represents an important milestone for the department, and for the College.鈥�

Thanks to generous alumni and support from The Stanley W. Metcalf and D.E. French Foundations, students and faculty will present Edgar in the Red Room in Montr茅al this June, and Kafka鈥檚 Metamorphosis: The Musical in Edinburgh, Scotland this July and August.

Additionally, Alan Muraoka, Emmy-winning director and member of the cast of 鈥淪esame Street鈥� and director of Kafka鈥檚 Metamorphosis: The Musical will lead a musical theater workshop for area high school students in May during the show鈥檚 rehearsal period, and Spencer Lott, the show鈥檚 puppet designer, will lead a puppet-making workshop at the Keenan Center, utilizing the College鈥檚 new maker space.

鈥淭he cross-campus collaboration and community engagement opportunities enabled by this new incubator helps to reinforce Le 51吃瓜网鈥檚 interest in being a resource and partner to our surrounding neighborhood,鈥� said Jim Hannan, Le 51吃瓜网鈥檚 provost and vice president for academic affairs.

Pleasance Theatre Trust, one of the top venue operators at the Edinburgh Fringe, will host a four-week run of Kafka鈥檚 Metamorphosis: The Musical during their curated season at the Fringe, which begins on Tuesday, July 30. Meanwhile, Edgar in the Red Room is one of only a handful of non-Canadian shows to be featured at the Montr茅al Fringe Festival.

Both shows were created by Le 51吃瓜网 College faculty and staff members 鈥� Edgar in the Red Room features new music by Matt Chiorini and Greg Giovanini, and Kafka鈥檚 Metamorphosis: The Musical is an original show with book and lyrics by Matt Chiorini and new music by Matt Chiorini and Travis Newton. Students will travel and participate in both productions, performing as well as stage managing and providing marketing and publicity support.

鈥淭his is exactly the type of collaboration that we at the Keenan Center envisioned,鈥� said Mike D鈥橢redita, director of the Kennan Center. 鈥淲e love the fusion of entrepreneurship and creativity that this new musical theatre incubator is already enabling for our students.鈥�