Theatre Sheridan reimagines musical theatre with First Drafts

In February, Theatre Sheridan was thrilled to present the fourth instalment of First Drafts — an initiative that invites writers to reimagine, reconstitute and reanimate musical theatre in a way that acknowledges how the industry is changing. 

 

First Drafts are productions commissioned by Theatre Sheridan and are at their earliest stages of development. Writers and composers work with teams of fourth-year Honours Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance and Technical Production for the Performing Arts Industry students to workshop 45 minutes of material for public showcase, performed in a stand-and-sing format. 

 

This year’s First Drafts featured productions titled Red Tide: a macabre maritime misadventure and Believers. It also marked the very first live audience presentation of the program. 

 

Red Tide tackles the real-life story of when fishermen in central Vietnam woke up in April 2016 to the disturbing sight of 115 tons of fish carcasses washed up along 200 km of their shores, while Believers tells the story of a surprising connection a teenage girl finds when another girl joins her Friday Youth Group. 

 

The Toronto Star profiled both productions in an article celebrating Sheridan’s role in Canada’s musical theatre industry. Read the full article and visit the Theatre Sheridan webpage to learn more.