Grand Theatre Presents beloved CLASSIC MUSICAL for its 2024 Holiday spectacular
Music by Richard Rodgers
Lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II
Book by Howard Lindsay & Russel Crouse
Suggested by “The Trapp Family Singers” by Maria Augusta Trapp
Directed by Rachel Peake
November 19 to December 29, 2024
Opening Night Friday, November 22 - Spriet Stage
Season Sponsor: BMO
Downtown Community Partner: Old Oak Properties
Title Sponsor: McCormick Canada
With Thanks To: The Government of Ontario
November 12, 2024 – London ON – When it comes to enjoying the holiday season in London, Ontario, it’s as easy as “Do-Re-Mi!” The Grand Theatre is proud to present The Sound of Music as its 2024 holiday production, November 19 to December 29 on the Spriet Stage.
Marking her London, Ontario directorial debut on The Sound of Music is Grand Theatre Artistic Director, Rachel Peake, who selected the title as part of her first programmed season as Artistic Director. “It didn’t take long to decide that The Sound of Music would be my first Grand Theatre holiday production. I am as thrilled to see it connect with those who grew up with this cherished story as I am to introduce it to anyone who may have missed it in their life so far. Directing this show is a delight and, honestly, a dream come true!”
Based on the Tony Award-winning musical, and the 1965 Academy Award-winning film starring Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer, The ound of Music can be credited with the popularity of such classic songs as “My Favourite Things”, “Do-Re-Mi”, “Sixteen Going on Seventeen”, “So Long, Farewell”, and “Something Good.”
Storied musical theatre writing duo Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II adapted the true story of Maria Augusta Trapp and her family into a musical that has stood the test of time, becoming a frequently cited favourite among both theatre and film circles. “The Sound of Music is a cultural icon and a cultural phenomenon,” says the show’s Music Director, Alexandra Kane. “For a lot of us, it is a core memory of our childhoods, and for many of us it will invite us back to a place where we remember how beautiful it is to be a child.”
The musical’s story centers around Maria (played by Dominique LeBlanc, last seen at the Grand Theatre in Controlled Damage), a would-be nun, with a habit of abandoning her studies to sing songs in the Austrian mountainside. For a change of scenery, Maria is assigned as the new governess for widower Captain Georg von Trapp (played by Adam Stevenson, last seen at the Grand Theatre in Million Dollar Quartet) and his seven children. While the family is initially no match for Maria’s unstoppable love of music and whimsy, it isn’t long until the power of song brings welcome harmony, romance, and the promise of a bright future, into the von Trapp home. But, against the political unrest of the annexation of the state of Austria into the German Reich in 1938, the von Trapps’ newfound joy becomes threatened. Will the hills that offered Maria her musical solace also become the family’s road to refuge?
“For those familiar with The Sound of Music, the story could reasonably end with the family coming together. But that isn’t the case. The happy ending that we think we have arrived at hangs in the balance of an unthinkable historical moment.” explains Peake. “And so, The Sound of Music places audiences into the position of realizing that the concepts of home, family, and safety, have not been guaranteed throughout history. I believe that this acknowledgment is one of the reasons why the show resonates with audiences, not just in childhood, but throughout the entirety of their lives.”
The creative team of the London, Ontario production of The Sound of Music are: Rachel Peake (Director), Alexandra Kane (Music Director), Ainsley Hillyard (Choreographer), Lorenzo Savoini (Set & Lighting Designer), Jessica Oostergo (Costume Designer), Emily Porter (Sound Designer), and Anita Nittoly (Fight and Intimacy Director).
Grand audiences will be in the company of a large cast of both local and Canada-wide talent, with 19 Grand Theatre debuts, and a selection of returning artists, including: Janelle Cooper (Fall On Your Knees), Jeff Culbert (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory), Megan Dallan (Grow), Mark Harapiak (Beauty & The Beast), Dominique LeBlanc (Controlled Damage), Clea McCaffrey (Grow), Heather McGuigan (The Spitfire Grill, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat), Adam Stevenson (Million Dollar Quartet, Hair!), Raya Campbell (Elf: The Musical), Neela Noble (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda The Musical)
The cast of The Sound of Music includes a double-cast Young Company, who will be sharing the roles of the 6 youngest von Trapp children.
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
CREATIVE TEAM
Rachel Peake (Director)
Alexandra Kane (Music Director)
Ainsley Hillyard (Choreographer)
Lorenzo Savoini (Set & Lighting Designer)
Jessica Oostergo (Costume Designer)
Emily Porter (Sound Designer)
Anita Nittoly (Fight and Intimacy Director)
Kelly Luft (Stage Manager)
Jordan Guetter (Assistant Stage Manager)
Melissa Cameron (Assistant Stage Manager)
Kelsey Jensen (Apprentice Stage Manager)
Child Supervisors:
M Boudreau, Tameka Brown, Jennifer Cahill-Bedard, Suzanne McArthur, Nell Roberts
CAST
Vinnie Alberto Ensemble
Crystal Casera Liesl/Nun
Janelle Cooper Mother Abbess/ Party Guest/ F. Schweiger
Jeff Culbert Baron Elberfield
Megan Dallan New Postulant/Ursula/Party Guest/Nun
Donna Garner Frau Schmidt/Sister Berthe
Mark Harapiak Herr Zeller/Priest
Andrew Hodwitz Max
Dominique LeBlanc Maria
Alyssa LeClair Sister Sophia/ Frau Zeller / Trio
Clea McCaffrey Ensemble
Heather McGuigan Elsa/Nun/Trio
Annie Ramos Sister Margaretta/ B. Elberfeld / Trio
Adam Stevenson Captain von Trapp
Éamon Stocks Rolf/Party Guest
Curtis Sullivan Franz
Robin Wilcox Admiral von Schreiber/ Party Guest
YOUTH COMPANY
Warm Woolen Mittens Cast
Kurt Tade Calder
Gretl Finley Campbell
Louisa Raya Campbell
Marta Lyla Couch
Brigitta Oforiwa Ofori
Friederich Junior Van Geffen
Crisp Apple Strudel Cast
Marta Lilith Carson
Friederich Sam Harson
Louisa Neela Noble
Gretl Freya Rajani
Brigitta Alba Evora Weiler
Kurt Lucas Zadorsky
The Sound of Music plays on the Spriet Stage from November 19 to December 29, 2024. Single tickets range from $24-$101, and are available at www.grandtheatre.com, by phone at 519.672.8800, or at the Box Office, 471 Richmond Street. There is a Canada Life Pay-What-You-Can performance on Sunday, November 24 at 1:00 p.m. (Pay-What-You-Can tickets become available online at midnight on the day of the performance, with a selection of tickets held for in-person purchase one hour prior to the performance at the Grand Theatre Box Office). There is an Open Caption performance on Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 1:00 p.m. There is a Relaxed Performance on Sunday December 15, 2024, at 1:00 p.m.
As it has been doing for the past seven seasons, the Grand Theatre is, once again, partnering with the London Food Bank Business Cares program to help support those facing food insecurity in the city. Since launching in 2017, the campaign has raised a seven-year cumulative total of $451,845 through donations made by Grand Theatre audiences, artists, volunteers, and staff at the annual holiday show.
The Grand Theatre gratefully acknowledges Season Sponsor BMO, Downtown Community Partner Old Oak Properties, Title Sponsor McCormick Canada, and expresses gratitude to the Province of Ontario for their support.
To learn more about The Sound of Music, please visit www.grandtheatre.com/event/sound-of-music Additional facts, photos, and updates can also be found by following @thegrandlondon and #GrandSoundofMusic on Facebook, X, Instagram, and TikTok.
The Grand Theatre is located on the traditional territories of the Original storytellers and caretakers of this land, and the Nations, both settler and Indigenous, who continue to uphold the various treaties of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, and Lunaapéewak. We value the significant historical and contemporary contributions of local and regional First Nations, and all of the Original Peoples of Turtle Island (colonially known as North America), and acknowledge the traditional lands upon which we live, work, share, and tell stories together.
About the Grand Theatre – World Curious. London Made.
The Grand Theatre is known for world-class theatre created and built in London, Ontario. As southwestern Ontario’s premiere producing theatre and one of the most beautiful theatre spaces in Canada, the company has deep ties to the community and to its artists, artisans, and technicians.
As a vibrant cultural hub and not-for-profit professional theatre, the Grand serves to gather, inspire, and entertain audiences in London and beyond. At our home in downtown London, we create productions on two stages: the Spriet Stage (839 seats) and the Auburn Developments Stage (144 seats). The Grand season of theatrical offerings runs from September to May, and we collaborate with companies and artists across the country through our co-productions that see London-made artistic and creative work travel to audiences nation-wide. Through our successful New Play Development Program, the Grand is committed to developing and premiering new, original works and supporting the growth and reach of theatre writers and creators. Our recently renovated venue offers a contemporary and welcoming environment that is also home to several successful music series’, community arts rentals, and cultural and special events.
A cornerstone of the organization is our place as a teaching theatre, exemplified in our many mentorship programs and highlighted in our annual Grand Theatre High School Project. As the first program of its kind in the country and currently in its twenty-sixth year, the High School Project involves as many as one hundred high school participants annually from schools across the region. These students participate at no cost and take on roles both on stage and off, in a fully realized mainstage production under the direction of a professional creative team.
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Lia Karidas, Director of Marketing & Digital Strategy
lkaridas@grandtheatre.com
office: 519-672-9030 ext. 280
