The cast of 13, The Musical. Photo by Anita Alberto.
Vancouver, BC – Bring On Tomorrow Co. is thrilled to present Jason Robert Brown’s 13: The Musical, the hilarious and charming Broadway hit about growing up, running Sept. 28 - Oct. 1 and Oct. 4 - Oct. 8 at the Waterfront Theatre. The producers of 2016’s Ovation Award-winning FAME bring bright new vision to this musical blockbuster.
Featuring a stellar cast of major teen actors – who have appeared on such networks as ABC, NBC, CBC, Disney and FX – and a live band of musical heavyweights, the not-to- be-missed 13: The Musical brims with youthful nostalgia, uplifting humour, and a heartfelt message: true friendships are found in unexpected places.
Photo by Anita Alberto.
“When 13: The Musical made its 2008 debut – as the first-ever Broadway show to feature an all-teenage cast – audiences were taken with its young stars”, says director Chris Adams. “Having teens play teen characters was a winning decision for its creators: no one can better convey an authentic youth’s perspective than those on the front lines of adolescence. In the same spirit, our production showcases some of Vancouver’s most accomplished performers age 18 and under. We can’t wait to unveil their collective magic as they light up the stage.”
13: The Musical was penned by acclaimed young adult novelist Dan Elish with TV producer & writer Robert Horn. Set in the uncertain days of middle school, this clever coming of age story follows 12-yearold Evan Goldman who is abruptly yanked from his New York City life in the aftermath of his parents’ divorce. Transplanted to small town Indiana, Goldman finds himself navigating the popularity pecking order, while planning what he hopes will be an epic Bar Mitzvah attended by all the ‘cool kids.’ Amidst love-triangle debacles and matchmaker fiascos, Evan eventually gives up the angst-filled chase for ‘it’ crowd status and marks his first step into adulthood among his real friends.
Starring as Evan Goldman is Graham Verchere (15 years old), whose recent credits include Theatre in the Raw’s Raymur Mothers (2015), and Arts Club Theatre’s A Christmas Story (2015). Verchere is a regular on the FX series Fargo, and will appear in ABC’s The Good Doctor premiering on September 25, 2017. Playing Patrice is Julia MacLean (15 years old) who appeared as Tracey Atkinson in Arts Club Theatre’s Billy Elliott (2016) and Mary-Beth in A Christmas Story (Arts Club Theatre, 2015). She is regularly asked to sing the national anthem for sports teams, including the Vancouver Canucks.
Additional stars include 14-year-old Julian Lokash (Archie) who played the title role in Carousel Theatre’s James and the Giant Peach (2014), 17-year-old Michelle Creber (Lucy) who in 2015 was nominated for a Leo Award for her performance as “Kelly” in Strange Empire (CBC/Netflix), 16-year-old Jason Sakaki (Brett) who appears on Disney Channel’s Mech-X4, and 15-year-old Kyra Leroux (Kendra) who will appear in the Nickelodeon TV movie Inside Voice, set to premiere in 2018.
Bring On Tomorrow Co.’s 13: The Musical is directed by local theatre mainstay and two-time Ovation Award-winner Chris Adams, with musical direction by vocalist Monique Creber, who was also musical director for the team’s production of FAME (2016). Serving as choreographer is Nicol Spinola whose work was most recently seen in Theatre Under the Stars’ Mary Poppins (2017).
The creative team boasts set designer Christopher David Gauthier, returning from his work at the 2017 Shaw Festival, lighting designer Graham Ockley (a specialist of CDm2 LIGHTWORKS), sound designer Alex Livland (head of Sound at Orpheum Theatre), and costume designer extraordinaire Christina Sinosich. The producers of 13: The Musical are Chris Adams, Monique Creber, Dave MacLean and Bruce Verchere.
Performing 13: The Musical’s rousing pop score by Jason Robert Brown will be a virtuosic band led by GRAMMY-nominated and JUNO Award-winning artist Michael Creber. As one of the West Coast’s most sought-after musicians, Creber has recorded and toured internationally with k.d. lang, performing on such programs as Saturday Night Live, the GRAMMY Awards and The Tonight Show. He has worked with a long list of luminaries including Martin Short, Joan Rivers, Jim Byrnes, and David Foster.