2025: One Year, Two Facial Hair Phases, Three Shows, Four Summer Jobs, and Five heart shattering fumbles.
God damn you treated me well. What a gift.
I silently told myself I wanted to be more social this year. I spent an entire semester holed up in an apartment with roaches, and decided something needed to change.
And so it did.
I made a shit ton of friends this year. New friends, old friends, rekindled friends from high school, and a shit ton of mutuals in between. I also rediscovered a shit ton of songs from my youth, alongside so many more little things over 12 months of chaos.
Also I like the mustache now.
Too many people to tag. Not worth it 💀
Time to graduate, I guess.
- Liam
🩸Carrie
In a google doc, hidden in the aether somewhere, is a 20 page blurb talking about everything I loved with this show. I do not have the character limit required to pull that off here. However:
To have the opportunity to sit behind the creative table for this project has been an honor, and privilege, and a blast. I am so incredibly proud of this cast, crew, band and creative team for what we’ve created.
Thank you to @shawn_henry12 , my kickass music director and mentor for this project; the band, that had me speechless from my first listen to my last; and the amazing cast, for their passion and dedication night after night.
That closing performance in the front row was one of the greatest theatre experiences I’ve ever had. I will never forget it.
I look forward to the next time I get to music direct such an enthusiastic group of people. I fuckin’ love my classmates.
Praise be upon Jayden’s heelys
From your AMD :)
Liam
Photo Credit: @briannejang of @bb_collective
Set Design: Ami Farrow
Lighting Design: Daniela Masellis
Video Design: Skye Grinde
Costume Design: Ximena Pinilla
Sound Design: Caitlynn Legris
Director: @the_ben_smith
Stage Manager: @mykenzie_m
Music Director: @shawn_henry12
Choreographer: @courtpa
Assistant Choreographer: @josiehoffarth
Fight Captain: @nonnikcm.haon
Dance Captain: @erinaileenharvey
This is the hardest show I have ever done. Vocally, emotionally, logistically, all of the above. For reference, I’d be driving back and forth from Red Deer for shows in the past. Either way, stacking two hard shows at once was just borderline nightmarish, yet I’m so glad to have done them both at this point in my life.
From a theatre nerd perspective, I had massive shoes to fill. This is an Aaron Tveit Masterclass, and I needed to make it my own, and make it good. The cast and crew I got to be with everyday made that 10x easier. I knew the people I was acting with from other shows, and my own beloved stage mom ( the amazing @erinoriordan ) was there for me every step of the way; emotionally, physically, and at one point, financially 🫣
Jokes aside. I am so proud to have created this with some of my favorite people. I look forward to working with them again someday soon.
“Signing off”,
Gabe😎
Also shoutout to my cousin who clocked that I was dead by the time the first scene was done.
Happiness, Freedom, and Life 🎵
This show was unforgettable. Every ounce of my soul was put into this process and oh my god does it ever feel good. It’s been almost a week and I still feel gravel in the voice… worth it 🤟🏻
With *love*,
Anatole✨
Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812
Director: Jim Guedo
Music Director: Shawn Henry
Choreographer/Intimacy Coach: Anna Kuman
Vocal Coach: Doug Mertz
Stage Manager: Steven Sobolewski
Technical Director: Leon Schwesinger
Production Manager: Gal Minnes
Photo Credit: @briannejang of @bb_collective
Set Design: Daniela Masellis
Light Design: Ken Matthews
Costume Design: Skye Grinde
Sound Design: David Bowden
This was fun. Like a lot of fun. Big fun?
I am eternally grateful for the people I got to work with throughout this production. It has been nothing short of a blast to be this absolute POS onstage and to be doing it with this cast.
Also, playing dead is 100% the hardest thing I’ve ever done onstage, and I had to hold my legs up for half a song.
Punch it Out;
Kurt 🎉
Heathers: The Musical
Director: Leigh Rivenbark
Musical Director: Shawn Henry
Photo Credit: @briannejang of @bb_collective
Set Design: Ross Nichol
Light Design: Heather Cornick
Costume Design: Alison Yanota
Sound Design: Curtis Jacobs
I have lots of words, and all of them are good for this one.
Bridges of Madison County was a dream show that I took a risk taking on; I had been through hell and back throughout this summer, and I was about ready to call it quits with my program and move on.
This production helped me reassure that I was on the right path.
I’m writing this as @avery.neufeld is absolutely tearing it up on stage in Act 1, by the way. I felt like if I waited until after the show I’d miss some emotion I could put in here.
Playing a 16 year old has been the most whimsical thing I’ve done onstage, and I’ve played a soothsayer. Michael let me live out this casual teenage farm boy scenario that I never really felt in my own childhood, which was refreshing and really damn fun.
Welp, I better finish up the show.
It’s been fun.
I still don’t have the words. I’ve known you all my life and we’ve spent our highest and lowest days as kids together. I remember almost everything about how we spent our days back then. The zombies high rounds, you carrying me through Easter Eggs, the late nights just screwing around online and living like nothing in the world ever mattered. Whenever we played, it was like we had the whole world to ourselves, and I’ll never forget that feeling.
Until we meet again, René. Rest in peace. 🕊️
Linked in my bio is a GoFundMe page dedicated to helping pay for the service. Please consider donating; every little bit helps.
🗣️AND THEN YOU’VE GOT YOURSELF A MUSICAL🗣️
This show was everything I could have wished for as someone who was on the cusp of giving everything up. My fellow cast mates were loving, compassionate and extremely talented, and I love working with them. To my fellow Scene partners: thank you for your patience, love and determination to this workshop. It was kick-ass.
With love (and music):
Act I Nostradamus ✨
