Drayton Entertainment Announces 2017 Season Tuesday, November 1, 2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Drayton Entertainment s 2017 Season will be on stage live and in technicolor beginning next March! Artistic Director Alex Mustakas continues to dream big for the award winning not for profit charitable arts organization, with 17 productions spanning seven stages throughout the province of Ontario. There s a lot of variety on stage next season, says Mustakas. There are grand scale musicals with familiar stories loved by everyone, rare gems with incredible music and fun characters that make audiences laugh and sing, larger than life comedies with outrageous plots and even more outrageous characters, and so much more. Audiences won t want to miss a single production! Dunfield Theatre Cambridge The 2017 Season starts with a musical masterpiece for audiences of all ages. Based on the ʺcoat of many colorsʺ story of Joseph from the Bibleʹs Book of Genesis, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is a dazzling Broadway spectacle beloved by theatregoers around the world. Featuring famous tunes like Go, Go, Go Joseph, Any Dream Will Do, and Close Every Door, this global phenomenon penned by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice launches the season in Cambridge from March 1 to April 2. Next up is the hit Tony Award winning musical Million Dollar Quartet, inspired by a legendary true story. In 1956, Sam Phillips, the ʺFather of Rock ʹnʹ Rollʺ, brought together thenrising star Johnny Cash, unknown Jerry Lee Lewis, veteran musician Carl Perkins, and charttopper Elvis Presley for one unforgettable night at Sun Records in Memphis. This powerhouse musical, which is jam packed with an incredible roster of musical talent and all the hip shaking, guitar twanging hits that made these rock nʹ roll giants famous, is on stage April 11 to May 7. After its triumphant world premiere at the St. Jacobs Country Playhouse, Marathon of Hope: The Musical comes to Cambridge from May 15 to June 4 to take audiences on an inspiring and uplifting journey as it chronicles Terry Fox s unprecedented cross Canada marathon for cancer research. In addition to regular performances, a dozen performances are dedicated exclusively to schools so that teachers can expose their students to the enduring legacy of Canada s greatest hero.
It s a summer of silliness with the hit comedy One for the Pot on stage from July 26 to August 12. In a seemingly endless string of mistaken identities, unrequited romances, and hilarious confusion, this rich British farce tells the outrageous story of Billy Hickory Wood, the only surviving child of a late business partner, who must prove he deserves to claim an inheritance. Complicated by a horde of other claimants who profess to be the rightful beneficiary, this laugh out loud comedy is the perfect escape from the summer heat. Classic rock takes centre stage in the fall as the sensational Broadway megahit Rock of Ages turns up the volume in Cambridge from October 11 to November 5. Aspiring rocker Drew Boley falls madly in love with Sherrie, a fresh faced Midwesterner chasing her movie star dreams. Will their stars rise? Will their love last? Find out in this hard rockin musical featuring 28 classic rock tunes like Don t Stop Believin, We Built This City, Wanted Dead or Alive, Here I Go Again, Can t Fight this Feeling, I Want To Know What Love Is, and more. The Drayton Entertainment production of Disney s most popular musical brings the season to a close in Cambridge. Beauty and the Beast, the sweeping romantic fairy tale about a misunderstood Beast who can only be saved by the enduring power of true love, is on stage from November 22 to December 24. This lavish Broadway spectacle, which has captivated over 35 million people worldwide with its tale as old as time and song as old as rhyme, will enchant audiences of all ages throughout the holiday season. Drayton Festival Theatre Following its run in Cambridge, the family friendly Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will launch the 2017 Season in Drayton with sparkling wit, irreverence, and imagination. The technicolor triumph runs May 17 to June 4. Filled with snappy dialogue, witty repartee, hilarious predicaments, and hearty laughs, Norm Foster s Office Hours is a skillfully constructed six tier comedy that speaks to the one common bond that unites us together the race toward quitting time. It s Friday afternoon in the big city, and in six offices an equal number of very different yet cleverly intertwined stories are unfolding at the same time. The production runs June 14 to June 30. Something s growing in Drayton next July and it might not be exactly what it seems. In Harvest, a retired couple trades tough life in the country for a comfortable condo in the city. When they unwittingly rent their farmhouse to a young pilot intent on raising a different crop, they embark on an outrageous journey filled with an assortment of unforgettable characters all played by the same two versatile performers. Based on true events, the imaginative comedy Harvest is on stage July 12 to July 30. The season in Drayton ends on a high note with the aforementioned Tony Award winning Broadway musical, Million Dollar Quartet. ʺBlue Suede Shoes,ʺ ʺWalk the Line,ʺ ʺWhole Lotta Shakinʹ Goinʹ On,ʺ ʺWho Do You Love?,ʺ ʺMatchbox,ʺ and ʺHound Dog are just a few of the hits packed into this surefire hit. Million Dollar Quartet is on stage August 9 to September 3.
St. Jacobs Country Playhouse The 2017 Season starts with a splash in St. Jacobs as the beloved classic musical Singin in the Rain comes to life on stage from March 22 to April 16. This sensational stage adaption of the celebrated film showers audiences with everything you could wish for in a hit musical lovable characters, funny situations, snappy dialogue, sweet romance, and a hit parade of Hollywood standards including Good Morning, Make em Laugh, Moses Supposes, and more. Canada s favourite playwright Norm Foster delivers big laughs and even bigger heart in Jonas and Barry in the Home, a hilarious new comedy that touts living each day to the fullest regardless of your age or stage in life. As an extra special treat, Foster himself stars in this ageless comedy about two seniors searching for friendship, love, and elusive happiness at the Gateway Gardens assisted living home. See him onstage May 3 to May 20. Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have The 39 Steps, an outrageous whodunit for anyone who loves a good laugh. The longestrunning show in London s West End, this hilarious comedy thriller features four fearless actors playing 139 roles in 100 minutes of fast paced fun and thrilling action. Don t miss it May 31 to June 17. The summer heats up with the fun filled romantic musical comedy Thoroughly Modern Millie, on stage July 5 to July 23. Small town girl Millie Dillmount arrives in New York City, ready to fall in love and make her dreams come true. Madcap merriment unfolds as our heroine learns about life, love and herself in this award winning Broadway smash hit musical that pays homage to the Roaring Twenties with its catchy tunes, frisky flappers, and explosive tap dance numbers. Then take a gamble on Lucky Stiff, a hilarious musical comedy that follows a dead guy who s having the time of his life! A bachelor shoe salesman is forced to take the corpse of his uncle on vacation and pass him off as alive in order to receive a large fortune. But things get complicated when he meets a host of quirky characters, each in hot pursuit of the cash. Audiences will be humming a tune and dying of laughter from August 9 to August 27. Next fall, join us for one of the greatest plays of the 20 th century. In Death of a Salesman, Willy Loman finds his career crumbling and his relationships with his wife and sons severely tested in Arthur Miller s dream like meditation on the cost of the American Dream. This compelling exploration of failure and success will keep audiences riveted October 11 to October 29. Being different is good! Based on one of Hans Christian Andersenʹs most beloved stories, Honk! is a high energy musical comedy that tells the story of Ugly, a duckling born into ridicule and loneliness simply because he is different. When he leaves the farm and embarks on an adventure of self discovery, encountering peril while unknowingly outwitting a ravenous cat, Ugly discovers there s much more to him than anyone thought. Running November 29 to December 24, Honk s universal message of acceptance is sure to quack up audiences of all ages with its unique gaggle of barnyard characters, tuneful songs, and clever comedy.
St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre The intimate, 100 seat venue is home to a brand new, foot stompin country music show. Venture back to the honky tonks and saloons which shaped country music s glorious history in Kings and Queens of Country, on stage September 19 to December 24. Featuring music by icons like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Willie Nelson, Conway Twitty, Charley Pride, Merle Haggard, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and more, this jubilant walk down memory lane celebrates country musicʹs greatest pioneers. Ticket Information Tickets are on sale exclusively to Members on November 1, followed by Groups and Subscribers on November 15, and the general public on December 1 just in time for the holidays. Regular performance tickets are $46.00 for adults; $27.00 for youth under 20 years of age. Tickets for groups of 20 or more, as well as select discount dates, are $37.00. HST is applicable to all ticket prices. 30 For more information or to schedule an interview please contact: Amanda Kind, Marketing Manager amanda@draytonentertainment.com Phone: (519) 621 5511 ext. 235
Drayton Entertainment s Other Venues Huron Country Playhouse, Grand Bend Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Irresistible Musical Parable June 7 June 24 All Shook Up Inspired By and Featuring the Songs of Elvis Presley June 28 July 16 Million Dollar Quartet The Musical Inspired By The Electrifying True Story July 19 Aug 5 Drayton Entertainment s Production of Disney s Beauty and the Beast An Enchanted Family Musical Aug 10 Sept 3 Huron Country Playhouse II, Grand Bend Jonas and Barry in the Home An Ageless Comedy June 28 July 15 Lucky Stiff A Musical Farce July 20 Aug 5 One for the Pot A Rich British Farce Aug 16 Sept 2 King s Wharf Theatre, Penetanguishene Marathon of Hope: The Musical The Terry Fox Story June 7 June 17 Million Dollar Quartet The Musical Inspired By The Electrifying True Story June 21 July 15 Jonas and Barry in the Home An Ageless Comedy July 19 Aug 5 Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat The Irresistible Musical Parable Aug 10 Sept 3