Fighting Chance Productions

On Sunday January 31st, 2010 the 6th Annual Ovation Awards were held at the Vancouver Academy of Music. This yearly awards night is put together by Scott Ashton Swan and APPLAUSE! Musicals in Concert. It celebrates all musical theatre in Vancouver and is the only all-inclusive awards event that the musical theatre community can share. Everything from pantomime to full scale musicals are celebrated.It’s also a chance to reconnect with past Fighting Chance alumni, and the musical theatre community as a whole. This year our General Manager, Theresa Morrison, was invited to present the awards for Outstanding Set and Costume Design.

This year, Fighting Chance was awarded 6 awards in a possible 9 categories.

Colleen Winton, Ryan Mooney and Theresa Morrison at the Ovation Awards. Colleen won an Ovation Award last year for Lead Actress in The Musical of Musicals: The Musical

It was thrilling for us to make such a great showing. On top of that, FCP alumni also took home another two awards for their work on other shows. All in all it was a great night. Below are some quotes from the Fighting Chance winners:

“My body had a totally unnatural reaction to winning. I thought I’d be able to get up there and crack some jokes, say thank you and sit down, but when they called out Rent, I started to shake and choke up. Rent was such an amazing theatrical experience for me, and to have Fighting Chance recognised for our work on the show in this way meant so very much. It was a great end to an experience I won’t soon forget.” – Ryan Mooney, Artistic Director

“I was truly honored to be recognized at the Ovations. I was doubly happy to share Best Supporting Actress with Jacquline. The talent is immense in Vancouver, and to be honored with an award is always fantastic. Thank you to all that voted. This year will be another great year for theater in Vancouver.” – Cathy Wilmot, Actor in Rent and Forbidden Broadway, Supporting Actress Winner for A New Brain

“When I heard my name announced I was STUNNED!  I was actually sitting out in the lobby, (1) as it was full in the house, and (2) because I did not expect to win!  I was up against some very talented competition, so when Cathy looked at me with this giant smile on her face and said, “get up there” I was still in “holy shit-balls mode”!
To hear the roar of the crowd while walking up the aisle brought me to tears.  Fortunately, the walk was long enough that I was able to reign them in before I made it to the stage.
I perform because I love it… pure and simple.  I started doing this about 11 years ago to counter-balance my career stresses (I was a cop), and while I never expect to be able to earn an income from performing, I left the policing world and have designed my business around being able to perform.  And to know that others appreciate what I bring to the stage is the ultimate affirmation!

To be able to then sit back and see so many others from the same production that I was in (RENT) also win… well, that was a very proud moment for me!  Not only was I ecstatic for my fellow actors and friends, but I was just so proud of EVERYONE in the cast & crew, because I was reminded once again that collectively we really brought to the stage something very special this summer.” – Arne Larsen, Actor in Rent, Winner of Male Gypsy Award

“This year’s Ovation Awards night was a total blast; st

anding room only, packed full of performers, friends, and family. I never thought I’d ever actually win something, though! A million thanks to all; it sure feels good to be appreciated.” – Nick Fontaine, Actor in Rent and Ovation Award Winner for Supporting Male and Male Newcomer

FCP Winners

• Actor in a Musical – Brandyn Eddy, tick… tick… BOOM!
• Supporting Actor in a Musical – Nick Fontaine, Rent
• Supporting Actress in a Musical – Jacqueline Breakwell, Rent
• Gypsy – Male – Arne Larsen, Rent
• Gypsy – Female – Andrew Bailey, Rent
• Community Production – Rent

For a review of the evening and full list of winners check out reviewvancouver.org

We are thrilled that Fighting Chance Productions has been nominated for 11 Ovation Awards, and that the choice is now up to you, our audience, as to who wins.

For the next two weeks you can vote at http://www.applausemusicals.com for your favourite musical theatre shows that played in 2009!

We are happy to announce the following nominations!

Community Production – Rent
Ensemble Production – tick… tick… BOOM!
Director – Ryan Mooney, Rent
Musical Director – Sarah Jaysmith, Rent
Lead Male – Brandyn Eddy, tick… tick… BOOM!
Supporting Female – Jacqueline Breakwell, Rent
Supporting Male – Nick Fontaine, Rent
Gypsy Female – Andrea Bailey, Rent
Gypsy Male – Tyson Coady (Rent), Arne Larsen (Rent), Cesar Erba (Rent)

We’d also like to congratulate the following performers or artists who have worked on Fighting Chance Productions shows in the past:

* Mandana Namazi (Side by Side by Sondheim, remount) for her role in APPLAUSE! Musicals in Concert “Passion”
* Sean Parsons (Rent) for his role in Joint Effort’s “Reefer Madness”
* Anna Kuman (The Musical of Musicals: The Musical) for her roles in A Chorus Line, The Fully Monty and White Christmas
* Cathy Wilmot (Rent, Forbidden Broadway) for her role in Pipedream’s “A New Brain”

Congratulations to ALL the nominees. We hope you’ll take a minute to vote for your favourites and perhaps even attend the event on January 31st!

From Kathleen Oliver, Georgia Straight

“With this production, the evening flies by and the laughs come easily.”

“Director Ryan Mooney sprinkles in plenty of costume changes and low-budget special effects. (Just wait till you see the chandelier in Phantom of the Opera.) Mooney works his energetic cast at a crisp pace—all are superb singers and fearlessly playful actors—and musical director Sarah Jaysmith provides solid accompaniment on piano”

“Andrea Bailey mines the moves in “Glossy Fosse” and is deliciously jaded as Cosette in an extended parody of Les Misérables.”

“David Nicks is a hilariously histrionic Mandy Patinkin, and dons ever more outrageous costumes as the evening goes on.”

“Aaron Lau plays a sweet and hapless cat in a send-up of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and he teams up with a charming Natalee Fera for a generic love song (“The Song That Goes Like This”).”

“The standout is Cathy Wilmot, whose whip-smart comic precision enlivens all her parts, which include a washed-up, cigarette-smoking, 30-year-old former Annie and a sloppy but relentlessly grinning Carol Channing.”

“Whether you’re a rabid fan of musicals or averse to all the hype, this show has something for you. Behind the laughs, there’s lots of love.”

From Mark Robins, GayVancouver.net

“If this production, our first for the year, by Fighting Chance Productions is any indication, we’re in for a great year of theatre in Vancouver!”

“The entire cast of five takes on the wide range of characters, musical styles and shows with relative ease and more importantly with a great deal of tongue-firmly-planted-in-cheek fun.”

“Cathy Wilmot continues to amaze, and I dare say, is one of Vancouver’s best actors… she and Director Ryan Mooney definitely have a sense of humour.”

“Both Director Ryan Mooney and Musical Director Sarah Jaysmith obviously know their musical theatre stuff and deftly help their actors with the diversity of styles here.”

“Indeed a fun start to Vancouver’s 2010 theatre season from one of Vancouver’s amateur theatre groups. Go. I dare you not to laugh-out-loud-until-you-cry!

From Ed Farolan, ReviewVancouver.org

A parody to Broadway, this musical takes jabs at musicals and performers of Broadway including Les Miserables, Wicked, Rent, Liza Minelli, Carol Channing, Chicago and others.

“These five performers will get you laughing, giggling or snickering at the lyrics of this spoof musical.”

“Musical Director Sarah Jay Smith did a good job accompanying the singers.”

“Stage manager Liz Wilton McMahan must have had a hard job cuing actors to come in and out of the different scenes and getting them to change costumes after every number. Good job! Perfect timing!”

“Artistic Director Ryan Mooney who loves musical theatre should be continuing along this vein because this indeed is his forte.”

“All that energy, talent, this was indeed a fun-evening, Be sure and get your tickets soon as this might be a sold-out show, as it was the first two nights.”

Forbidden Broadway is now playing at the PAL Theatre (581 Cardero Street)

Tickets are available at http://www.ticketstonight.ca

Showtimes are:

Wednesday January 6th, 8pm – SOLD OUT

Thursday January 7th, 8pm – SOLD OUT

Friday January 8th, 8pm

Saturday January 9th, 2pm – TALK BACK FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE

Saturday January 9th, 8pm – LIMITED SEATING

Tuesday January 12th, 8pm – TALK BACK FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE

Wednesday January 13th, 8pm

Thursday January 14th, 8pm

Friday January 15th, 8pm

Saturday January 16th, 2pm – TALK BACK FOLLOWING THE PERFORMANCE

Saturday January 16th, 8pm – LIMITED SEATING

Natalee Fera is another newcomer to Fighting Chance Productions, but certainly not new to the Vancouver theatre scene. She played most of the female roles in the long-running hit Tony & Tina’s Wedding and she also appeared a few years back as the Fairy Godmother in Footlight’s production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. We’re thrilled she’s bring her voice and comic skills to our production of Forbidden Broadway.

What was your first musical theatre experience?

The first musical theatre experience I can think of was when I was 3. My mother put on Annie for my younger sister and I, and we watched it almost every day. It got to the point where we were under 5 years old, and we could recite, sing, and dance the entire movie.

What is your Dream Role?

Since I have already played my dream role, “Lucy” in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, I would love to play one of the Hilton twins in Sideshow, or “Elphaba” in Wicked (like half the musical theatre world), or Lynette Fromme in Assassins. My other dream role will most likely not happen, as it is “Judas” in Jesus Christ Superstar.

What is the scariest thing you’ll have to do in Forbidden Broadway?

Sing the he Barbra Streisand song, AND make it entertaining…..

What is the best experience you’ve had in the theatre?

Doing shows at Capilano College (now Capilano University) in the Theatre Program. Also, the Musical Theatre class started while I was still at Cap, and learning from Lars Kaario and Gillian Barber was inspiring and was a huge wealth of knowledge.

Do you have any musical theatre role models?

Lea Salonga. Her voice is perfection. I am also very attached to Ethel Merman. When I was younger, I bought a cassette tape (I was pretty young) called “You Sing the Hits of Ethel Merman”. Just saying……don’t be jealous.

If you could go back in time and be a part of any Broadway show which show would it be, who would you play, and why?

It would have been amazing to have been a part of the 1957 live broadcast on CBS of Roger’s and Hammerstein’s Cinderella. It was shot and aired LIVE on TV, just like real theatre, but with no audience. I beleive it was Julie Andrews’ first role, and I would have LOVED to have played either the Fairy Godmother, or be an ugly stepsister alongside Kaye Ballard.

List the four theatrical people you would have around your dinner table in an ideal world.

Cole Porter, Oscar Wilde, William Shakespeare, and Stephen Sondheim

If you couldn’t perform, what would you do?

I would be pretty cranky if I couldn’t perform. I would write shows that I couldn’t be in, and then be overly critical of the people in the shows…..muah ha ha ha!

What do you think is missing from the Vancouver theatre scene?

A larger audience of cultured people who appreciate all kinds of theatre, mainstream and off-beat.

Andrea Bailey, a Capilano University Graduate and Monday at Maxine’s regular is a talent to watch and is going to blow it out of the water in Forbidden Broadway. This summer she did double duty in Annie and Rent and just finished a run of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat with Footlight Theatre.

What was your first musical theatre experience?
When I was in grade 2 our local high school did a production of Oliver and I dragged my parents to see it multiple times.

What is your Dream Role?
There are too many, but the one I’ve had for the longest time would have to be Roxy Heart in Chicago

What is the scariest thing you’ll have to do in Forbidden Broadway?
An accurate Liza Minnelli impression :Z

What is the best experience you’ve had in the theatre?
There’s too many! One that sticks out in my mind is Patrick Street Production’s The Full Monty. I’ve never laughed and cried in the same show. Another one was hearing my Mom tell me how proud she was after seeing Rent.

Do you have any musical theatre role models?
Not specifically. I admire the people who never let negative criticism bother them, and the people who never take no for an answer!

If you could go back in time and be a part of any Broadway show which show would it be, who would you play, and why?
Ugh. Maybe Sweeney Todd as Mrs Lovett, a show big enough to launch my career to stardom but with a challenging character who still provides some comedic relief.

List the four theatrical people you would have around your dinner table in an ideal world.
Liza Minnelli – so she could teach me to be like her! Shakespeare – to find out if he really did write all his plays, Madeline Kahn – to bask in the glow of her comedic genius, and Stephen Sondheim – because I missed seeing him while he was in Vancouver.

If you couldn’t perform, what would you do?
Teach. And I don’t mean that in a negative way, considering I’m in this show with three of them…

What do you think is missing from the Vancouver theatre scene?
Money!

Aaron is one of those “man about town” performers that you see in tons of shows. Most recently he’s appearing in High School Musical 2 with URP and before that he was seen this summer in Thoroughly Modern Millie at Theatre Under the Stars. We’re thrilled he’s making his Fighting Chance debut with Forbidden Broadway. We asked him some musical theatre type questions…. his responses should delight you!

What was your first musical theatre experience?
Playing in the pit orchestra in Oliver! for Earl Marriot Secondary in White Rock.  The funny part was that I wasn’t even a student there.

What is your Dream Role?
Attainable Dream Role: Usnavi from In The Heights with Benny in a very close second.
Actual Dream Role (cause I know it’ll never happen): Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. I’ve been rocking that Valli Falsetto since high school. I just look absolutely nothing like Frankie, and I know that.

What is the scariest thing you’ll have to do in Forbidden Broadway?
If my assumptions are correct, I think it’ll be the fat suit I’d have to wear performing as Travolta in the Hairspray spoof.

What is the best experience you’ve had in the theatre?
Having had the chance to work with some of my childhood idols, and Canadian performing arts legends.

Do you have any musical theatre role models?
Norbert Leo Butz cause he’s just overall a great performer.

If you could go back in time and be a part of any Broadway show which show would it be, who would you play, and why?
It’d have to be Ching-Ho in the 2002 Tony Award Winning Thoroughly Modern Millie because then, I’d use that to further a career on Broadway, instead of making it a one-show gig like the guy who originated the role.

List the four theatrical people you would have around your dinner table in an ideal world.
Stephen Sondheim, Steven Schwartz, Oscar Hammerstein & Jason Robert Brown. Could you imagine the result of all their combined creative juices???

If you couldn’t perform, what would you do?
Honestly, I can’t answer that question.  Personally, I don’t think I could *not* perform!

What do you think is missing from the Vancouver theatre scene?
I think we don’t have enough paid opportunities for musical theatre performers. On the same note, we also need more people in Vancouver to fully support the arts so that we have more of those chances to be offered to us.

David came to our production of Rent as one of his students was playing Mark in it. David’s the high school drama teacher at Eric Hamber Secondary and has taught some past Fighting Chance alumni. Did you see our production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead? Did you enjoy Matt Clarke who played Van? Well that was one of David’s students. Anton Lipovetsky who scored rave reviews as Mark in Rent – also one of David’s students. If he can help produce that much talent, just imagine what he’s going to be like on stage. Here are a couple of questions we asked him about his experiences with musical theatre!

What was your first musical theatre experience?
Being in the chorus of Oklahoma! my first year in high school.  The scariest thing is that my second experience was playing Jesus in Godspell.  It was a big leap for a young kid!

What is your Dream Role?
At this time….Dan (the father) in Next to Normal.
Of all time…probably Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, a part I have already been lucky enough to play!

What is the scariest thing you’ll have to do in Forbidden Broadway?
Sing higher than any male human being ought ever have to sing.

What is the best experience you’ve had in the theatre?
Playing Action in a production of West Side Story where we danced the original Broadway choreography.  It was the hardest thing I have ever done theatrically, and consequently the most rewarding.

Do you have any musical theatre role models?
John Callum and Irene Ryan (who actually suffered what turned out to be a fatal stroke onstage during a performance of Pippin), because I would love to continue playing in musical theatre well into my old age….

If you could go back in time and be a part of any Broadway show which show would it be, who would you play, and why?
Original productions of Rent (Mark) or A Chorus Line (Bobby).  These were two musicals, that changed my life nearly 25 years apart.

List the four theatrical people you would have around your dinner table in an ideal world.
Angela Lansbury, Joe Orton, Daniel Sunjata, and John Wilkes Booth

If you couldn’t perform, what would you do?
I’m doing it!  Teach…..  (In an ideal world I would write – especially musicals – and produce)

What do you think is missing from the Vancouver theatre scene?
In Buenos Aires there are many, many small theatres which run small plays for extremely long runs.  Most of these plays only have one performance a week.  They usually play on Wednesdays through Sundays, often with shows starting at 7:00, 9:30 and even 11:30 pm.  The ticket prices are low.  Actors can commit themselves to these shows because usually they only have one performance a week and participation does not prohibit them from engaging in other activities or other productions.  The result is a dynamic local theatre scene that resembles, in many ways, a permanent Fringe Festival.  How great is that?

Cathy Wilmot is one of those tour de force performers that we love to watch because, quite frankly, every time we see her in something, she’s a. amazing, b. giving an incredible performance and c. giving a completely different performance than the last time we saw her. She was killer as the Seasons of Love soloist (among others) in Rent, and was also an incredible understudy for Joanne. She’ll be seen next in our production of Forbidden Broadway imitating some of the greats including Carol Channing and Ethel Merman. We asked her a couple of questions about musical theatre and theatre in general.
What was your first musical theatre experience?
My first musical theater experience was in Grade 6 in a show called Dragons Tale. I was the Princess….and my twin brother was the Prince. We had to sing a love duet and get married, but, despite that traumatic experience, I knew I wanted to perform for the rest of my life.

What is your Dream Role?
Any role in Les Miz, Lady of the Lake in Spamalot, the Queen in We will Rock You – even though the show is horrible…the music is AMAZING

What is the scariest thing you’ll have to do in Forbidden Broadway?
Try and emulate the people the best I can.

What is the best experience you’ve had in the theatre?
I’ve had two. A summer up in Barkerville, and Rent this past summer. Both experiences reminded me why I love theater…the music and the people you work with.

Do you have any musical theatre role models?
Not really, but I did attend everything Colm Wilkinson did here when I was in high school.

If you could go back in time and be a part of any Broadway show which show would it be, who would you play, and why?
Tough question. I guess I would go back to the Vaudeville times before musicals really started. People really collaborated back then, and any idea seemed to fly. I quess it seems like writers have run out of ideas…for now.

List the four theatrical people you would have around your dinner table in an ideal world.
Liza Minelli, Julie Andrews, Colm Wilkinson, and Andrew Lloyd.

If you couldn’t perform, what would you do?
Go crazy. I would have to find another outlet. Performing is who I am and what I do.

What do you think is missing from the Vancouver theatre scene?
More professional opportunities. New musicals written by locals.

AARON LAU (Cast Member)

Aaron is proud and excited to be finally working with Fighting Chance!  Fresh off the heels of an awesome run with URP’s High School Musical 2, reprising his role as Chad Danforth, Aaron has also chalked up a dream role as Ching-Ho in this past summer’s TUTS production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.  Since his debut as Chuck Cranston in TUTS 2004’s Footloose, Aaron has been performing in show after show, including Guys & Dolls (Metro), Alleycats (Horse Raven), 42nd Street and West Side Story (RCMT).  He also teaches hip hop to the high school students at LSS. He will soon step into the producer’s chair for Intimate Theatre Productions in it’s inaugral production of Cy Coleman’s I Love My Wife.  Aaron would like to thank Ryan and Sarah for their faith in his talents, and the cast for an awesome show!

DAVID NICKS (Cast Member)

David Nicks is delighted to be back on stage doing musical comedy after an entirely-too-long hiatus.  His past musical theatre credits include in Godspell (as both Jesus and Judas), West Side Story (Action), The Music Man (Charlie Cowell), and Carnival (Marco).  Other theatre credits include serious dramas like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Billy Bibbitt) and Antigone (Creon) and farces like Black Comedy (Harold). He is also a plawright, acting teacher and director of over twenty thirty productions.  He is especially thrilled to be giving his current and former students at Eric Hamber Secondary a chance to finally come see him on stage.