Vaudeville Meets Rome
October 4 – 22, 2011
Previews: October 4 & 5
Opening Night: October 6
Jericho Arts Centre
Book by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gelbart
Music & Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
With permission by Musical Theatre International
“A good, clean, dirty show! Brings back belly laughs!” - Time Magazine
Directed by Cathy Wilmot
Music Direction by Sarah Jaysmith
Choreography by Dawn Ewen
Starring Ryan Mooney as Pseudolus, Mike Wild as Hysterium, Peter Stainton as Senex, Steve Dotto as Marcus Lycus, Matt Ramer as Miles Gloriousus, Cameron Dunster as Hero, Elyse Maloway as Philia, Danielle Lemon as Domina with Morgan Dunne, Cesar Erba and Jameson Treholm playing the Proteans and Brittany Cairns, Rebecca Friesen, Jennifer Kuhl, Kiki Lipsett, Ranae Miller and Sable Strub as the Courtesans. Casting for Erronius will be announced shortly.
Broadway’s greatest farce is light, fast-paced, witty, irreverent and one of the funniest musicals ever written-the perfect escape from life’s troubles. “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” takes comedy back to its roots, combining situations from time-tested, 2000 year old comedies of Roman playwright Plautus with the infectious energy of classic vaudeville. The result is a non-stop laugh-fest in which a crafty slave struggles to win the hand of a beautiful but slow-witted courtesan for his young master, in exchange for freedom.
What Ryan Says: One of the funniest musicals ever written, and we’ve already filled some of the roles with some of the funniest musical theatre performers in Vancouver… and myself. Don’t miss your chance to catch this hilarious farce!
Meet the Cast & Crew:
RYAN MOONEY (PSEUDOLUS): Ryan is the Artistic Director and founder of Fighting Chance Productions. Favourite FCP directing credits include The Wiz, Sweeney Todd, Forbidden Broadway, Rent, The Laramie Project, The Musical of Musicals: The Musical!. As an actor Ryan has appeared on stage in Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead (Fighting Chance Productions and Delinquent Theatre,) Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound (Metro Theatre,) and The Who’s Tommy (Uncle Randy Productions).
As a director he has been nominated four times for Ovation Awards for his work on Sweeney Todd, Rent, Flower Drum Song and The Musical of Musicals: The Musical, winning in 2011 for Sweeney Todd. His production of The Mikado was nominated for 15 CTC Awards including Best Director. Recently Ryan was nominated as two Best Director CTC awards for Forbidden Broadway and The Wedding Singer, for which he won. As a producer Fighting Chance Productions has twice been chosen as Pick of the Fringe for their productions of The Musical of Musicals: The Musical and Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead as well was awarded the 2009 Xtra West HERO Award for Outstanding Live Performance for their production of The Laramie Project – which also gained international attention.
CATHY WILMOT (DIRECTOR): A multi CTC and Ovation Award winner, Cathy Wilmot is excited to be
directing with Fighting Chance. Recent credits include Maggie in 42nd Street, Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd (Fighting Chance), Buttercup in HMS Pinafore (FVGSS), Forbidden Broadway, Rent (Fighting Chance Productions), Lisa in A New Brain (Pipedream), and Erma in Anything Goes (Metro Theater) .One of her favourite roles was playing Yitzak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch. She also has performed in 8 Applause Musicals in Concert. Cathy spent 10 years as a headliner at Giggledam Dinner Theater (formerly Maz and Me’s), and has performed in Barkerville. During her spare time Cathy produces and directs local theatre, travels, and
spends her days working with children with special needs.
DAWN EWEN (CHOREOGRAPHER): Since moving to Vancouver Dawn has worked with numerous theatre
companies as a performer and choreographer. Some credits include: Fosse, Fosse, Fosse – NY Jazz Co, Boogie Wonderland & Lost Vegas Live – Cardinal Prod, Anything Goes - Metro Theatre (CTC Award – Best
Choreographer & Ovation award – Nominee) and 42nd Street – Metro Theatre, to name a few. Dawn trained at the Canadian School of Ballet for 12yrs, The Canadian College of Performing Arts in the enriched program, and between her years at C.C.P.A. Dawn was fortunate enough to work with Enpoint ENT. dancing in Japan. She traveled back to her roots and performed with Ballet West in Oban Scotland as a company member and soloist. She also brings 14 years experience teaching dance & musical theatre the last 8 spent at The Gateway Theatre Academy and with Encore Musical Theatre Group. Dawn was nominated for the Ethel Tibbits Women of Distinction Award in 2010 & 2011.
CAMERON DUNSTER (HERO): Forum will be Cameron’s second show with Fighting Chance, after he first performs in Bare: A Pop Opera as Zack in August. He is a recent graduate of the Capilano University Musical Theatre program, where his roles included Prince Christopher in Cinderella, Bickle in Footloose, The Narrator in My Life With Albertine, and Peter in Romeo and Juliet. Cameron has also performed in many productions around the city, some select credits being Singin’ In The Rain (TUTS), The Doctor in A New Brain (Pipedream), High School Musical (URP), and most recently, Drake in Annie (Gateway Theatre) which earned him an Ovation Award nomination for Male Gypsy. A huge thank you to Cathy, Ryan, and Sarah for this opportunity.
