Photo Coverage: One Night Only - Celebrating Des McAnuff

The stars of Canadian musical theatre came out this past Sunday night for a special event to raise money for Ryerson's Theatre School and celebrate the honorary doctorate bestowed by the University upon director Des McAnuff. Cast members from Des' current production of Jesus Christ Superstar (in its final weeks at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival) as well as the Original Toronto Cast of Jersey Boys were on hand to help celebrate Des' distinguished career. Hosted by King Herod himself, Mr. Bruce Dow, the evening was a true celebration in every sense of the word. Koerner Hall was filled with a mixture of Ryerson alumni, theatre lovers, arts supporters and many students eager to get the chance to pay their tributes to Des.  The event was organized by Peggy Shannon, Chair and Professor of the Ryerson Theatre School, and served to raise both funds and awareness of the great programming Ryerson offers.

The evening highlighted songs from the various shows Des has directed over the years, including How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Big River (for which he won his first Tony Award), Dracula, Tommy and of course, Jersey Boys and Jesus Christ Superstar. Mr. Dow kept the audience entertained throughout the evening with clever jokes and stories about Des' journey from a young and eager Ryerson student to the worldwide powerhouse he is today.

To close out the evening, Des performed a selection of original material and hits from Tommy with Steve Gouveia and the band from the Broadway production of Jersey Boys. The Ryerson Theatre School held a gala reception afterwards, and the event raised over $100,000 for the school.  BWW is thrilled to bring its readers exclusive photos of the performance and the after-party:

For more details on Ryerson's Theatre School please visit their official website: www.ryerson.ca/theatreschool

For more details on the current Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of Jesus Christ Superstar please visit their official website: www.stratfordfestival.ca

Jesus Christ Superstar heads to La Jolla in November (ticket details here) and then Broadway in March (ticket details here)

All photos by Racheal McCaig Photography