Theatre Calgary Kicks Off New Season With LADY DAY AT EMERSON'S BAR & GRILL

Theatre Calgary is getting ready to open our 2022-23 season with a powerhouse night of jazz with the music of Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill, by Lanie Robertson.

The musical, which opened on Broadway in 2014, transports the audience to an intimate Philadelphia bar where Black jazz artist Billie Holiday takes the stage for one of her final performances. Told alongside the honest, riveting, and heartbreaking story of the singer's life, the show includes her most memorable songs like "What a Little Moonlight Can Do", "Strange Fruit", and "God Bless the Child".

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill features Shakura Dickson making her Theatre Calgary debut as Billie Holiday. Ms. Dickson's previous credits include Dear Evan Hansen (Mirvish) and I am William and Freedom 2.0 (Stratford Festival). Joining Shakura is Yanick Allwood who will play pianist Jimmy Powers. Allwood is a singer, multi-keyboardist, composer and sound designer, and is also making his Theatre Calgary debut. The show will also feature an 11-year old Chihuahua named Mojave, as Billie's dog Pepi.

Making his Theatre Calgary directing debut with Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill is Ray Hogg. Mr. Hogg is currently the artistic director of The Musical Stage Company, and the founder of Prime Mover

Theatre Company. "This play is about perseverance. It's about transcending the challenges and limitations that life throws in one's path in pursuit of a higher aim," explains Hogg. "What's remarkable about this play is how clearly we see an artist simultaneously at the height of her interpretive powers and at a profoundly low point in her personal and emotional development. And yet, in spite of all this, Billie was driven to perform. Driven to find the soul or the "feeling" at the heart of a song and share that with an adoring audience."

Along with director Hogg, the creative team for Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill includes Jonathan Corkal-Astorga (Music Director), Brian Dudkiewicz (Set Design), Adejoké Taiwo (Costume Design), Logan Raju Cracknell (Lighting Design), Wade Staples (Sound Design), Jane MacFarlane (Voice & Dialect Coach), Kennedy Greene (Stage Manager), and Sang-Sang Lee (Assistant Stage Manager).

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill runs September 13 - October 2 in the Max Bell Theatre at Arts Commons. Performances begin at 7:30pm (Tues-Thurs, Sun), 8:00pm (Fri-Sat), and 2:00pm (Sat-Sun matinees). Tickets start as low as $40, and can be purchased at theatrecalgary.com. The official opening night for the show is Friday, September 16.

Theatre Calgary continues to offer some special ticket deals with Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill. These include $40 tickets to those under 40 to all performances throughout the run, and 10% off tickets for first responders. More information on these offers can be found at theatrecalgary.com.

This production is made possible by the generous support of the Al Osten & Buddy Victor Legacy Fund.

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