MUTE THE MUSICAL to Play Toronto Fringe Festival, 7/2-13

In the midst of a great bullying epidemic comes a fresh new voice: Alinka Angelova's MUTE (The Musical). After three years of school tours, Infinity Arts Productions is bringing this inspirational tale of one girl's fight to find her voice in a world that wants to silence her to the Toronto Fringe Festival. MUTE (The Musical) plays July 2-13 at Randolph Theatre. Tickets are available beginning June 12 via www.fringetoronto.com, by telephone at 416-966-1062 (ext.1), or at the door.

At a new school where her amazing voice stands as a threat to the class queen, Juliana finds herself bullied into silence. Devastated by the death of her beloved grandfather, she loses her inspiration as well as her voice. For the first time in her life, she alone must find the confidence within to come out of the shell that has become her prison - or forever be MUTE. Featured on Dragon's Den in 2011, and Rogers TV (2013), MUTE has been raising voices and awareness about the effects of bullying not only on a person's well-being and sense of self, but also their destiny.

While it may feel like High School Musical with a social conscience, MUTE comes by its heart honestly: playwright/director Alinka Angelova (Infinity Arts Productions), was inspired by her brother, composer Robert Chambers' (Any Key Music System) experience as a bully - often being on the receiving end of it herself. The way in which Robert was able to use his relationship with music to help overcome his urges to bully, and how they found reconciliation, inspired her to partner with him to write this musical.

"It is sometimes difficult to find a play to attend that is deep enough and real enough to capture the attention of today's youth, especially our older students. MUTE is the perfect 'in your face' type of production that even high school students can connect with. The main storyline is simple enough that younger classes can understand it too." - Teacher, Mapleview Heights Elementary School.

Asserting its voice for the first time on a professional stage, MUTE features choreography by Dora nominated Teisha Smith Guthrie (Long Live, Reason D'etre Productions), original cast member Robert Venton in the role of Grandpa (Lend Me a Tenor, Mystic Vision's Stage Company), recurring cast members Rochelle Robinson (I Need To Know My Father, Marcia Brown Productions), Nicole McCafferty (Spring Awakening, Lower Ossington Theatre), and Preston Squire (At Last, Infinity Arts Productions). Finding their MUTE voices for the first time are Holly Wyder (The Buddy Holly Story, Magnus Theatre), Jackie Rose-Brown (The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts), Alyssandria Messina (Macbeth, Theatre Erindale), Roselyn Kelada-Sedra (Love's Labour's Lost, RADA), Freeyon Chung (JiggiJump/MathJam/PigMania, Education Arts Canada), Jennifer Boyce (Campground Confidential, McSweeneys Dinner Theatre), Luiz Monterei (Grease, St. Lawrence College), Sam Strelshik (Bye Bye Birdie, Toronto Youth Music Theater Company), Charlene Doreland (Filipino Idol), Kierans Jordan (Themes of Grief, Black Rabbit Theatre Company) and introducing Bryna Weiss (Into the Woods, Music Theatre Montreal) as Juliana.

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