YPT Announces 2017-2018 Season

Artistic Director Allen MacInnis and Executive Director Nancy J. Webster are thrilled to announce the 2017/18 Season at Young People's Theatre. It's a year dedicated to the theme "finding yourself", with nine shows encompassing classics and cutting-edge work to help guide that journey.

This theme is exemplified in two major productions this season, Beauty and the Beast - a holiday musical that revels in two very different individuals finding their authentic selves, and The Secret Garden - a delightful March Break treat about the transformative power of bringing secrets to light.

Seven additional shows (including three premieres!) round out a season that promises to provide meaningful theatrical experiences for ages three months to adulthood. Each production will explore the struggle to be true to one's self, particularly relevant at a time when self-worth is often measured by "likes" and "followers".

"I have noticed lately how intensely young audience members respond to being addressed directly by performers. It's my belief that kids really want and need to be seen - as unique individuals. Yet even as a child is encouraged to 'just be yourself', we live in times where identity can be highly constructed. How do we know who we really are? What if no one sees our true identity? This season - indeed much of the work we do at YPT - is about fostering every child's unique self." - Allen MacInnis, Artistic Director INTRODUCING YPT'S 2017/18 SEASON PLAYBILL
UNAPOLOGETICALLY ME: SHARRON'S CABARET FOR KIDS WORLD PREMIERE!
Created and Performed by SharRon Matthews
Produced by SharRon Matthews
STUDIO | Oct. 2-21, 2017 | Recommended for ages 9-11
Shake off the haters and celebrate the power of being your true self. An hour of pop, rock, funk and story from the effervescent singer-comedienne, SharRon Matthews! This award-winning stage, film and television performer builds a rapport with every audience member as she confides her own challenges with anxiety while growing up. Kids totally relate to her and critics agree: "SharRon Matthews is perfection!" - Toronto Star.

BELLO
Written by Vern Thiessen
Translated by Brian Dooley
Directed by Mieko Ouchi
A co-production by Concrete Theatre and L'Unithéâtre
MAINSTAGE | Oct. 10-20, 2017 | Recommended for ages 5-9 | French Language Performances Available
Imagine a time when there were no phones, no cars and no light bulbs - when the land stretched out like a quilted bed and the sky was like an ocean overhead. A lonely young boy named Bern gets lost traveling home from school during a snowstorm. He meets an old woman who has been shunned by the village. And from this chance encounter, Bern makes a discovery - about himself, his family and the importance of compassion.

The Young People's Theatre Production of
Disney's
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Music by Alan Menken, Lyrics by Howard Ashman & Tim Rice, Book by Linda Woolverton
Originally Directed by Robert Jess Roth
Originally Produced by Disney Theatrical Productions
Directed by Allen MacInnis
MAINSTAGE | Nov. 6-Dec. 31, 2017 | Recommended for ages 5 & up | HOLIDAY MUSICAL!
What is there to learn from this beloved musical - this tale as old as time? Sometimes, the hardest thing in the world is to be who you authentically are. And sometimes it takes someone else to bring that out in you. This is a story of hope. Despite appearances, the pretty Belle and the cursed Beast are not what everyone assumes them to be. But their true selves could be revealed - if they can find each other in time.

Disney's Beauty and the Beast is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com

INSTANT
Written by Erin Shields
Directed by Dean Patrick Fleming
Produced by Geordie Productions
STUDIO | Nov. 28-Dec. 15, 2017 | Recommended for ages 12 & up
Meredith is a singer-songwriter intent on stardom. Jay is her friend, a gifted hockey player who aspires to play in the NHL. Rosie is raising money to pay for her father's expensive medical needs. All three are competing to get noticed... and then the lightning-fast world of social media triggers an avalanche of controversy. Would you sacrifice your true identity to achieve your ambition?

THE SECRET GARDEN
By Paul Ledoux, adapted from the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Directed by Allen MacInnis
MAINSTAGE | Feb. 5-Mar. 17, 2018 | Recommended for ages 6 & up | IDEAL FOR MARCH BREAK!
Gardens, like people, need sustenance and attention in order to thrive. In this beloved classic, Mary Lennox is sent from India to live with her uncle in Yorkshire. Left to wander his gloomy old manor, Mary lashes out at those around her. Then... she discovers a mysterious hidden garden. In taking refuge there, Mary uncovers secrets that, like her, need to be brought into the sunshine.

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND!
A Collective Collaboration by Maja Ardal, Audrey Dwyer, Mary Francis Moore and Julia Tribe
Developed from the original concept, research and theme by Maja Ardal
Directed by Mary Francis Moore
STUDIO | Feb. 17-Mar. 3, 2018 | Recommended for ages 3-12 months, but suitable for up to 24 months
YPT's award-winning show for babies returns, prior to a provincial tour! Observe your littlest play-goer experience everyday objects being transformed into fabulous, theatrical phenomena.

RISKY PHIL WORLD PREMIERE!
Written by Paula Wing
Directed by Stewart Arnott
MAINSTAGE | Apr. 9-27, 2018 | Recommended for ages 9 & up
Are you a risk taker? "Risky" Phil is extremely cautious. He has always lived with his colourful Aunt Gigi, a hairdresser with a flair for the dramatic. When a new client shows up, the story of Phil's history starts to unravel and he discovers he isn't the orphan Aunt Gigi always said he was. This comedy about fathers and sons challenges you to consider how much of YOU is actually determined by your roots.

SELFIE ENGLISH LANGUAGE PREMIERE!
Written by Christine Quintana
Directed by Stephen Colella
STUDIO | Apr. 23-May 11, 2018 | Recommended for ages 13 & up
The first party of the school year comes packed with expectations. It's a time to renew old friendships and perhaps find new love. But what happens when an incident shatters the connections between three friends? Teenage relationships are complicated enough - especially when you add the reckless power of social media. This smart and intense play delves bravely into the nature of sexual consent.

SALMON GIRL
Created by Michelle Olson and Quelemia Sparrow
Written and Directed by Quelemia Sparrow
Produced by Raven Spirit Dance
MAINSTAGE | May 1-12, 2018 | Recommended for ages 5-10
As far as Margie is concerned, she is the best fisher in her family. Then one day she slips on the rocks and tumbles into the water. But instead of drowning, she sprouts fins and a tail and discovers she can breathe! Margie's perspective changes as she learns from animals and elders, of her Indigenous forebearers, the Salmon People. This beautiful dance-drama encourages you to consider your own relationship to the world around you.

The 2017/18 playbill announcement comes as YPT winds down its current season, a year that saw ticket revenues of over $1 million dollars (the highest in the company's 51-year history) and productions regularly playing to 90% capacity. Munschtime!, YPT's final show of the season, runs until May 14th, with a limited number of tickets still available.

Over the last five years YPT's budget has increased by 47%, bringing the company's accumulated surplus to more than $700,000, our Drama School has expanded to four locations, our Education & Participation programs have tripled and our box office continues to surpass expectations. We look forward to continued strategic growth in our 52nd season. - Nancy Webster, Executive Director

In the coming year, YPT will continue its commitment to making programs accessible to as many young people as possible. The number of Relaxed Performances offered will increase from six last season to eight in 2017/18, and YPT will also present four American Sign Language Interpreted Performances.

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TICKETS ON SALE TODAY!

Be the first to access tickets to YPT's 2017/18 Season by purchasing Show Combos
beginning today, Monday, May 2nd. Tickets also go on sale today to school groups.
Single tickets will go on sale Monday, June 12th.
For details, please visit YOUNGPEOPLESTHEATRE.CA or call 416.862.2222 x2.

SO MANY WAYS TO SAVE! Subscribers save on ticket prices, receive priority seating and free exchanges with Show Combos. Great family value is available with the Season Launch Special: buy all eight regular shows this season during the first 50 days Combos are on sale and receive 50% off (to June 20th, 2017)! Visit youngpeoplestheatre.ca to review the variety of Show Combos available. (Combos exclude YPT's show for babies, One Thing Leads to Another.)

First Saturday Savings and Pay-What-You-Can (PWYC) performances are back for 2017/18! First Saturdays provide families with $15 tickets (all seats) to the first Saturday performance of Mainstage productions. PWYC tickets are available on the day of performance for designated weekend family shows during each production. Families can also take advantage of Super Saver Seating where a limited number of mezzanine tickets are available for each Mainstage performance at just $10 each. (HST and service charges extra).

Educators can take advantage of the School Season Launch Special where weekday student groups pay just $13 per ticket including HST (reg. $16) for the first 50 days tickets are on sale (to June 20th) with one FREE teacher/chaperone ticket for every 20 tickets purchased.

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