Young People's Theatre Sets 2016-17 Season

Artistic Director Allen MacInnis and Executive Director Nancy Webster are pleased to announce the 2016/17 Season at Young People's Theatre (YPT), a year that marks the return of two of YPT's most popular musicals, both based on children's literature classics: SeussicalTM and Roald Dahl's James and the Giant Peach.

Six other diverse productions roundout YPT's 51st Season, ranging from Munschtime!, a brand new YPT production encompassing five favourite stories from renowned children's author Robert Munsch, to Roseneath Theatre's Spirit Horse, which follows the adventures of two Indigenous children whose family is caught between traditional ways and contemporary urban culture.

Also back due to overwhelming demand will be last year's surprise hit, One Thing Leads to Another - YPT's first show for babies! Excitement about programming for these, the tiniest of audience members, is such that YPT is also presenting Scenes From a Tree, by Québec's Des mots d'la dynamite, a lively tale for ages 14 months to 4 years about growing up and putting down roots.

The eclectic playbill will also feature Boys With Cars from Nightswimming Theatre, an audacious play set in a suburban high school where cultures collide, and Still/Falling, a play from Vancouver's Green Thumb Theatre that looks at mental illness from the inside out. Each show in this remarkable season touches on the theme chosen by Allen MacInnis: No one is alone.

"There is comfort for children in knowing that no one is alone - that everything and everyone is connected in some way. But how do we best support children and youth in mastering the realization of their responsibility to others - the notion that everything they do can affect other people? I hope the plays this season allow teachers and parents to have conversations about those implications."

- Allen MacInnis

2016/17 Season Playbill

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

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 | Sept. 22 to Oct. 8, 2016 | Ages 3 to 12 months; suitable for up to 24 months

Last season's hugely successful show for babies returns by popular demand!

SPIRIT HORSE

Native American adaptation by Drew Hayden Taylor from the Irish play 'Tir Na N'Og' by Greg Banks

Directed by Greg Banks

A Roseneath Theatre production

Mainstage | Oct. 18-28, 2016 | Ages 8 & up

This powerful production follows the adventures of two Indigenous children whose family is caught between the traditional ways and contemporary urban culture.

SEUSSICALTM

Music by Stephen Flaherty; Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens

Book by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty

Co-conceived by Lynn Ahrens, Stephen Flaherty, and Eric Idle

Based on the Works of Dr. Seuss

Directed by Thom Allison

Choreographed by Kimberley Rampersad

Mainstage | Nov. 14-Dec. 31, 2016 | Ages 5 & up *

An all-time favourite of YPT audiences, this delightful musical is proof that "a person's a person no matter how small". A wonderful treat for the Holidays.

STILL/FALLING

Written by Rachel Aberle

Directed by Patrick McDonald

A Green Thumb Theatre production

Studio | Nov. 22-Dec 9, 2016 | Ages 13 & up

A realistic, honest and bitingly funny look at the difference between 'teen angst' and mental illness and the ways vulnerable kids can start to find their way out of the dark.

ROALD DAHL'S JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH

Words and Music by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Book by Timothy Allen McDonald

Based on the book James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

Directed by Nina Lee Aquino

Mainstage | Feb. 6-Mar. 18, 2017 (runs over March Break) | Ages 5 & up *

This rollicking musical version of the beloved children's classic returns due to overwhelming demand after a nearly sold-out run in 2014! A fantastical journey to warm up the winter months! Look for the giant peach on YPT's roof!

SCENES FROM A TREE

Created and developed by Nathalie Derome, Amélie Dumoulin and Karine Sauvé

English translation by Nadine Desrochers

A production of Des mots d'la dynamite

Studio | Feb. 15-26, 2017 | Ages 18 months to 4 years

A lively tale about growing up and putting down roots created especially for tiny tots.

BOYS WITH CARS

Written, choreographed and performed by Anita Majumdar

Directed by Brian Quirt

Commissioned and produced by Nightswimming Theatre,

with additional development support from Young People's Theatre and The Banff Centre

Mainstage | Mar. 23-Apr. 1, 2017 | Ages 13 & up

A compelling fusion of theatre and classical Indian dance, adapted for young audiences from Anita Majumdar's acclaimed solo plays (The Fish Eyes Trilogy), Boys With Cars explores how two high school girls navigate the expectations of boys.

MUNSCHTIME!

Based on the stories of Robert Munsch

Adapted by Stephen Colella and Allen MacInnis

Mainstage | Apr. 17-May 14, 2017 | Ages 4-8

The beloved stories of acclaimed children's author Robert Munsch - including Love You Forever, Murmel Murmel Murmel, Pigs, A Promise is a Promise, and Too Much Stuff - come to life on stage to delight young theatregoers. YPT will offer American Sign Language (ASL) Shadow Interpreted performances.

*SeussicalTM and James and the Giant Peach are presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIShows.com

The 2016/17 playbill announcement comes as YPT winds down its landmark 50th Anniversary Season, a year jam-packed with milestones and memories, including the hugely successful 50th Anniversary Gala fundraiser, the creation of The Ada Slaight Education Centre at YPT, extended participation projects in the community, and unprecedented attendance figures.

"The 50th Anniversary Season at Young People's Theatre has been extraordinary, beginning with our sold-out Gala in October, and now drawing to a close with box office attendance and revenues beyond anything on record for the past 15 years. There have been many landmarks in between, not the least of which is the remarkable growth of our Drama School which broke attendance records and added a new location in East Toronto. We are profoundly grateful to the people of Toronto and indeed Southern Ontario, for their support over this milestone season. We look forward to serving you for another 50 years."

- Nancy Webster

To post a comment, you must register and login.