Northern Stage's 2024/25 Season Kicks Off With CABARET

 Northern Stage’s 2024/25 Season will kick off with Summer Musical Theater Intensive (SMTI) production Cabaret, based on the play by Jon Van Druten and stories by Christopher Isherwood, with book by Joe Masteroff, music by John Kander, and lyrics by Fred Ebb, with performances from July 30 to August 4, 2024 in the Byrne Theater at the Barrette Center for the Arts. The production is directed by Broadway and Northern Stage veteran Kevin David Thomas.

Each summer, Northern Stage’s celebrated professional-level theater training program SMTI offers opportunities for students ages 12-18. Over the course of five weeks, students rehearse and perform a musical at the Barrette Center for the Arts, fully supported by a professional creative and design team from around the country. This program extends the professionalism of Northern Stage’s main stage to young actors, giving them the opportunity to collaborate with industry veterans on an adventurous, joyful and exceptional theatrical experience.

This cast features 20 young actors from across the Upper Valley: Malakai Adams (Hartland, VT), Paul Ashton (Hanover, NH), Nelson Barabas (Hanover, NH), Tessa Cullen (Lyme, NH), Ella Dahlstorm (White River Junction, VT), Lia Hammond (Hanover, NH), Sam Harrison (Hanover, NH), Eli Hoffer (Hanover, NH), Alexis Husband (Hartland, VT), Sage Johnson (Hanover, NH), Gillian Lenihan (Enfield, NH), Max Loveland (Enfield, NH), Jane Mans (Plainfield, NH), Tate Mosenthal (White River Junction, VT), Monet Nowlan (Quechee, VT), Noah Schutzius (West Lebanon, NH), Nysa Sharma (Hanover, NH), Clementina Siri (Norwich,VT), Skylar Spiro (Norwich, VT), and Mohini Walters(Hanover, NH).

Winner of 12 Tony awards, including Best Musical in 1967 and Best Revival in 1998, and, most recently, 7 Olivier Awards, including Best Musical Revival in 2022, Cabaret is one of the most influential musicals written for the American stage. Directed by Harold Prince and choreographed by Ron Field, Cabaret first opened on Broadway on November 20, 1966 at the Broadhurst Theater.

Set in the Weimar-era Berlin and at the cusp of Hitler’s ascent to power, the musical was adapted from I Am a Camera, a 1951 Broadway play by John Van Druten based on Christopher Isherwood's Goodbye to Berlin (1939) from his collection of writings, The Berlin Stories (1945). While the original Broadway and West End productions and revivals were not quite well received by its contemporary audience, the newly conceptualized production by Sam Mendes, starring Alan Cumming as Emcee, brought Cabaret to a new height in 1993. Since then, Cabaret has been seen across the world’s stages through various fresh takes, most recently in its 2021 West End and 2024 Broadway revivals, directed by Rebecca Freknall and choreographed by Julia Cheng.

"‘Cabaret? Really? With THAT age group??’ or a variation of that sentiment is what I heard from many of my friends, family, and colleagues when they found out I was directingCabaret with middle and high school students,” director Thomas shares. “These reservations weren’t unfounded either. I felt these apprehensions too at the start, especially since recent Broadway revivals of the show had turned up the darker and seedier colors of the piece, giving the impression that this was solely what the show was about. It wasn’t until I dug deeper into the heart of the play that I realized we could absolutely tell this story with young people.” 

"At its core, Cabaret is about what happens when a society turns apathetic towards those who are marginalized, slowly erasing their humanity and rights until they’re left with nothing,” says Thomas, “I just needed to find a way into the show that would be safe for our students, maintain the integrity of the show, and convey this central message (which seems timely today).”

The professional creative team, led by Thomas, includes Daniel Lin (Music Director), Sasha Finley (Lighting Designer), Rozy Isquith (Scenic Designer), Mirah Kozodoy (Sound Designer), Thom Miller (Dialect Coach), Jaclyn Pageau (Intimacy Choreographer), Lexi Spanier (Costume Designer), Julia Egizio (Production Stage Manager), and Peyton Otis (Assistant Stage Manager). The team is joined by Student Assistant Stage Managers Milo Cantone (Norwich, VT) and Cassie Merwin (Hartland, VT). Alongside Lin(Conductor/Keyboard) in the band are Eli Hecht (Bass), Amanda Lee Morrill (Drums), Robbie Cowan (Accordion), and Meghan Trach (Reeds).

2024 SMTI Cabaret is made possible in part thanks to generous support from Amy & Henry Nachman and Martha & Steve Richardson. Northern Stage’s 2024/25 Education programs are sponsored in part by Ramunto's Hanover Brick & Brew Pizzeria and Stave Puzzles. 

Next up in Education is Youth Ensemble Studio’s (YES) Peter and the Starcatcher, a play by Rick Elice, based on the novel by Dave Berry and Ridley Pierson, with music by Wayne Barker, and directed by Robert David Grant, running October 11 – 13, 2024 at the Barrette Center for the Arts. Learn more about Northern Stage’s Education programming HERE.

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