Bridge Street Theatre to Premiere SOUTH: A Nautical Musical

Bridge Street Theatre will present the world premiere of SOUTH: A Nautical Musical - an original, joy-fueled adventure created and music directed by Carmen Borgia, directed and choreographed by Timothy Dakin-Dunn.

Blending Caribbean-inspired rhythms, folk traditions, and theatrical panache, SOUTH follows a ragtag crew of shipwreck survivors and misfit townsfolk as they face pirates, tangled romances, and the unpredictable search for meaning in a chaotic world. It's a bold, campy, and heart-filled celebration of theatre itself... with a band of eight live musicians, to boot!

"The world feels kind of crazy to me right now," Dakin-Dunn says. "And I've had those moments of thinking, '...is The Dark Side winning?' But instead of shutting down or letting fear send me into a spiral, I decided I wanted to lean in and make some joyful noise! This show is exactly that - a glittery flare into the sky saying, 'We're doing JOY over here!' In the midst of hard times, our joy is our defiance!"

That energy infuses everything from Borgia's score to the show's playful, larger-than-life performances. "I aimed for memorable songs in a dramatic story viewed through a humorous lens," Borgia explains. "It's a vibe, not a document."

The cast - a mix of returning favorites and first-time Bridge Street Theatre performers from Catskill, Saratoga, Warwick, Syracuse, Pittsfield, and even Queens - brings that vibe to life. "These folks are funny, smart, thoughtful, and Broadway-quality singers," Dakin-Dunn says. "I'm a little afraid we're going to blow the roof off the place."

With a ship literally being built on the Bridge Street Theatre stage and opening night this Thursday, the team says SOUTH is shaping up to be unlike anything the theatre has staged before. "Tim is the perfect director for this show, and John [Sowle] made this whole thing possible," says Borgia. "It's all coming together in the best way."

For Dakin-Dunn, the goal is simple: send audiences home buzzing. "I want people humming the tunes, laughing at the jokes, and leaving refreshed," he says. "Theatre should remind us that no matter how tough or weird life feels, we're still alive - and anything is possible. And when in doubt? Always add more ukulele!"