Stafford Arima News

This powerful one-act, Canadian-born piece follows three expertly written, imperfect characters through their relationships with money, greed and righteousness. Told through three interconnected monologues, this dark comedy explores humanity and the state of capitalism.

1969. From Stonewall, to the Apollo 11 Moon Landing, to Woodstock; it will forever be remembered as one of the most transformative summers in American history. As we celebrate the 50th anniversary of these epic events, join us for a concert and celebration of the music, artists, and happenings that shaped a generation at Culture Connection.

The Louder We Get (opening on January 28th 2020 at Theatre Calgary's Max Bell Theatre) tells the true story of Marc Hall and the court case that allowed him to take his boyfriend to prom. Premiering for the first time under its new title (previously Prom Queen), the show will be directed by Lonny Price, choreographed by Sean Cheesman, and feature a cast of 40% local artists.

Broadway Dreams kicks off Unplugged, the 2019 Summer Intensive Tour in Atlanta, GA, followed by five U.S. cities, Calgary, Canada and Europa Park in Rust, Germany. In each location, Broadway Dreams will present an incredible roster of top Broadway directors, performers, and industry insiders who will offer highly personalized musical theater training through week-long intensive workshops for students of all ages, skill levels, and socio-economic backgrounds. At week's end, students will perform alongside their Broadway idols in a Broadway style revue open to the public.

Broadway Dreams kicks off Unplugged, the 2019 Summer Intensive Tour in Atlanta, GA, followed by five U.S. cities, Calgary, Canada and Europa Park in Rust, Germany.

The Tank in association with All For One Theater will present the World Premiere of Open, written by Crystal Skillman

The highly anticipated season-closer of Billy Elliot the Musical has been a long-time coming for Theatre Calgary. With the promise of an all-Calgarian cast and more musical showcasing from emerging artists, there was a lot of excitement leading up to opening night. I left the Max Bell Theatre with the same excitement for all the things to come from this incredible production.

Theatre Calgary is set to close the 2018-19 season with a wonderful story about following your dreams as we present Billy Elliot The Musical, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, and music by Elton John. This Tony Award-winning musical is an inspiring and moving tale about the importance of following your heart.

In anticipation of opening night of Theatre Calgary's production of Billy Elliot, I sat down with Dance Captain Amber Bissonnette to talk about her career and life as a dancer. 'I got started in dance when I was five. My second cousin's mom owned a dance studio and my mom and my sister had just moved to Edmonton - where I'm from - and she was looking for a way to keep us busy. I started singing and acting when I was about thirteen and it was all downhill from there.'

Continuing our commitment to utilizing Calgary's rich acting and creative talent, this season will see us go on a journey from farce to greed, from a 'humbug' to  a prom, and from a prep-school to a meeting of legends. Our stage will be filled with shows that both resonate and delight, and will include a significant number of Calgary actors, designers, and play-wrights.

The Green Room 42 will present MUSIC PLAYED ALOUD: THE SONGS OF F. MICHAEL HAYNIE on Monday, March 11th at 9:30pm featuring Alysha Deslorieux (Hamilton), Anthony Lee Medina (Hamilton), Lauren Nicole Chapman (Frozen), Andrew Kober (School of Rock, Alice by Heart), and more.

ENCORE is playing in Calgary at Theatre Calgary on March 30th, 2019.

A Class Act NY, the award-winning acting studio, will produce a concert presentation of PSYKIDZ: A New Musical by award-winning composer and lyricist Bobby Cronin on Sunday, January 20th at the historic Triad Theatre in Manhattan. The creative team includes producers Jessica R. Grosman and Jonathan Grosman, director Lauren Cohn, and music director Sean Mayes.

Founder and Executive Artistic Director Benjamin Taylor Davis announces today that submissions for the Fourth Annual Atlanta Musical Theatre Festival (AMTF), to be held in the summer in Atlanta, are officially open. The deadline to submit new works is February 1, 2019. Selections will be announced in April 2019, at the annual selections announcement event (details forthcoming).

See the smash hit, Hamilton on Broadway from the best seats in the house in New York City. Then meet cast member Marc delaCruz and go backstage after the show!

Theatre Calgary presents the world premiere of MARY AND MAX - A NEW MUSICAL, with music & lyrics by Bobby Cronin, book by Crystal Skillman, directed by the organization's new artistic director, Stafford Arima, and orchestrations and music supervision by Anna Ebbesen.

Last week marked the world premiere of Mary and Max, a touching story of friendship and the ultimate power of words. I was grateful to sit in the audience and experience the magic of opening weekend at Theatre Calgary.

Theatre Calgary presents the world premiere of MARY AND MAX - A NEW MUSICAL, with music & lyrics by Bobby Cronin, book by Crystal Skillman, directed by the organization's new artistic director, Stafford Arima, and orchestrations and music supervision by Anna Ebbesen.

Theatre Calgary presents the world premiere of MARY AND MAX - A NEW MUSICAL, with music & lyrics by Bobby Cronin, book by Crystal Skillman, directed by the organization's new artistic director, Stafford Arima, and orchestrations and music supervision by Anna Ebbesen.

Theatre Calgary is preparing to open Mary and Max - A New Musical, the second world premiere of the 2018-19 season, with music and lyrics by Bobby Cronin, book by Crystal Skillman, directed by Theatre Calgary's Artistic Director Stafford Arima, choreography by Jenn Rapp, and orchestrations and music supervision by Anna Ebbesen.