Nightwood Theatre is returning to the stage with its fourteenth annual Lawyer Show, Mark Hollman and Greg Kotis' Urinetown, The Musical!
Directed and Choreographed by Brittany Banks, Musical Directed by Alexa Belgrave, and supported by a team of professional designers and crew, this unique event brings a cast and band of over 35 lawyers together for four live performances at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts. As Nightwood's biggest annual fundraiser, the Lawyer Show delivers vital funds that go directly toward the company's mentorship initiatives, training programs and main stage productions.
While Lawyer Shows happen across Canada in various regional theatres, Nightwood's scale is one of the largest in the country. Over the past decade Nightwood has engaged over 300 lawyer-actors, received hundreds of sponsorships from some of Toronto's top law firms, and has raised over $1,300,000. Moreover, the engagement has led to other creative endeavours, where lawyer alumni have produced their own Fringe shows, performed stand-up comedy, and formed indie theatre companies.
The show's Director and Choreographer, Brittany Banks, shares, "The lawyers' courage and commitment to this project has been inspiring, all the while supporting Nightwood's important mission and vision. Their appetite to learn and grow and pursue excellence is truly unmatched. Exploring themes of corporate greed, social irresponsibility, populism, and very fittingly, the legal system, Urinetown depicts a society where people are forced to pay exorbitant fees to access public amenities. With Toronto's ever-increasing cost of living, grocery prices soaring, and the exploitation of natural resources rampant, Urinetown hits pretty gosh darn close to home."
Musical Director, Alexa Belgrave, adds, "The lawyers' willingness to learn sometimes completely foreign musical concepts with such earnestness and heart is always such a heartwarming feeling in the rehearsal room. This will be my second lawyer show, and it always energizes me when folks jump into the unknown with an 'I'll do my best' mentality."
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