STU Musical Theatre Presents Groundhog Day, the Musical — Feb. 19-23
The STU Musical Theatre class is presenting the critically acclaimed production Groundhog Day, the Musical, which revels in one man’s journey of self-discovery, day after day.
The show will run February 19 -23 in the Black Box Theatre, and will host an invited relaxed performance on Friday, February 21 at 10:00 AM.
An “Exciting, Funny, and Surprisingly Touching” Story
Groundhog Day tells the story of Phil Connors, a Pittsburgh TV weatherman who, while covering the annual Groundhog Day event in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, finds himself in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again.
“The show is exciting, funny, and surprisingly touching,” said STU Musical Theatre professor Tania Breen.
“We invited members of the technical team into the stumble-through last week and they were visibly moved - which speaks to the material, yes, but also to the work of the actors. The performances are remarkable; the leads are outstanding, and the ensemble is essential to the heart of this show.”
One of these student performers is first-year, Isaac Gilbert, who has put sweat and care into rehearsal of his lead role as Phil Connors.
“This show is a very beautiful piece of theatre, and I have grown fonder of the piece the more our company works on it,” said Gilbert. “It is my dream to pursue theatre professionally as a career and performing this show at St.
Thomas University feels like a step in the right direction.”
Gilbert, along with his classmates, spends countless hours in and out of class building Groundhog Day from scratch under the guidance of Breen.
“This is more than just a university class,” said Gilbert, “it is a community because we get to spend so much time together.”
A Student-Led Production
The STU Musical Theatre class is led by students who work in teams to produce all elements of the show including costumes, props, ticketing, and marketing. Leading these students in the role of Production Manager is second-year student, Alex Dawson.
“Groundhog Day only works if the smallest details stay the same from scene to scene and when you’re trying to put together a three-hour show of such magnitude, it’s quite challenging,” said Dawson. “We’ve used countless theatre tricks to make our performance stand out, such as lighting shifts, fight choreography, body doubling, musical motifs, and many contrasting styles of dance.”
Dawson and their peers use these technically challenging elements of the show to grow their skills at STU.
“Having the opportunity to experience the role of a production manager has let me engage with all aspects of the creative process from working with the budget, scheduling the production timeline, and even creating a groundhog head.”
Please reach out to Ian Curran (hpbrt@stu.ca) for further information. You can follow @stumusicaltheatre Instagram to keep up with the latest production announcements.