CFNO is proud to support Magnus Theatre 2019/2020 Season!
September 12, 2019- May 2, 2020
Magnus Theatre is very happy to announce an exciting season of comedy, drama and music for 2019-2020.
“I am absolutely thrilled to present this Mainstage Season to our patrons,” says Thom Currie, now entering his third year as Magnus Theatre’s Artistic Director. “We have assembled a season for everyone, and I guarantee that your next visit to Magnus Theatre will always be a different experience than your last.”
Currie continues, “Magnus Theatre is one of the landmarks of Thunder Bay and one of the great regional theatres of North America. As such, we have a responsibility to program for everybody, offering a season that delivers different experiences each time a patron walks through the door. Whether you are a long time subscriber attending our gala evenings or a student coming to a Sunday Pay What You Can for the first time, I encourage you to come and enjoy the Magnus Theatre experience. There is nothing like it.”
Tickets for the Mainstage Season at Magnus Theatre are available immediately. Subscriptions and Flexi-Packs can be purchased online at www.magnustheatre.com or by contacting the Box Office at 807-345-5552
Show 1: SHOUT! The Mod Musical- September 12-October 5, 2019.
The Mainstage Season kicks off with SHOUT! The Mod Musical, by Phillip George and David Lowenstein. Featuring some of the greatest hit songs of all time, SHOUT! takes audiences back to the music, style and freedom of the 1960s, featuring terrific new arrangements of such classic tunes as "To Sir with Love," "Downtown," and "Son of a Preacher Man." SHOUT! The Mod Musical runs from September 12-October 5, 2019.
“This show is a lot of fun,” declares Currie. “Magnus has a great tradition in this style of show, where a style of music is explored over the course of an evening. I know that Thunder Bay will be on its feet for SHOUT!”
Show 2: This Is How We Got Here- October 24-November 9, 2019.
The second show of the season will be This Is How We Got Here by Keith Barker. A heart wrenching drama about a family dealing with loss and working to maintain the ties that keep them together. Shortlisted for the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award for drama, This Is How We Got Here runs October 24-November 9, 2019.
“This Is How We Got Here is an incredibly touching play,” Currie says. “Written by a playwright from our region, I am so happy to be able to bring this work to Thunder Bay.”
Show 3: It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play- December 5-21, 2019.
Closing out the year, the Magnus stage will be transformed into a 1940s radio station with It's a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play, adapted from the beloved holiday classic movie by Joe Landry. With an ensemble bringing dozens of characters to the stage, the story of idealistic George Bailey will delight family audiences for the holiday season, running December 5-21, 2019.
“As a storyteller, I have always loved Christmas movies,” the Artistic Director enthuses. “To be able to bring this one to the stage at Magnus is magical.”
Show 4: The Birds And the Bees - January 30-February 15, 2020.
The first play of 2020 will be The Birds And the Bees by Mark Crawford, a laugh out loud comedy about a woman who has just moved back in with her beekeeper mother following a failed marriage. Their lives are complicated by beehive troubles, an eccentric neighbor, and a handsome young researcher. The Birds And The Bees runs January 30-February 15, 2020.
“Mark Crawford is fast becoming one of the great Canadian comedic playwrights. We had a great time with Bed And Breakfast in 2017, and I know that Magnus audiences will love this new play.”
Show 5: Cottagers And Indians- March 12-28, 2020
The wit and wisdom of Drew Hayden Taylor returns to the Magnus stage with one of his latest plays, Cottagers And Indians. An Indigenous man has taken it upon himself to repopulate his local lakes with wild rice, much to the disapproval of the cottagers, many of whom feel the plant interferes with boating, fishing, swimming, and is generally an eyesore that brings down the property values. This comedy is produced with Tarragon Theatre from Toronto, and runs March 12-28, 2020.
“Magnus Theatre has a great history with playwright and humourist Drew Hayden Taylor, from Berlin Blues to Crees In The Caribbean,” says Currie. “I am always thrilled to have one of his plays as part of our season.”
Show 6: Screwball Comedy- April 16-May 2, 2020.
The 2019-2020 Mainstage Season ends with Screwball Comedy, from the pen of Norm Foster. Set in 1938, this fast-paced comedy is the story of a young woman trying to break into the male-dominated world of newspaper journalism. Homage to the zany screwball comedies of the 1930s, this play is full of snappy dialogue, outrageous characters, and humour that packs a punch, running April 16-May 2, 2020.
“Norm Foster is Canada’s most produced playwright,” Currie says. “His plays are a delight, and I know that Thunder Bay audiences will enjoy this show.”