Key City Theatre 25th Anniversary Season

SEASON 2016-17

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED “IT WOULD BE A SIN TO MISS THIS SHOW!” Winnipeg Free Press

MIKE DELAMONT

“I LAUGHED SO HARD ...... I CRIED!” Edmonton Journal

SEPTEMBER 24 Based on the character created by three time Canadian Comedy Award Nominee Mike Delamont and Jacob Richmond for the hit cult cabaret Atomic Vaudeville, God is a Scottish Drag Queen has gone on to become an international sensation.

Now a trilogy of shows, it has sold out runs across North America with some patrons waiting over 8 hours in line just to get tickets.It is a 15 time “Best of the Fest” winner, and was a nominee for the 2014 Just For Laughs Best Comedy Award. Cranbrook native Mike Delamont writes and stars as everyone’s favourite deity in a floral power suit, who comes down to skewer everything from Justin Bieber to the Pope in an unforgettable night of comedy.

SEASON 2016-17 BLUES-FOLK-BLUEGRASS TRI-CONTINENTAL

SEPTEMBER 28 Tri-Continental is a collaboration that fuses the talents of three wonderful guitar-players, singers and songwriters from Toronto/Canada: Bill Bourne, Lester Quitzau and Madagascar Slim. There are no musical boundaries present in this one-of-a-kind blues/folk/world music mélange. Tri-Continental present a truly unique - and critically acclaimed sound that is a great success in terms of soulfulness and presence, intensity and atmosphere. All three players have been nominated for Canada’s JUNO award for their previous work.

BOBBY BAZINI MARCH 22

Quick. Which Canadian artist’s debut album went platinum this year?

Besides the rapper Drake, we mean.

The answer is Bobby Bazini, a Montreal-area singer-songwriter with a magician-like name who’s trying to make good his escape from Quebec, where the bulk of the 80,000 copies of Better in Time were sold. If you haven’t heard of him yet, you will soon.

PHARIS & JASON ROMERO

APRIL 5 Singing vibrant duets, writing deadly songs, playing handmade banjos and loving old acoustic guitars, Pharis & Jason Romero have a classic story.

When a matchmaker, some scratchy old records, and a custom banjo led to their meeting in 2007, they quickly knew they were in for the long haul.

They’ve since released five records - three as a duo - and toured across North America and the UK. They are passionate teachers and believers in many things folk, and their heartbreakingly harmonic live show is an ever-evolving and never ending quest for good songs and beautiful sounds.

“A Wanderer I’ll Stay” won the 2016 Juno Award for Traditional Roots Album of the Year.

SEASON 2016-17 DANCE BALLET JAZZ MONTREAL

OCTOBER 12 Proudly Sponsored by Ken Stroud of

PROVOKE EMOTIONS THROUGH DANCE. An internationally renowned repertory company, BJM has continued to grow with all the energy and spirit of exploration for which it has been known since its birth in 1972. Thanks to the enduring faith of Geneviève Salbaing and co-founders Eva Von Gencsy and Eddy Toussaint, this vitality has made its mark through the years.

Since Louis Robitaille was nominated Artistic Director in 1998, BJM is now, more than ever, in tune with the times. While preserving the essence of the company, BJM works today with some of the most prestigious figures in the world of dance and ballet.

SWAN LAKE Ballet Jorgen

FEBRUARY 21 Ballet Jörgen Canada celebrates its 25th anniversary season with the world’s most renowned Classical Ballet, Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Bengt Jörgen, one of Canada’s most distinguished classical ballet choreographers is delighted to bring the production across Canada so that everyone has the opportunity to see, experience and be touched by this most extraordinary of all ballets. This classical production is one of the most magical, beloved ballets—a story of true love, the union of two souls and the ultimate sacrifice to be set free.

SEASON 2016-17 CLASSICAL-JAZZ

ALCAN STRING QUARTET

NOVEMBER 5 The Alcan Quartet consists of violinists Laura Andriani and Nathalie Camus, violist Luc Beauchemin and cellist David Ellis.

Since its formation in 1989, the Alcan Quartet has forged a reputation for excellence across Canada and abroad. Born of an extraordinary partnership between the multinational Rio Tinto Alcan and the Orchestre symphonique du Saguenay Lac St-Jean in Chicoutimi (Québec), he helped lead the musical life with many chamber music concerts and sustained presence and highly valued in the middle of classical music. This string quartet provides its influence for nearly 25 years by numerous CD recordings, including the highly anticipated forthcoming for its 25th anniversary in 2014, the complete cycle of 16 Beethoven string quartets.

MONTREAL GUITAR TRIO

NOVEMBER 17 Eclectic, Energetic and Spectacular Described by the CBC as the “hottest” guitar ensemble in Canada, MG3 has quickly established itself as a force to be reckoned with, as well as an interactive force in various musical forms. For over 15 years, the trio’s virtuosity, rigour, creativity and impressive stage presence – where humour and interacting with the public go hand in hand – have been winning over audiences around the world.

Performing at the Royal Alexandra Hall

JOELLE RABU – TONIGHT PIAF JANUARY 18 Tonight…Piaf, a highly acclaimed hit show written

by Joëlle Rabu and Ted Galay, is an intimate musical drama, re-creating Edith Piaf’s final New York concert at the Waldorf Astoria in 1961. Joëlle’s award winning portrayal of the legendary French songbird will leave you breathless. Tonight…Piaf is performed in English with Piaf’s most memorable songs sung in both French and English. The show also features a quartet playing more than a dozen instruments highlighting the passionate music of that era.

SEASON 2016-17 CLASSICAL-JAZZ CANADIAN GUITAR QUARTET FEBRUARY 6 “The Canadian Guitar Quartet dazzles the audience with their second-to-none ensemble playing” Since its debut in 1999, the Canadian Guitar Quartet has toured extensively in Europe, North and South America, from one standing ovation to the next, establishing a reputation as one of the finest guitar ensembles in the world. The CGQ also performed with orchestras all over Canada and has released three critically acclaimed recordings.

Performing at the Royal Alexandra Hall

REMY BULDUC TRIBUTE TO DAVE BRUBECK MAY 18 In 1950-60, very few American jazz artists have had as much influence and were as popular as Dave Brubeck. The Rémi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble with special guest pianist François Bourassa are proud to present a brand new production, Tribute to Dave Brubeck, performing the music of Brubeck’s celebrated band, also recognized thanks to the excellent saxophonist Paul Desmond. Take Five, Blue Rondo a la Turk and several other compositions from the album Time Out are on the program.

SEASON 2016-17 FAMILY - CHILDREN

SHARON & BRAM

OCTOBER 22 A Sharon and Bram show is a sing-along concert for the entire family, featuring such well-loved favourites as “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain”, “Five Little Monkeys”, “One Elephant”, “Tingalayo”, and, of course, “Skinnamarink”.

“We love singing with our audiences; the sound of families singing together and the expressions of delight on the faces of parents and children as they share the music, bring us deep satisfaction”, say Sharon and Bram.

EVERYTHING FITZ

NOVEMBER 15 The Fitzgerald family band, from Ontario, features some of the finest young fiddlers and OttawaValley step dancers in the country. The sounds of the East Coast, French-Canadian, Texas-style and Old-Time are combined with impeccable Ottawa -Valley style step dancing to bring you a high energy and heart-warming performance.

CAPTAIN FUTURE

JANUARY 15 Lucas Myers’ latest creation Captain Future travels back in time to try to save reading from being wiped out by the evil Dr. SamGoogApplesoftsung, who has taken over the world with his devious mixture of highly addictive social networking video game apps! Using song, puppets, a time machine and a William Shakespeare rap song, it’s up to Myers’ intrepid hero to save the day.

MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM FOR KIDS K-7

MARCH 11 A Midsummer Night’s Dream – for Kids! No need to wait until high school to develop a love of Shakespeare! For K-7 audiences Monster Theatre presents a brand-sparkling-new adaptation of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Shakespeare’s whimsical classic tale about fairies, love potions and talking donkeys. The storytelling masters of MonsterTheatre have created a magical performance starring both professional actors and students from your schools.

SEASON 2016-17 THEATRE CHASE PADGETT

NOVEMBER 8 6 Guitars is a pitch perfect blend of music, comedy, and characters. Chase Padgett delivers a virtuosic performance as he becomes 6 different guitar players each with their own distinct voice, views, and musical style (Blues, Jazz, Rock, Classical, Folk, and Country). During this 85 minute show, each of the characters ranging from a 19 year old rock prodigy to an 87 year old blues man share their journey with music from discovery to mastery through songs and stories that leaves every audience laughing, crying, and falling in love with music all over again.

LUCAS MEYERS

JANUARY 14 Written and Performed by Lucas Myers A young man goes missing from a provincial campground while on a personal journey to discover himself. Four people are suspects, despite lack of evidence aside from Facebook posts and the video from the young man’s cell phone but the overzealous detective is undeterred. Was there foul play? More importantly, did someone remember to bring the toilet paper (and the potato salad)?

Lucas Myers brings his trademark brand of observational humor and brilliant character work to this examination of the world within a world that can only be found in THE CAMPGROUND.

RING OF FIRE

MARCH 8 Ring of Fire: Project Johnny Cash is a jukebox musical that celebrates the lives and stories Johnny Cash sang about in his music. The cast tell his remarkable story through some of the greatest songs of one of America’s most brilliant singer/songwriters, Johnny Cash. The story travels from Cash growing up on a farm, to the Grand Ole Opry, to meeting June Carter and falling into the “Ring of Fire”. A mosaic of American experience featuring “Five Feet High and Rising”, “Daddy Sang Base”, Ring of Fire”, “I Walk the Line”, and “I’ve Been Everywhere”, the show features the music of Johnny Cash at his highs and lows.

SEASON 2016-17 RAWK ON!

RAWK CAMP

JANUARY 20-21, 2017 Speed Control oers 3-5 day RAWK Camps that include public performance opportunities for all participants. The focus is skill building with sessions for beginners (RAWK on Stage) to coaching for existing bands (RAWK Smarter, RAWK Harder). The premise of the RAWK Camps is to teach participants that there’s more to music than the Top 40 we hear on the radio, and that music can be a whole lot of fun. We also provide them with skills that they can use down the road. Skill development is so important.