Balmy summer evenings have returned and thus so has Theatre Under the Stars, the production company that brings the experience of the theatre to the great outdoors, and the spotlight to some homegrown talent.
This year, two North Shore locals will be taking to the Stanley Park stage for live iterations of modern musical The Prom and family classic, Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical.
Drawing such a large annual crowd and featuring prominent actors and performers, the two shows, running until August 26, provide the ultimate opportunity to both see and be seen, said 15-year-old actor Lucas Gregory.
“The sheer amount of attention that Theatre Under The Stars productions get is tremendous, and the networking behind a production of this size is just humongous. You get to be fully immersed in the Vancouver acting scene, and you get to meet all these amazing people that are so important to know.”
Gregory, a student at Handsworth Secondary, will be making his TUTS debut as a member of the ensemble and as the Cook Understudy in Matilda The Musical.
“It’s such a lovely part to be playing, because you’re so immersed in the dynamics of the cast,” he said, adding how the casting feels like a full circle moment - when he began in theatre, he was the youngest in youth ensembles and looked up to the older actors for guidance and inspiration. Now he is able to offer that to others.
Colton Bamber, who will be returning for his second TUTS year as a member of the ensemble and the Barry Glickman Understudy for The Prom, said the ensemble casts are a small but vital part of the team.
“Ensembles bring another level to the show. It’s all of the little bits that act as the glue,” he said. “You have all these people that are main characters who are carrying the story, but then you have the people in the background who are doing the little things, like the big dance numbers, the scene changes, and the little interactions that really pull the show together.”
Bamber, who moved to North Vancouver from Alberta five years ago to study musical theatre at Capilano University, said being part of an ensemble role also provides room to create and harness a person’s own identity.
“You get to bring your own ideas. There’s a little bit more opportunity to play and explore and have so much fun with other people,” he said.
As part of two very different shows - with Matilda a beloved classic fit for all the family, and The Prom a relatively new, LGBTIQA+ driven comedy - both Bamber and Gregory press that the TUTS audience can span everyone and everyone - even those who wouldn’t consider themselves theatre goers.
“A lot of my friends have gone to TUTS who love sports but have no intention of doing theatre or never really enjoyed it, and they’ve really enjoyed this experience,” said Gregory. “The amount of people who come along really speaks to how great these productions are.”
Plus, the added element of being able to watch a show while bathed in the glow of a setting sun, or under a twinkling night sky, ensures that the experience is unlike any other.
For those hoping to truly make use of the outdoor setting Gregory, a regular attendee himself, offers a suggestion: skip the seating plan.
“It’s always nice to have good seats and sit up at the front, but personally, my favourite part of TUTS was always going and getting a little picnic together and sitting on the hill by the side of it,” he said.
Mina Kerr-Lazenby is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
