Brantwood Co-Created by Julie Tepperman and Mitchell Cushman
An immersive site-specific musical set in a decommissioned high school.
April 14th - May 3rd, 2015
An immersive site-specific musical set in a decommissioned high school.
April 14th - May 3rd, 2015
Created, written, and directed by: Mitchell Cushman and Julie Tepperman
Music & lyrics by: Bram Gielen, Anika Johnson, and Britta Johnson
Produced by: Michael Rubinoff
Original Music by: Christopher Thornborrow
Musical Director: James Smith
Sound Design by: Christopher Thornborrow
Set and props by: John Grosz and Ken MacKenzie
Lighting Design by: Nick Blais
Costumes by: Nina Okens
Choreography by: Nicola Pantin
Guest Cast: Suzanne Bennet, Claire Calnan, Sadie Epstein-Fine, Ben Hayward, Dayna Miller, Mark Palinski, Ralph Small, and Andy Trithardt
CMTP Cast: Nevada Banks, Scott Barker, Lea Beauvais, Greg Borris, Daniel Bowen, Ryan Burda, Eric Dahlinger, Tom Davis, Rachel Delduca, Quinn Dooley, Cameron Francis, Samantha Gaetz, JJ Gerber, Shane Gramlich, Laura Harding, Robyn Harrison, Aisha Jarvis, Alex Kelly, Laura Larson, Kabir Mahjoori, Chris Mayo, Nik Murillo, Lauran Olmstead, Lucas Popowich, Teale Poirier, Reece Rowat, Bryden Rutherford, Vanessa Sears, Colin Simmons, Melissa Torelli, Jeff Toste,
Luc Trottier, Kim Truong, Amelia Welcher, and Alison Wither
Music & lyrics by: Bram Gielen, Anika Johnson, and Britta Johnson
Produced by: Michael Rubinoff
Original Music by: Christopher Thornborrow
Musical Director: James Smith
Sound Design by: Christopher Thornborrow
Set and props by: John Grosz and Ken MacKenzie
Lighting Design by: Nick Blais
Costumes by: Nina Okens
Choreography by: Nicola Pantin
Guest Cast: Suzanne Bennet, Claire Calnan, Sadie Epstein-Fine, Ben Hayward, Dayna Miller, Mark Palinski, Ralph Small, and Andy Trithardt
CMTP Cast: Nevada Banks, Scott Barker, Lea Beauvais, Greg Borris, Daniel Bowen, Ryan Burda, Eric Dahlinger, Tom Davis, Rachel Delduca, Quinn Dooley, Cameron Francis, Samantha Gaetz, JJ Gerber, Shane Gramlich, Laura Harding, Robyn Harrison, Aisha Jarvis, Alex Kelly, Laura Larson, Kabir Mahjoori, Chris Mayo, Nik Murillo, Lauran Olmstead, Lucas Popowich, Teale Poirier, Reece Rowat, Bryden Rutherford, Vanessa Sears, Colin Simmons, Melissa Torelli, Jeff Toste,
Luc Trottier, Kim Truong, Amelia Welcher, and Alison Wither
Audience members are greeted as the final graduating class of a fictional Brantwood High and transported by school bus to their “alma mater” for a reunion before the school’s closing for good. An unexpected event hurls the audience back in time to explore a century of adolescent life: first loves, growing pains, peer pressure and youthful experimentation through the ages. The musical includes 11 era-specific hot-topic storylines, one for each decade of the school’s history, plus a look into the future: a 1920s teacher-student affair; 1930s anti-Semitism; 1940s gender and racial segregation; a 1950s teen pregnancy; a 1960s LSD trip; a 1970s foray into amateur porn; a 1980s film-noir narcotics thriller; a 1990s talent show and the dreams of a transgendered student; a 2000s musical exploring a story from the school’s sordid past; a 2015 student’s attempt to save the school from developers; and a 2020 condo story centered on a young gay couple haunted by the ghosts of Brantwood’s past.
Featuring text and songs that span a century of different musical genres, Brantwood was performed by the 2015 graduating class of Sheridan’s renowned Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program. Rounding out the cast were talented professionals Suzanne Bennett, Claire Calnan, Ralph Small and Andrew Trithardt portraying Brantwood’s teachers and principals. In choose-your-own-adventure style, spectators decided which storylines to follow as they wandered through classrooms and halls in a production featuring 90 characters (portrayed by 40 actors), 200 scenes, 40 musical numbers and unexpected dance sequences – with 15 scenes occurring simultaneously at any given time, all interwoven with clockwork precision orchestrated by a crew of 40 students from Sheridan’s Technical Production for Theatre and Live Events program. Adding to the mystery and excitement of the production were secret passage-ways, one-on-one encounters, treasure hunts and rewards for solving multi-media riddles hidden in plain sight.
Featuring text and songs that span a century of different musical genres, Brantwood was performed by the 2015 graduating class of Sheridan’s renowned Bachelor of Music Theatre Performance program. Rounding out the cast were talented professionals Suzanne Bennett, Claire Calnan, Ralph Small and Andrew Trithardt portraying Brantwood’s teachers and principals. In choose-your-own-adventure style, spectators decided which storylines to follow as they wandered through classrooms and halls in a production featuring 90 characters (portrayed by 40 actors), 200 scenes, 40 musical numbers and unexpected dance sequences – with 15 scenes occurring simultaneously at any given time, all interwoven with clockwork precision orchestrated by a crew of 40 students from Sheridan’s Technical Production for Theatre and Live Events program. Adding to the mystery and excitement of the production were secret passage-ways, one-on-one encounters, treasure hunts and rewards for solving multi-media riddles hidden in plain sight.
Awards and Press
“The show unfolds with more than 10 storylines, one for each decade of the school’s history, including a 1920s teacher-student affair; 1930s anti-Semitism; 1940s gender and racial segregation; a 1950s teen pregnancy; a 1960s LSD trip; a 1970s foray into amateur porn; a 1980s film-noir narcotics thriller; a 1990s talent show and the dreams of a [transgender] student; a 2000s musical exploring a story from the school’s sordid past; a 2015 student’s attempt to save the school from developers; and a 2020 condo story centered on a young gay couple haunted by the ghosts of Brantwood’s past.” - Toronto.com
“Spectators can decide which story lines they’d like to follow as they wander through classrooms and halls. There is no ‘backstage.’ Crew members are incorporated into the show.” - Toronto.com
“Julie Tepperman and Mitchell Cushman are set to debut what’s believed to be the largest production of immersive, site-specific musical theatre in Canadian history – a show that boasts 40+ actors portraying as many as 90 characters in 200 scenes in 11 separate storylines with 15 hours of material unfolding simultaneously all over the building, meaning a person can return again and again and always experience new things" - Toronto.com
2015 Dora Mavor Moore Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, 2016 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
The Canadian Public Relations Society Excellence in Research Communications Award
“Spectators can decide which story lines they’d like to follow as they wander through classrooms and halls. There is no ‘backstage.’ Crew members are incorporated into the show.” - Toronto.com
“Julie Tepperman and Mitchell Cushman are set to debut what’s believed to be the largest production of immersive, site-specific musical theatre in Canadian history – a show that boasts 40+ actors portraying as many as 90 characters in 200 scenes in 11 separate storylines with 15 hours of material unfolding simultaneously all over the building, meaning a person can return again and again and always experience new things" - Toronto.com
2015 Dora Mavor Moore Audience Choice Award for Outstanding Production, 2016 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council
The Canadian Public Relations Society Excellence in Research Communications Award
Presentations
Sheridan College: Brantwood School, Oakville ON 14-25 April 2015
Brantwood Trailer from Julie & Mitchell on Vimeo.
