2021/22 PRESENTED BY PORCHSIDE SONGS LIVE & IN CONCERT, IN YOUR FRONT YARD! #PORCHSIDESONGSTO PRESENTING SEASON SPONSOR WELCOME TO PORCHSIDE SONGS One of the earliest decisions we made when the pandemic began was to curate mini-concerts and tour them to Toronto porches, backyards and neighbourhoods. After a frightening and devastating first wave, we experienced a healing each time another group experienced one of our PORCHSIDE SONGS. We watched families, friends and communities come back together after months of separation through live music. And we felt the electricity of giving groups of silenced artists a place to raise their voices again. We were able to share 80 concerts last summer throughout the city, bringing the gift of musical storytelling to over 1500 people. One year later, the return date for large-scale theatrical productions remains uncertain. But our early experiment with PORCHSIDE SONGS has become the guiding light for our work – artists can bring joy, inspiration and togetherness into people’s lives at this time if we meet people where they are and fill unexpected spaces with song. As the weather warms again, we are so excited to return music to the city with four new and sensational PORCHSIDE SONGS concerts, led by remarkable local artists. May witnessing these concerts bring you the same hope and joy that we are feeling by sharing them with you today. Mitchell Marcus THE ROGER & KEVIN GARLAND ARTISTIC & MANAGING DIRECTOR, THE MUSICAL STAGE COMPANY LAND ACKNOWLEDGMENT As you watch PORCHSIDE SONGS and reflect on your own memories of experiencing music LETTER FROM THE MUSICAL STAGE COMPANY ARTISTIC & MANAGING DIRECTOR MANAGING & ARTISTIC COMPANY STAGE MUSICAL THE FROM LETTER and storytelling in Tkaronto, please consider its original caretakers both recorded and unrecorded who have been making music and telling stories on this land for generations. PORCHSIDE SONGS is being performed in the “Dish With One Spoon Territory.” The Dish With One Spoon is a treaty between the Anishinaabe Nation, Mississaugas of the Credit, and Haudenosaunee Confederacy that bound them to share the territory and protect the land. Subsequent Indigenous Nations and peoples, colonial settlers, and all newcomers, have been invited into this treaty in the spirit of peace, friendship, and respect. May these songs, performed on this land, remind us of our responsibility to repair the history of injustice and damage that has been done and continues to be inflicted upon Turtle Island’s Indigenous peoples by its settlers. For more information on how you can be a part of building a more equitable future for Turtle Island’s Indigenous peoples, visit The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada by clicking here. 2 3 DIGITAL-MASS_NRG_A_Bleed_Mask_Op2 Their Someday® is the freedom to pursue their passion. The hard work, perseverance and vision of emerging artists demonstrate the power of having – and the joy of realizing – a Someday®. Together with programs like the apprentice program at The Musical Stage Company, we support a diverse range of Canadian talent in communities across the country through the RBC Emerging Artists Project. ® / ™ Trademark(s) of Royal Bank of Canada. 4 PORCHSIDE SONGS 2021/22 A Musical Stage Company Experience SAD LADY SONGS! BILLING Created and Performed by SARA FARB & BRITTA JOHNSON A CRACK IN THE WALL Created by JEWELLE BLACKMAN - Performed by JEWELLE BLACKMAN & EVANGELIA KAMBITES FAM JAM Created and Performed by GABI EPSTEIN & JAKE EPSTEIN JUST MY RE-IMAGINATION Created and Performed by SACCHA DENNIS & DAVID ATKINSON PORCHSIDE SONGS Consulting Director THOM ALLISON PORCHSIDE SONGS Concert Associates PATRICIA CERRA & LUCY MCPHEE Running time is approximately 40 Photography and videography is minutes with no intermission. permitted, but please refrain from using flash. SOCIAL DISTANCING IN EFFECT Please keep 14 ft apart from the performers and 6 ft apart from each other to ensure the safety of all involved. 5 SAD LADY SONGS! CREATED AND PERFORMED BY SARA FARB & BRITTA JOHNSON Sara Farb and Britta Johnson bring you a captivating concert, celebrating their love of songs by, for, and about complicated women. They’ll perform original music, including work from their upcoming musical KELLY v. KELLY, as well as beloved pop and folk songs by masters of the sad lady music genre. Sara, who was last seen in HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD on Broadway, and Britta, a composer and songwriter heralded as “Canadian musical theatre’s next great hope,” have been friends and collaborators since 2014 and ironically find the most glee while making sad lady music. SAD LADY SONGS! SETLIST A Case of You Poetry JONI MITCHELL (from LIFE AFTER) BRITTA JOHNSON Morning (The Children Stay) BRITTA JOHNSON & LIZA BALKAN Dancing on My Own ROBYN Eugenia’s Entrance (from KELLY v. KELLY) Most Beautiful Song SARA FARB & BRITTA JOHNSON (from DR. SILVER: A CELEBRATION OF LIFE) ANIKA & BRITTA JOHNSON The Light (from HE IS COMING) AI’s Song SARA FARB & BRITTA JOHNSON (from KELLY v. KELLY) SARA FARB & BRITTA JOHNSON Setlist and song order subject to changes and additions. 6 SAD LADY SONGS! 2021/22 SARA FARB BRITTA For The Musical Stage JOHNSON Company: 12 seasons For The Musical of UNCOVERED, Stage Company: LIFE Medium Allison in AFTER, DR.SILVER, SAD LADY SONGS! FUN HOME (Mirvish/ REFRAMED, KELLY Musical Stage v. KELLY. Britta Company - Dora nomination, TCCA Johnson is a writer, composer and winner), REFRAMED, EDGES, KELLY v. lyricist based in Toronto. She made KELLY. Sara Farb is known for Delphi her American debut when her original in HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED musical, LIFE AFTER, opened at the CHILD on Broadway; five seasons at Old Globe in San Diego in 2019 following Stratford (Juliet, Anne Frank, Cordelia, an extended, multiple Dora Award- many others); Brigid in THE HUMANS winning run at Canadian Stage. Other (Canadian premiere at Citadel/Canadian credits include: With her sister Anika: Stage); productions at Soulpepper, DR.SILVER, BRANTWOOD, JACOB Theatre Calgary, Tarragon, Theatre TWO-TWO, and TRAP DOOR. With Sara Passe Muraille, Segal Centre, YPT, Farb: KELLY v. KELLY, REFRAMED. With and others. Sara and Britta Johnson’s Katherine Cullen; STUPIDHEAD! She original musical, KELLY v. KELLY, was the librettist for choreographer was postponed due to Covid but will Robert Binet’s adaptation of THE hopefully see a full production this KREUTZER SONATA (with Ballet coming theatre season. Moscow), and was recently named one of 50 Women to Watch by the Broadway Women’s Fund of America. 7 A CRACK IN THE WALL CREATED BY JEWELLE BLACKMAN PERFORMED BY JEWELLE BLACKMAN & EVANGELIA KAMBITES Jewelle Blackman and Evangelia Kambites take you on a musical memoir exploring themes of love, loss, life and everything in between. Having worked together on the Canadian premiere of HADESTOWN and Soulpepper’s THE 27 CLUB, this dynamic duo are not only exceptional storytellers in song but are also seasoned multi- instrumentalists. Guaranteed to enlighten and entertain with music ranging from Nat King Cole and Gnarls Barkley to their own original tunes, Jewelle and Evangelia will leave you believing that “a crack in the wall doesn’t always mean it’s about to fall.” A CRACK IN THE WALL SETLIST Our Lady of the Underground Miss Celie’s Blues (from HADESTOWN) (from THE COLOR PURPLE movie) ANAIS MITCHELL QUINCY JONES Nature Boy Mississippi NAT KING COLE EVANGELIA KAMBITES Crazy A Crack in the Wall GNARLS BARKLEY JEWELLE BLACKMAN A Long Walk You Gotta Be JILL SCOTT DES’REE Setlist and song order subject to changes and additions. 8 A CRACK IN THE WALL 2021/22 JEWELLE EVANGELIA BLACKMAN KAMBITES For The Musical For The Musical Stage Company: Stage Company: A CRACK IN THE WALL NoteWorthy 2021, DEBUT. Evangelia ONCE ON THIS Kambites is a singer/ ISLAND, CAROLINE songwriter, actor, OR CHANGE (2012). Jewelle Blackman dancer, and multi-instrumentalist based is a multi-talented artist from Toronto, in Toronto. Notable stage credits include ON. She has played the violin for more HADESTOWN (Citadel), BILLY ELLIOT, than 30 years and graduated from LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (Stratford Queen’s University with a Double Major Festival), the META Award-winning in Music & Film as well as completed production of THE ADVENTURES OF A the Summer Performance Certificate BLACK GIRL IN SEARCH OF GOD (NAC/ Program at Berklee College of Music. Centaur/BTW), THE HOCKEY SWEATER Jewelle is currently on pause from (Segal Centre/NAC) I THINK I’M FALLIN’ Broadway as part of the Tony/Grammy - THE SONGS OF JONI MITCHELL Winning Best Musical HADESTOWN (Belfry Theatre), FOR COLORED GIRLS where she originated the role of Fate. WHO HAVE CONSIDERED SUICIDE/ Select credits include THE WHO’S WHEN THE RAINBOW IS ENUF, THE TOMMY (Acid Queen); JACQUES BREL SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN IS ALIVE AND WELL AND LIVING IN EXPERIENCE, 27 CLUB (Soulpepper), PARIS at the Stratford Festival; WE the Jessie Award-winning production WILL ROCK YOU (Teacher); THE LION of AVENUE Q (Arts Club), A WHOLE NEW KING (Nala/Shenzi) Mirvish; THE WORLD: THE MAGICAL MUSIC OF ALAN WIZARD OF OZ (Mrs. Banks) Young MENKEN (Angelwalk Theatre), BUDDY– People’s Theatre; DREAMGIRLS (Deena THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY (Theatre Jones) The Grand Theatre/StageWest. North West). For television: MINORITY Jewelle has also worked extensively REPORT (FOX), HEROES REBORN (NBC), in film/TV. For the past few years she INCORPORATED (SYFY/CBS), THE BOYS has been working on her first musical (Sony/Amazon). Debut album FEEL THE YOU KNOW MY NAME, NOT MY STORY, FALL, available now on all platforms! inspired by Nina Simone’s “Four Twitter/Instagram: @ekambites Women.” 9 FAM JAM CREATED AND PERFORMED BY GABI EPSTEIN & JAKE EPSTEIN Siblings Gabi Epstein and Jake Epstein take you on the open road with their heartwarming story of music and family. From epic road trips in the backseat of their parents’ minivan to seeing each other perform on the stages of Stratford and Broadway, music has always been the driving force behind their unique and special bond.