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Following the success of 2011’s In Tune Conference, this event will return to Granville Island with a full lineup of events that both explore and celebrate the creation of original Canadian musicals and music theatre. Co-curated by Touchstone’s Artistic Director Katrina Dunn and the Arts Club’s Literary Manager Rachel Ditor, In Tune’s nine action-filled days will combine the discussion and networking of an industry conference with the excitement and innovation of a development event.

Several events open to the public will provide an in-depth glimpse into the newest Canadian musicals in development and the ideas that are moving the form forward.

Here’s an overview of the conference, set to take place from June 23 to July 1 at various venues around the city.

Keynote and Cabaret
Canadian Songbook Cabaret Hosted by Jay Brazeau
Date: Sunday, June 23, 8 to 10 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre Company’s Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Entry by donation

Local musical theatre luminary John Gray will lead the conference charge with a short keynote reflecting on the past, present, and future of original Canadian musicals. Directly following, Jay Brazeau will host an evening of songs from the Canadian songbook. This will be a rare opportunity to hear songs from Canadian musicals, both well-known and hidden gems, sung by some of the local scene’s most dynamic performers.

[Barbara Tomasic, Erin Palm, Damon Jang]

Information Session
Mapping The Country: New Musical Opportunities In Canada
Date: Wednesday, June 26, 1 to 2 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre Company’s Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Free admission


Mapping the Country will give an overview of some of the great new initiatives and opportunities for the commissioning, development, premiering and disseminating of new musicals in Canada. A groundswell of interest is giving rise to exciting new programs countrywide that will be detailed in a session led by In Tune Co-Curator Katrina Dunn with leading Canadian practitioners.

Research Presentation
The In Tune Papers: New Critical Thinking On The Musical Theatre Genre From Writers And Researchers
Date: Thursday, June 27, 10 am to 11:30 am
Venue: SFU Woodwards Studio T, 149 West Hastings Street, Vancouver
Free admission

Four brief presentations will detail some of the newest ideas in musical theatre theory and most innovative methods in current practice from leading scholars and writers. Dynamic and lively, this session promises to push the envelope and stimulate thought.

The Interview (Part 3 of the “In The Works” Masterclass)
Date: Thursday, June 27, 2 to 5 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre’s Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Tickets: $20 at the door

Peter Jorgensen will lead Michael John LaChiusa and Sybille Pearson through a comprehensive interview delving into their career highlights, their creative process, and the business aspects of writing musicals. The interview will be followed by an open Q&A.

Showcase: Live Action Case Studies
Date: Friday, June 28, 1:30 to 2:45 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre’s Granville Island Stage, 1585 Johnston Street, Vancouver
Free admission


Get a taste of the most current and innovative work in the genre with this showcase featuring short excerpts from 10 new Canadian musicals, including works currently in development or ones that have recently premiered. Along with each excerpt are short descriptions of the unique creation process that led to each work. This event will be held in conjunction with the LMDA (Literary Managers and Dramaturgs of the Americas) Annual Conference.

Feature Presentation: Tom Pinkerton: The Ballad of Butterfly’s Son
Book by Hiro Kanagawa
With music by David MacIntyre, Lyrics by Hiro Kanagawa and David MacIntyre

Date: Friday, June 28, 7 to 8 pm
Venue: Arts Club Theatre Revue Stage, 1601 Johnston Street, Vancouver

Entry by donation


At the end of Puccini’s opera Madama Butterfly, the 3-year-old child of Cio-Cio and B.F. Pinkerton is whisked away to America to be raised by Pinkerton and his American wife, Kate. Set 20 years after these events, Tom Pinkerton finds the child struggling to become a man and searching for the mother he never knew. We travel with the youth, now called Tom, as he revisits the Nagasaki of his birth to find love and self-realization. After a workshop as part of In Tune, the evening will reveal 30 minutes of this stunning new work performed in a staged reading, sung by a cast led by Alessandra Juliani as Tom. Audience feedback to follow.

For more information, visit the Touchstone Theatre website. All photos by Emily Cooper.