The longstanding club within the Brock community returns to the stage for the 2024/25 season with a beloved classic.
Brock Musical Theatre (BMT) has been in operation since 2005, playing a vital role in community theatre in and around Brock. An annual musical is a tradition with the theatre, with their most recent shows being Carrie: The Musical in spring 2024 and Cabaret in 2023.
The club’s executive members Cameron Playter, Zoe Hunnerson, Brooke Lavery, Kashvi Sharma, Emma Clarke and Emily Moore met in the early summer of this year to discuss the selection of this year’s annual musical.
On selecting the show, the executives decided to aim for a “happy, well-liked show,” noting how the productions in the previous two years, Carrie: The Musical and Cabaret, dealt with more serious subject matter. This caused them to choose Grease from an array of ten possible shows.
“Grease will be wildly different to last year’s production of Carrie, as this will be a more fun-filled, happy show,” said Moore, BMT’s academic representative for the 2024/25 season.
“Last year our production of Carrie had our audiences positively stunned due to the heavy subject matter of the content in the production, whereas this year with our production of Grease, our Executive and Creative team members aim to provide the audience with a fun and lighthearted night out where they can enjoy a familiar story,” said Playter, BMT’s president for the current season.
The executives hope that by choosing a well-known movie musical, people will be introduced to musical theatre through a show they recognize.
“Grease is important to us as executives, as we know it caters to various ages and can attract a wide audience. It is a classic however; people attending Brock University now still know it and love it as a movie. A movie musical like Grease is a great introduction for individuals who are not familiarized with musical theatre, hopefully sparking new interests for audience members.”
This year’s production will also welcome the return of Bri Waters who will be directing the show. Waters was one of the founding members of BMT and returned to direct 2023’s Cabaret.
Rehearsals are set to begin in early October and will occur twice a week: two to three hours on a weeknight and on Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. As the pieces of the show begin to form a bigger picture throughout the school year, rehearsals will target different areas:
“We typically have various types of rehearsals throughout the year, each dedicated to a certain performance area of the production BMT will put on. These rehearsals may be an opportunity to learn choreography, vocals to a song or blocking for a scene of the musical production. Once the content of the show has been learned, rehearsals will turn into run-throughs,” said Playter.
Grease will be performed in March of 2025. BMT will host numerous events throughout the school year in preparation, including a movie night on Oct. 8, an open mic night at Mahtay Café & Lounge on Oct. 23 and a Paint a Playbill event in November. Attending these events are ways to show support for the club.
While auditions may be wrapping up in late September, students will have opportunities to get involved as stage crew further into the school year as the show comes together. Members of this crew will be responsible for behind-the-scenes work such as set design and stage coordination.
Further information about the show will be released throughout the school year on BMT’s social media, keeping students up to date on opportunities and production progress. Whether you’re a long-time lover of the movie, an avid musical theatre fan or a newcomer, Grease is a dazzling love story with something for everyone.
Additional information about BMT can be found on the club’s Instagram page @brockmusicalt. The club can be contacted via email brockmusicaltea@gmail.com.