Sudbury’s YES Theatre striving to become ‘Stratford of the North’
From the return of Jesus Christ Superstar to a play about Princess Diana, YES Theatre has unveiled its ambitious 2025 season.
“The city is believing in everything Alessandro does,” said Marett McCulloch, director of sales and advancement at YES Theatre. “An announcement like this is exciting. The vision is we can be Stratford of the North.”
The Stratford in this case is the popular and iconic Stratford Festival, which runs from April to October in Stratford, Ont.
And Alessandro is Alessandro Costantini, the artistic and managing director of YES Theatre. Sudbury is becoming a destination for theatre, Costantini said this week.
“We create opportunities for artists and audiences to connect,” Costantini said. “I am really jazzed about the pieces we are going to present. I am ecstatic about our next season.
“We are bringing favourites that I think the community will enjoy, as well as new pieces of theatre that will reshape and educate the public.”
Costantini, besides being the artistic and managing director of YES Theatre, will also perform in 2025. In addition, he wants YES Theatre to continue to expand and to develop actors, playwrights and supporting staff.
In recent years, YES Theatre has taken over operations at the Sudbury Theatre Centre and opened The Refettorio on Durham Street, an open-air theatre which stages summer productions. In addition, YES Theatre has been offering theatre classes to teens and children.
“It is inspiring to see so many young people finding their footing … finding their voice and taking on leadership roles here at the theatre,” he said.
“We want to continue to expand all the education offerings (and) we are hoping to build a theatre school – but that is an announcement for a later date – to continue to give high-level training to the young people. So they can see their trajectory.”
Also excited for the new season is Jake Deeth, who has been a perennial component of YES Theatre since he was a lad. “I will be on stage. I am a ‘Sud-lebrity’ and very, very, excited about 2025. It makes my heart beat faster.”
YES Theatre’s first 2025 production is Ground Hog Day the Musical, which opens Feb. 14.
We know the movie and the story. Phil Connors, the jaded weatherman is trapped in an endless loop where he gets second chances and achieves self-discovery.
Alice in Wonderland from Bad Hats Theatre is a contemporary spin on a traditional tale. We marvelled at Peter Pan this summer and this promises to be of equal calibre. Watch for it on April 25.
If you loved Glee and American Idol, then Choir will add to your repertoire of youth who just love to sing. This production runs May 21-29.
Colin Eady will be remembered for many roles, but I best recall him as Caiaphas in Jesus Christ Superstar. Oh, the voice: “I love being on stage … especially with these guys. I’ve been involved since 2012. (Jesus Christ Superstar) was my first play.”
Jesus Christ Superstar was reprised just before COVID-19. Guess what? YES is doing it again in 2025. In July, the Webber and Rice rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar will return. Sudbury has already loved this and extended its enactment over and over. At 50 years old it, still has the electrifying vibrancy of the original.
Eady reminds me that he was “born and raised in Sudbury. It is great to be home. I’ve been working in Toronto and then did Here Comes the Sun at the Refettorio this summer. We felt like rock n’ roll stars. We were all over that stage.”
Jesus Christ Superstar will be on stage July 9 and run for a month.
A reimagining of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set for July 22 and it is modernized, plus it has a Sudbury spin.
The Refettorio on Durham Street, meanwhile, will feature the music of Fleetwood Mac.
In addition, The Refettorio will host a series of outdoor dining experiences under the open sky. These are sure to be memorable and will feature menus by local chefs. The dates for these feasts will be shared closer to the summer.
Another unique opportunity for Believers and Season Pass holders is A Night on Broadway, where cast members who have performed on Broadway will strut their stuff.
And for something different, YES has scheduled Drag Brunch, which at $45 and up, includes a meal, crafted cocktails and a show. The monthly event will feature well-known local artist Carmen Dior.
In 1991 Diana, Princess of Wales, visited Casey House in Toronto and changed the global perspective of AIDS. She smashed stigmas. The Stratford success of Casey and Diana has been called one of the greatest Canadian plays of the last decade. It opens in Sudbury on Sept. 27.
To conclude the season, the sing-along favourite Annie will open on Nov. 21. Knowing how popular it is with audiences young and old, the prediction of it being sold out through to Dec. 22 is a distinct possibility.
Go to yestheatre.com for all information on the 2025 lineup, to purchase a Believers Pass or to book season or single tickets.
By Hugh Kruzel, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter The Sudbury Star
