The Blackout
Book by Steven Gallagher
Music and Lyrics by Anton Lipovetsky
Directed by Ann Hodges
Music Direction by Chris Tsujiuchi
A musical about what comes to light when the world goes dark
Toronto, August 14, 2003. A massive power outage has left much of Eastern Canada and the U.S, in chaos, with millions stranded, unable to contact their loved ones. As the darkened city around them bursts into spontaneous street parties and backyard barbecues, two strangers meet by chance on a quiet hill under the stars, and together discover hope, resilience and community. Poignant, funny, and uplifting, this Canadian musical examines how a world on pause can be exactly what we need to move forward.
The Blackout was originally commissioned under the title “Cygnus” by The Musical Stage Company (Mitchell Marcus Artistic & Managing Direction, Robert McQueen, Director of New Musical Development) and Yonge Street Theatricals (Linda Barnett and Natalie Bartello, Producers) as part of Launch Pad. It received a full commission from The Musical Stage Company with funding from the Aubrey & Marla Dan Fund for New Musicals.
The Blackout was developed by The Musical Stage Company. Additional Development support was provided by Theatre Latte Da (Minneapolis, MN, USA) www.latteda.org
The Blackout was premiered under the title “Blackout” by The Musical Stage Company in its original format in 2021 in Toronto, Ontario, and later presented at the National Alliance for Musical Theatre’s Festival of New Musicals in 2022. www.namt.org.
The new production of The Blackout is co-premiering at The Musical Stage Company, Toronto, Ontario (Michael Rubinoff, Artistic Director, Paul Beauchamp, Executive Director) in co-production with Prairie Theatre Exchange, Winnipeg Manitoba (Ann Hodges, Artistic Director, Katie Inverarity, Managing Director) and YES Theatre, Sudbury, Ontario (Alessandro Costantini, Artistic and Managing Director) in April/May of 2027.
Credits
A Musical Stage Company, Prairie Theatre Exchange & YES Theatre Tour
Book by
Steven Gallagher
Music & Lyrics by
Anton Lipovetsky
Director
Ann Hodges
Music Director
Chris Tsujiuchi