Cyberlife: the Musical

Written by Danny Balkwill, Dean Balkwill & Craig Salkeld

April 6, 7, 8 and 9 at 7:00pm

Linda Hamer Theatre, Mulgrave School
2330 Cypress Lane, West Vancouver (Exit 8 off Hwy 1)

This week, Mulgrave School is putting on a show like you’ve never seen before…literally.  A cast and crew of more than 60 students are presenting the world premiere of a brand new original musical. With a colourful cast of characters and a dynamic pop/rock soundtrack, Cyberlife: The Musical puts a 21^st century spin on a classic teen movie premise: high school life is ruled by cliques, with the cool kids and jocks lording it over the geeks and loners, but behind the stereotypes, everyone just wants to have friends and fit in. Enter Cyberlife: an online role-playing game, in which anyone can create an avatar and become whoever they want. A nerdy music geek remakes himself as a singer-songwriter with a crowd of adoring fans; a popular girl, secretly confused and insecure, transforms into a smart, fast-talking 1920s bombshell à la Marlene Dietrich; and a lonely rich kid becomes a heavy metal rock star. In the anonymous world of Cyberlife, it’s okay for such a motley crew to become friends…but then a trouble-making hacker arrives on the scene. Suddenly their fantasy world is no longer the secret, safe place they thought it was, and things start to get complicated in real life. As the story unfolds, the characters discover the trials and tribulations of cliques, online communities and true friends.

Tickets for the performances (this Wednesday April 6 through Saturday April 9) are available for purchase during regular school hours, Monday to Friday 8:00am to 4:00pm. Contact Jessica May at 604-913-6050 or in person at the front office for sales. Tickets will also be sold at the door before each performance.

• Tier 1 ($40): Premier assigned seating in the centre orchestra section and the first row of centre balcony.
• Tier 2 ($20): Assigned seating in the orchestra and balcony.
• Tier 3 ($10): Festival seating at the back of the orchestra.

The Story Behind the Show:

Cyberlife is an original commission with a twist: many of the students who are participating as cast and crew have been involved from the very beginning of the creation process. This past fall, before a single note or line of dialogue had been written, the creative team – composed of Danny Balkwill, Dean Balkwill and Craig Salkeld (professional performers, writers and musicians whose credits include Mirvish Theatres’ The Lion King and We Will Rock You, national tours of Tommy and Mamma Mia, and the Broadway production of Rent) – ran a workshop at the school, during which musical theatre students bounced ideas around, discussing themes and characters and possible storylines. The writers took those ideas away and turned them into Cyberlife, a musical uniquely tailored to the interests and talents of the students who will perform it. Visit www.mulgrave.com for more background, photos and video clips from rehearsals.