DION: A ROCK OPERA // FEBRUARY 4 - MARCH 3, 2024

 

“Coal Mine Theatre [has] done it again... A timely indictment of the destruction that single-minded thinking can cause.” — The Globe And Mail

THE COAL MINE THEATRE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF:

DION: A ROCK OPERA

By Ted Dykstra and Steven Mayoff
Directed by Peter Hinton-Davis
Musical Director: Bob Foster
Associate Director: Kiera Sangster

Dion: A Rock Opera is a fully sung rock opera based on Euripedes' The Bacchae. Book by Prince Edward Island's poet/novelist Steven Mayoff, music by The Coal Mine's co-founder, Ted Dykstra. Four years in the making, The Coal Mine has developed the show from scratch, with two full cast two-week workshops over that time.

Canadian Theatre titan Peter Hinton-Davis and Associate Director Kiera Sangster helmed this world premiere in the intimate environment that made the Coal Mine one of our country's most lauded small theatres. Bob Foster, (Come From Away) the most sought after musical director in the country, will serve as MD with Associate Musical Director Haneul Li.

A Note From The Director:

“DION is a wild and provocative musical about the limits of reason and the potential for disorder and revenge that lies inside the cry for freedom,” adds Peter Hinton-Davis “This is a world that begs for the glamour and grist of rock and roll: the sense of divine power and human aspiration, crowds of followers and fans, groupies and grifters, prophets and politicians. I am reminded of how powerful the role music plays in moments of social upheaval, revolution and change. There are shades of THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW or PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE here, as much as THE BACCHAE or HAMLET. But rather than homage or nostalgia – it’s a new-born re-invention of the rock opera for today.”

CAST

  • MAX BOROWSKI

    CHORUS

  • SACCHA DENNIS

    CHORUS

  • KADEN FORSBERG

    CHORUS

  • ALLAN LOUIS

    CADMUS

  • ALLISTER MACDONALD

    PENTHEUS

  • JACOB MACINNIS

    DION

  • SATE

    TIRESIAS

  • CARLY STREET

    AGAVE

  • KELSEY VERZOTTI

    CHORUS

WRITERS: Ted Dykstra and Steven Mayoff
DIRECTOR: Peter Hinton-Davis
MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Bob Foster
CREATIVE PRODUCER: Diana Bentley
ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: Keira Sangster
ASSOCIATE MUSICAL DIRECTOR: Haneul Yi

BAND: Bob Foster, Kat McLevey and Haneul Yi

SET AND COSTUME DESIGNER: Scott Penner
LIGHTING DESIGNER: Bonnie Beecher
SOUND DESIGNER: Tim Lindsay
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGNER: Émilie Trimbee
WARDROBE AND PROPS ASSISTANT: JB Nelles

STAGE MANAGER: Fiona Jones
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER: Dennie Theodore

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT PROVIDED BY: What by When (WxW) 
SUPERVISING PRODUCTION MANAGER: Wes Babcock
PRODUCTION MANAGER: Erik Richards
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR: Sebastian Marziali
HOUSE TECHNICIAN: Lilian Adom

CREATIVE TEAM

  • SATE

    Photo by Dahlia Katz

  • Jacob MacInnis and the Chorus of DION

    Photo by Dahlia Katz

  • Allan Louis

    Photo by Dahlia Katz

  • SATE

    Photo by Dahlia Katz

  • Kelsey Verzotti, Max Borowski, Saccha Dennis and Kaden Forsberg

    Photo by Dahlia Katz

  • Carly Street and the Chorus of DION

    Photo by Dahlia Katz

REVIEWS

“DION ROCKS.”

—Opera Ramblings

“An exciting, fresh, sexy piece of theatre… I pray to Zeus and the Muses and Dionysus himself that this captivating work sees even bigger lives after this triumphant run at Coal Mine.”

—A View from the Box