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By Jeremy Harpe, CFWE-FM
Windspeaker.com Contributor
The Dream Catchers musical has started its cross-province tour in Alberta with seven dates in seven locations, and promises it will take you on a quest to find hope for the future and dares you to believe that no dream is too small.
Josh Graetz, one of the performers of The Dream Catchers musical, talked with CFWE-FM about what people can expect from the free shows.
It takes hip hop, spoken word and folk and blends it with contemporary and Indigenous dance, said Graetz.
He was studying musical theatre at Sheridan College in Ontario when he heard about the opportunity to join the musical. Along with 80 or 90 others, he went to the dance call where there was a blend of dance styles, including, street, Indigenous, Jazz, and Contemporary.
“I was just so excited about this fusion.” And then he got to chat with the creative staff, who asked him about who Josh is, about his background, his cultural heritage, and his morals and beliefs.
“That was really lovely; to have people on the other side of the table really wanting to know who I was and what I could bring to this project and what I could contribute of myself.”
The show is a vibrant music- and dance- filled spectacle that explores the dreams of young Canadians through a lens of reconciliation, inclusion and the environment.
It features brand new original music, dance and story from City Natives, Emm Gryner, Kinnie Starr, Paper Lions, Khodi Dill, Fred Penner, Nikki Payne, Carmen Braden, Tiny Emperor, Daniel Maté, Riley Simpson-Fowler, Laakkuluk Williamson Bathory, Caroline Savoie and Twin Flames, that will leave audiences full of possibility.
The Dream Catchers is a Canada150 Signature project, funded by the Government of Canada, produced by Confederation Centre of the Arts and features The TD Confederation Centre Young Company.
The show celebrates Canada, but also acknowledges that the country has a long way to go in reconciling with Indigenous peoples.
“It asks some pretty big questions,” said Graetz. “It leaves the audience walking away humming some great tunes, but also saying ‘Whoa, you know, I can make a change. I can educate myself on some of the issues that have happened in this country and are still going on, and I can be a part of that change.”
The show is written by Mary Francis Moore.
The show kicks off Aug. 6 at Anzac Recreation Centre, Anzac at 1 p.m.
The following dates are scheduled:
August 8 – Field House at the Abbey Centre, Blackfalds, AB – 12 pm
August 9 – Hanna Community Centre, Hanna, AB – 7pm
August 10 – Centennial Park, Bow Island, AB – 6:30pm
August 11 – Amphitheatre in Writing-on-Stone Provincial Park, Writing-on-Stone, AB – 2pm
August 12 – Exhibition Park, Lethbridge, AB – 1:15pm
August 13 – Empress Theatre, Fort Macleod, AB – 2pm
More information can be found at http://www.dreamingcanada.ca