
A journey for love & life!
ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, JR.
March 3-19, 2023
Recommended for AGES 7 AND UP
Book by Lynn Ahrens
Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens
Music by Stephen Flaherty
Based on “My Love, My Love” by Rosa Guy
Directed & Choreographed by Kelli Foster Warder
CAST | CREATIVE TEAM | VIDEO
A journey of love and life, ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, JR tells the story of Ti Moune, a young girl with a big heart. A Calypso-flavored score weaves through this heart filled tale that tests the strength of love. A 60-minute, young-audience adaption of the Tony-nominated Broadway musical packed with catchy songs and non-stop dance. • From the award-winning creators of Ragtime and Seussical! • PREVIEW THE MUSIC
CONTENT DISCLAIMER: While this production is centered on the themes of love and life, mature themes are also presented, such as: Death, Grief, Prejudice and Classism. For more information & a full plot synopsis, please see the RESOURCE GUIDE. This production is recommended for AGES 7 AND UP.
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PERFORMANCE CALENDAR
March 3-19, 2023


ONCE ON THIS ISLAND JR Is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.mtishows.com
RUN DATES: March 3-19, 2023
LOCATION: Mainstage Theatre
APPROPRIATE AGES:Ages 7+
DURATION: Aprx 60 Minutes
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Click on the performance date and time for more information.
PAY WHAT YOU CAN PERFORMANCE (PWYC): SUN, 3/3/2023 4PM
ASL INTERPRETED PERFORMANCE (ASL) : SAT, 3/11/2023 1PM
AUDIO DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE (AD) : SAT, 3/11/2023 1PM
SENSORY FRIENDLY PERFORMANCE (SF) : SAT, 3/18/2023 10AM
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CAST

TONTON JULIAN - Dallas Downey*
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - Ray Drewes
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - LuziAnah Feldmann*
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - Arriana "Koy" Foster
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - Silas Good
DANIEL’S FATHER - Henry Grogan
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - Feven Harder*
TI MOUNE - Aniya Hollie*
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - Aliyah Irmiter
DANIEL - Jordan Kueng*
ASAKA - Kennedy Lucas
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - Amy Lukasik*
STORYTELLER & ENSEMBLE - Vivian Nielsen*
AGWE - Kyla Ashlee Plair
ERZULIE - Livv Rankin*
MAMA EURALIE - Daija Scott
STORYTELLER & GATEKEEPER - Josephine Spaulding
ANDREA - Layla Traufler
PAPA GE - Tiahna Wolfe-Shields*
LITTLE TI MOUNE - Hazel Smith* and Keira Richards*
DANIEL’S SON - Miles Alexander*
* Student, Intern or Teaching Artist with Stages Education Programs
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CREATIVE TEAM
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR - Sandy Boren-Barrett
DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER - Kelli Foster Warder
MUSIC DIRECTOR - Jason Hansen
PROPS DESIGNER - Marc Berg
COSTUME & MAKE UP DESIGNER - Samantha Fromm Haddow
LIGHTING DESIGNER - Grant Merges
EMERGING BIPOC LIGHTING DESIGN MENTEE - Yuki Rogers
SOUND DESIGNER - Alan Pagel
SET DESIGNER - Joe Stanley
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR - Gretchen Katt
WARDROBE SUPERVISOR - Christa Ludwig
PRODUCTION MANAGER - Melanie Salmon-Peterson
STAGE MANAGER - Ajah Williams
ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER - Gabriel Peñaloza-Hernandez
SOUND BOARD OPERATOR - David Gamache
LIGHT BOARD OPERATOR - Apollonia Leider
SCENIC ARTIST - Cinde Ashley
SCENIC PAINTER - Yvonne Ring
CARPENTERS - Justin Dekker, Dylan Nicole Martin
STITCHER - Sara Huebschen
ELECTRICIANS - Daniel Featherstone, Gabriel Peñaloza-Hernandez
VOLUNTEERS - Jenny Brown, Scott Brown, Warren Glidden, Ron Kline, Mariann Wolf
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VIDEO
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SHOW BUZZ & REVIEWS
Check back for more!
Steele Talkin': Celebrating Our Local Flavor: Once On This Island JR
WCCO This Morning: Once on this Island is coming to Stages Theatre Company
Art Hounds from MPR: Stages Theatre Company presents "Once on This Island, JR"
BroadwayWorld Minneapolis: ONCE ON THIS ISLAND JR Opens at Stages Theatre Company - Watch Performance Clips Here!
Lettered in Theatre: Meet The Cast: Once on this Island, Jr at Stages Theatre Company
KMOK Radio: Interview with ONCE ON THIS ISLAND JR cast member Kennedy Lucas
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ONCE ON THIS ISLAND, JR.
RESOURCE GUIDES
A journey for love & life!
Thousands upon thousands of young people receive their first exposure to theatre at Stages Theatre Company. Study guides are a great way to extend student learning beyond their visit. Our free study guides contain tons of information, ideas and activities: author/playwright biographies, notes on historical context, cross-curricular classroom activities, theatre etiquette, and discussion questions for before and after you come to see the show!
CREATIVE TEAM BIOS
KELLI FOSTER WARDER (DIRECTOR & CHOREOGRAPHER) - Kelli Foster Warder is a director & choreographer based in the Twin Cities and is the associate artistic director and director of impact at Theater Latte Da. Kelli has been a teacher and arts administrator for over 25 years. Her work as a choreographer and director has been seen on stages in the Twin Cities and the country including Hennepin Theatre Trust, Children's Theatre Company, The Ordway, Artistry, The 5th Avenue Theater in Seattle, Asolo Repertory Theatre in Florida and the ZACH Theater in Texas. Kelli has produced and created productions internationally in La Paz, Bolivia and Panama City, Panama.
JASON HANSEN (MUSIC DIRECTOR) Jason Hansen has held positions of music director, composer, orchestrator, educator, and/or performer for over 75 productions throughout the Twin Cities. His work has been seen and heard at the Children’s Theatre Company, Theater Latté Da, Mixed Blood Theater, Guthrie Theater, Ten Thousand Things, History Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, Jungle Theater, Theater Mu, Arkansas Repertory Theater, Northern Sky Theater, Artistry, Illusion Theater, TigerLion Arts, Open Eye Figure Theater, University of Minnesota, UofM Centennial Showboat, MN Fringe Festival, and with the Hennepin Theater Trust’s Spotlight program. He has helped direct and create over 15 world premiers and has provided orchestrations for new works in the Twin Cities and regional theaters throughout the country. He won the 2018 MN Theater Award for Best Performative Direction. Jason also serves as the music arranger for Alive & Kickin, a human services arts organization giving voice to seniors. Jason is heavily involved with community organizations and Twin Cities area school districts. He is a commissioned composer and arranger developing new music for choir, cabaret and theater and his works can be found with both Hal Leonard and Alfred Music. He lives in Saint Paul with his wife Alise and daughters Madeleine and Elodie.
LYNN AHRENS (BOOK & LYRICS) - Lynn Ahrens won Tony, Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards and received two Grammy nominations for Broadway's Ragtime. For Twentieth Century Fox's animated feature film Anastasia, she was nominated for two Academy Awards and two Golden Globes. She and longtime collaborator Stephen Flaherty received the Oscar Hammerstein Award for Lifetime Achievement, and in 2015 they were inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame. Broadway: Anastasia; Once On This Island (Olivier Award, Best Musical; Tony nominations, Best Book and Score); Seussical (Grammy nomination); My Favorite Year; Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life; Rocky; Madison Square Garden's A Christmas Carol; Ragtime (2010 Broadway revival). Off-Broadway and regional: Lincoln Center Theater's Dessa Rose, The Glorious Ones (both Drama Desk-nominated) and A Man of No Importance (Outer Critics Circle Award, Best Musical); Lucky Stiff; Little Dancer (Kennedy Center world premiere). Film and television credits include A "Christmas Carol" (NBC-TV); Camp (IFC Films); "Schoolhouse Rock" (ABC-TV) and others. (Emmy Award and four Emmy nominations). She is a Council member of the Dramatists Guild of America, a co-founder of the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program, and a Lilly Award winner for Lyrics. www.ahrensandflaherty.com
STEPHEN FLAHERTY (MUSIC) - Stephen Flaherty is the composer of the Broadway musicals Ragtime (Tony, Drama Desk, OCC Awards, two Grammy nominations), Seussical (Grammy, Drama Desk nominations), Once on This Island (Tony nomination, Olivier Award, Best Musical) and Rocky. Additional Broadway includes Chita Rivera: The Dancer's Life (original songs) and Neil Simon's Proposals (incidental music). Stephen has also written four musicals at Lincoln Center Theatre: The Glorious Ones (OCC, Drama Desk nominations), Dessa Rose (OCC, Drama Desk nominations), A Man of No Importance (OCC, Best Musical, Drama Desk nomination) and My Favorite Year. Other theater includes In Your Arms (Old Globe), Little Dancer (Kennedy Center), Lucky Stiff (Playwrights Horizons) and Loving Repeating: A Musical of Gertrude Stein (Chicago's Jefferson Award, Best New Musical.) Film includes Anastasia (two Academy Award and two Golden Globe nominations), the documentary After The Storm and Lucky Stiff. Mr. Flaherty's concert music has premiered at the Hollywood Bowl, Boston's Symphony Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Guggenheim Museum and Symphony Space. This year celebrates Stephen's 32-year collaboration with lyricist-librettist Lynn Ahrens. Stephen and Lynn are members of the Dramatists Guild Council and co- founders of the Dramatists Guild Fellows Program. In 2015 they were inducted into the Theater Hall Of Fame. Upcoming: the stage adaptation of Anastasia. AhrensAndFlaherty.com.
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