After a brief hiatus, The Confidential Musical Theatre Project is coming back to Toronto! The show and casting is a total secret! Audiences won’t know which musical they’re seeing until they arrive! I got to ask Taylor Long, one of the project’s lead artists, about what the experience of The Confidential Musical Theatre Project is like, how rehearsals have been going, and what got him started in musical theatre.

1. Could you please introduce yourself to my readers and tell us a bit about your role with The Confidential Musical Theatre Project?

My name’s Taylor Long, I’m a performer based in Toronto. You may have seen me on stage in Shrek: the Musical at Drayton Entertainment, as the Emcee in Cabaret with Horrorshow Productions or as Marvin in Falsettos with Bowtie Productions.

In The Confidential Musical Theatre Project, I’m playing one of the lead roles and all I can tell you is that this has been a dream role of mine since 2012. I get to sing some beautiful music and have a lot of fun with the scenes. That’s all I can say! The rest is secret until our performance on October 25th!

2. Can you please tell me a bit about what first got you interested in musical theatre?

I was a pretty theatrical child – I think all of my teachers would have voted me class clown for sure. I had done a few school shows growing up, but I remember getting seriously interested in musical theatre in high school. One moment that sticks out to me is going to see The Producers at Neptune Theatre with my mom  2007/2008 and I remember us laughing hysterically the entire time. I left that show thinking – I wanna do that!

Also my high school, Halifax West, had an incredible music program and the musicals were a big event every year. We had a beautiful, new 600-seat theatre and we’d have a full orchestra and everything. My first high school show was Cole Porter’s Kiss Me, Kate and I was kind of hooked from that moment on.

3. I’m so excited that The Confidential Musical Theatre Project is back! Could you please explain the concept of The Confidential Musical Theatre Project?

It’s such a wild concept! The Confidential Musical Theatre Project brings together a cast of performers who don’t rehearse together before opening night and an audience that has no clue what they’re seeing. Each actor learns their role independently—lines, songs, the works—and then we all meet each other for the very first time an hour before the performance. The audience doesn’t know what show they’re about to see until the curtain rises, and honestly, neither do we in a lot of ways! It’s all about trust, spontaneity, and the unpredictability of live theatre.

4. What has it been like prepping for the show so far?

Honestly, it’s been pretty similar to how I would prepare for a normal show. I have a background in opera and with operas you show up on day one basically off-book musically, so that’s kind of been drilled into me since university. 

Now, normally, you’d have weeks of rehearsals with your cast to build chemistry and rhythm—but for this, you’re building the entire performance on your own. It’s been a fun challenge to imagine how the other actors might interpret their roles, and to make choices that leave room for discovery in the moment. I’m going to try to learn this material the best I can so that I can let loose and have fun on the night.

5. What can audiences expect from an evening with The Confidential Musical Theatre Project?

Expect the unexpected! But also, you’re in good hands. The entire cast is filled with talented performers who love what they do. I think there’s going to be an incredible sense of electricity in the room—both from the performers and the audience. Things will go wrong, things will go right, and sometimes the most magical moments come from those little surprises. This is definitely a way to experience theatre that’s unlike anything else.

I’d like to thank Taylor for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer my questions. The Confidential Musical Theatre Project is playing at the Christ Church Deer Park on October 25. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/confidential-musical-theatre-project-tickets-1603424699439

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