The Louder We Get cast raises voice for 2020 grads
A made-in-calgary musical that told the story of a gay student’s fight to take his boyfriend to prom has now spun off into a celebratory music video.
The Louder We Get, which debuted at Theatre Calgary in January 2020, is based on the true story of Marc Hall, who fought for his right to take his boyfriend to a 2002 Catholic school prom in Ontario.
Since June is Pride month and prom season — the production’s creative team decided to make a music video of a song from the show, This Dance is For You. The video was released on June 25 and begins with an introduction from Hall and lead actor Evan Kinnane.
“It’s for all of you who can’t go to your prom because you’re self-isolating at home, so this dance ... is for you,” said Kinnane.
The video, which features the cast of the Theatre Calgary production in a collage of singing and dancing from their homes, ends with a call-out to donate to an organization important to Hall — PFLAG Canada, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. In the U.S., in honour of Pride Month, Kinnane chose the Marsha P. Johnson Institute supporting Black LGBTQ+ youth and adults.
“The Louder We Get is about the voice in all of us to effect change. There’s no better time than right now to talk about change,” says one of the young stars of the show, Kolton Stewart. Thom Allison, who played the scene-stealing lawyer, chimes in: “Because together, we’re louder.”
After the production wrapped in Calgary, the COVID pandemic hit weeks later. Producers started thinking about other ways to keep the story alive.
“We started to hear from fans of the show asking when we would release a song from the musical,” said Mary Young Leckie, one of the producers. “And I was inspired by the various ways the arts community are finding to connect with and uplift audiences. With prom season underway and Pride Month here, our The Louder We Get team synchronized our laptops to share a piece of our show with the world.”
Theatre Calgary artistic director Stafford Arima said the timing couldn’t be better to show graduates the capacity they have to make a difference.
“The graduating class of 2020 is entering into a great deal of uncertainty — we want to celebrate and acknowledge them. So this dance is for them and for every individual who has ever felt like they were an outsider or the ‘other.’ We must be able to celebrate our differences — and who we are as individuals — with pride!”
Despite the court case being almost two decades ago, Hall’s story is still relevant. As recently as 2017, the London, Ont., school district tried to pull funding from a high school production of the show, citing “problematic language and behaviour.”
To view the video, go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khjlare6tzq&feature=youtu.be