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Poster:

When We Were Singing

A musical about love, friendship, urban life and what it means to be human.

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Music
Dorothy Dittrich
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Lyrics
Dorothy Dittrich
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Book
Dorothy Dittrich
in development
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"When We Were Singing doesn’t have shock cynicism or confrontation, what it does have is compassion and understanding. It amused me, it moved me and I like it a lot. When We Were Singing has a quiet integrity and a luminous charm that makes you care about the four lost souls up there on the stage…"
Richard Ouzounian, The Toronto Star

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When We Were Singing was first produced by Vancouver’s Touchstone theatre then went on to Buddies in Bad times in Toronto and a co-pro between The Belfry in Victoria and the National Arts Centre as well as The Suncoast Theatre in Florida. It was listed in the year’s top ten shows in all locations, it was nominated for 7 awards, (Vancouver’s Jessie Richardson and Toronto’s Dora Awards) winning Jessies for Outstanding Original Script, Ensemble Cast, Musical Direction and Best Production. It was given a workshop by MTC in New York in 2003. At the time it was produced, gay and lesbian leads would have been fairly rare in a musical and likely the musical would have been largely about their sexuality. This musical presented the gay and lesbian characters as part of the fabric of life. The fact that the musical had gay and lesbian characters but was not about being gay or lesbian set it apart. It’s a story about friendship, love, urban life, connection, isolation, grief and loss – in short it’s a musical about being human. It’s a musical that everyone can relate to. 


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Lesbian and Gay communities

notes about Development

roles
1-5
Jazz, Blues, German Cabaret, Music Hall, Art Song
acts
2

sample media

The Best of Friends
Opening number, Full Cast
When We Were Singing
Solo - Les
The Middle of the Night
Duet - Abbey and Jenny
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Perusal Materials

Coming Soon!
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