Moncton High alumni want to bring A Chorus Line to school stage

A pair of Moncton High School alumni, who are now working as theatre professionals in Toronto and New York City,hope to bring a Broadway classic to the stage where their careers began.

John Dunnett and Alex Vass are the founders of Round Table Theatrical which hopes to present A Chorus Line at the old Moncton High School auditorium in April.

Dunnett, who is appearing in his twelfth Broadway production in New York City, says it has been his dream to come home and do a show in Moncton. 

"This show is of a scale that's never been attempted and accomplished in Atlantic Canada." he said.

All of the actors, musicians and technical crews involved in the project are professionals.

Vass, who works in Toronto as a production and technical director, says everyone involved in the production is under the age of 25.

"You know here we are working in Toronto, here we are working in New York City and all we've ever wanted to do was come back to Moncton and show off what we've learned in the time we've been away and bring our passion back here to Moncton."

Auditions were held in Toronto and New York and contracts are in place for the cast but Vass and Dunnett say the next step is to secure $400,000 in funding to stage the musical, which will run for a week and a half.

On Monday a public session was held at the Moncton High auditorium to spread the word about the production and to find investors.

"Now we are here to present to the community to try and get the funding together and this is a huge endeavour and we're a little bit crazy doing it but in the end everyone is really passionate about the project," Vass said.

Dunnett says he would love to see the show take off, allowing his company to develop future original works in Moncton that would then be taken to New York and Toronto.

He says the production, which will feature actors from all four Atlantic provinces, is already being talked about in theatre circles in New York where it's being referred to as 'The Canada Project,' on Broadway.

"All these people are so excited to come home and to be able to perform for their families," Vass said.