Blackout
On August 14th, 2003, Toronto was plunged into chaos when the largest blackout in North American history left millions stranded in the dark. Inspired by real events, Blackout tells three stories of hope, resilience, and connection that unfold when the city is dark, and strangers band together to find the light.
The Writers
Steven Gallagher – Book
Steven Gallagher is a Toronto based writer, director, and actor. Blackout, written with Anton Lipovetsky premiered in 2021 in Toronto’s High Park, co-produced by The Musical Stage Company and The Canadian Stage Company. His play Stealing Sam was seen at Alberta Theatre Projects in 2021 and at the 2014 New York United Solo Theatre Festival where it was awarded Best Drama. Memorial, winner of the Trafalgar 24 Play Festival, premiered in Toronto in 2013. His musical Pollyanna, written with composer Linda Barnett, was shortlisted for the 2016 Playwrights Guild of Canada Best New Musical Award. He is the recipient of the Aubrey & Marley Dan Fund for New Musicals and a Harold Award.
Anton Lipovetsky – Lyrics & Music
Anton Lipovetsky is a composer and lyricist from Vancouver, Canada. He is currently a Crescendo Series Artist at Toronto’s Musical Stage Company. Anton has been commissioned to write music and/or lyrics for ten original musicals, including Blackout, Cowboy Tempest Cabaret, Ordinary (Musical Stage), This Is It (Nashville Children’s Theatre), and Way Out There (YES Theatre). Three of Anton’s musicals have been shortlisted for the Playwright’s Guild of Canada Musical Award. As an actor, Anton has performed on stages across Canada, including the NAC and the Stratford Festival. He is a graduate of Studio 58 and Stratford’s Birmingham Conservatory.
Development History
In 2018, this team was commissioned by The Musical Stage Company to write a short musical based on a news article from the archives of the Toronto Globe and Mail. They were inspired by a photograph taken during the Great Blackout of 2003, and this short musical Cygnus was presented as part of RePrint at the Globe and Mail Centre in 2019. Further development from Musical Stage and the Aubrey & Marley Dan Fund for New Musicals led the team to expand the musical into Blackout. A workshop production of Blackout was presented by The Musical Stage Company in collaboration with Canadian Stage at the High Park Amphitheatre in the summer of 2021. In 2022, it was presented at the 34th Annual Festival of New Musicals in New York City.
Next Stages
Check back soon.
Connect
steventgallagher@gmail.com