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This new award-winning queer Canadian pop/rock musical is written by Sara Mayfield with music by Ava Maria Safai and Sara Mayfield. The show is all about Violet and her boyfriend Greyson as they move into their first apartment together. Though this seemed like a dream come true for the happy couple, a nightmare sets in when Violet discovers her ex-girlfriend Jade lives in the suite next door!
* Content Warnings Include: Homophobia, Queer Slurs, Non-Supportive Parents, Alcohol, Drugs, Gaslighting, Partial Nudity, and Toxic Relationships.
The Trailer
The Writers:
Sara Mayfield
Writer/Director/Producer
Sara Mayfield (She/Her) is a queer french-canadian artist based in Vancouver, BC. She is a graduate of Capilano University's musical theatre acting program, a podcaster, a playwright, and a classically trained singer. Upon graduating university, she got contracted to perform in the original musical Skis and Skates in Rossland BC, playing the lead “Cap” in this show about the first Canadian women's hockey tournament. Further professional credits include playing Antonia, Ferdinand, and Stephano in Shakespeare Canada’s touring production of The Tempest, as well as previous credits with the Vancouver Opera and UK based dance company, Sirenscrossings. More recently during the first lockdown, she began co-producing and acting on Tabletop Tiddies, a queer and feminist dungeons and dragons podcast run entirely by marginalised genders, which is now entering into it’s third season. Further achievements include having her level 8 RCM Voice, level 3 RCM Piano, not to mention this project! The Girl Next Door is an impactful piece with over 20 songs and a two-act script created with Ava Maria Safai on music. Linktr.ee/mccupcakes
Ava Maria Safai
Composer-Lyricist/Music Producer
Ava Maria Safai (She/Her) is an accomplished singer-songwriter with over forty original songs in her published catalogue, the first of which was featured on Lifetime’s Dance Moms. She has composed music for projects such as Unmasked, which received its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, and Gruesome Playground Injuries. Her work as a musician has earned her numerous awards, including the City of North Vancouver’s Rise Up award and the gold medal for the Vancouver Kiwanis Festival’s Provincial Musical Theatre competition in 2021. She is also an active director and actor in the theatre community, her most recent work including the sold-out original production INHUMAN/E with her non-profit The Harlequin Theatre Society and the role of Regan in Promethean Theatre’s King Lear. Ava Maria holds her BFA in Acting from UBC and is currently completing her ARCT in multiple disciplines. Composer-lyricist, music producer, and music supervisor are just a few of the hats she has worn throughout the development of this project, which is also her first full-length original musical. Ava Maria couldn't be more excited to share the work she has done with Sara Mayfield on The Girl Next Door with the world! www.AvaMariaSafai.com
About the Show
The Girl Next Door follows Violet as she moves into a new apartment with her boyfriend Greysont, only to realize that their next-door-neighbour is none other than Violet’s ex-girlfriend Jade. These inciting circumstances awaken once-dormant emotions and memories, allowing the audience to experience the highs and lows of each relationship through flashbacks and events in the present time. Through this plot, The Girl Next Door explores what it means to be bisexual, and is able to challenge stereotypes, demonstrating how layered the queer experience can be. Most LGBTQ+ representation in media is of cisgendered gay men, and where this show excells is in sharing stories from underrepresented queer communities. The script has predominantly marginalised genders, and requires a nonbinary character casted authentically. In addition to this gender diversity, the characters are not written with specific ethnicities and remain open for casting diverse peoples, with the premiere cast reflecting this.
These characters to express their feelings in a memorable pop/rock score, which draws from the likes of Pasek & Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, Dogfight), Jeff Richmond (Mean Girls) and Brian Yorkey & Tom Kit (Next to Normal, If/Then, Freaky Friday, High Fidelity). The soundtrack explores a range of different styles, from rock power ballad “Ice Cream & Vodka” to upbeat duet “Moving On” and crowd-pumping finale “Out of Our Minds” making the most of a four piece band. The Girl Next Door will take Canada by storm, so make sure you get in on the adventure!
Pictures
The Girl Next Door's Premiere is Sponsored by:
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