Download FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Vancouver, BC

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Vancouver, BC Wednesday September 9, 2015: Fugue Theatre presents OFF LEASH, a darkly funny fusion-­‐operetta about savage loneliness and romance at the dog park. Worried that operetta isn’t your thing? Try this very contemporary musical that promises a very amusing look at life in the big city. Performances run October 30 to November 8 at Studio 16. Tickets go on sale today through www.TheatreWire.com. OFF LEASH is the story about four disparate dog owners and their canine companions who make their way to the dog park every morning. Soon passions begin to emerge, competition ensues and tensions erupt. Double cast, with each performer playing both dog and owner, they combine feats of physical comedy with operatic sound for a quirky yet relatable look at modern life. “This is such a Vancouver story”, says Fugue Artistic Director Laura Di Ciccio. “Our love of dogs but the conflicting politics that goes with owning one in a big city, and our love of the city but the loneliness and isolation that so many of us feel. Suddenly the off leash park becomes an interesting place where dogs and their owners come to play, flirt, and even domineer.” The cast of characters includes JB, the newly divorced and newly agoraphobic dad and Kery van der Griend his Bernese Mountain Dog Buddy, played by Isola is a workaholic scientist and exercise fiend with a neurotic border collie Sasha, played by Laura Di Cicco. Simon Webb plays Danny, the recently retired introvert with an irritable shih-­‐tzu poodle-­‐cross named Jacques. Carol, played by Karen Ydenberg-­‐White, is a middle-­‐aged mom and dog park know-­‐it-­‐all with a rescue pit-­‐bull Doberman cross named Ruby. OFF LEASH is an original production written by Lucia Frangione, composed by Benton Roark and directed by Sarah Rodgers, with musical direction by Kathleen Allan and stage management by Lucy Pratt-­‐Johnson. The creativity of Drew Facey, set and costume design, and Gerald King, lighting design, brings the dog park to life. The orchestration, which pushes the traditional boundaries of operetta, is by Arkora, a new music collective made up of varying performers fluent in genres such as early music, indie rock and black box opera. Full pricing information, the performance schedule and online ticket sales can be found on the Theatre Wire website www.theatrewire.com. ABOUT FUGUE THEATRE Fugue Theatre develops and produces original Canadian operettas that explore contemporary topics in new and imaginative ways. We bring together a unique mix of artists, artistic disciplines, musical genres and creative processes to deliver programming that is innovative, embraces diverse cultural perspectives and is unique amongst other theatrical offerings. With each production, we also provide learning opportunities for aspiring young artists. Our Youth Mentorship Program gives students the opportunity to shadow the production team to gain hands-­‐on experience. Our Lyric Theatre Program teaches students to write music for theatre under the leadership of a professional composer. For more information, visit www.fugue.biz. MEDIA CONTACT Damon Jang 778 998 2384 [email protected] We gratefully acknowledge our sponsors for their generous support.