PARADE

Book by Alfred Uhry
Music and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown
December 30, 2010 to January 22, 2011 at the Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs

Acting Up Stage Company and Studio 180 Theatre (The Overwhelming, Stuff Happens) join forces to present Jason Robert Brown and Alfred Uhry's PARADE, running December 30, 2010 - January 22, 2011 at Toronto 's Berkeley Street Theatre Upstairs.

The winner of two Tony Awards, for best book and score, and the Drama Desk and New York Critics' Circle awards for best musical, PARADE had its world premiere at Lincoln Center Theater in 1998 and quickly built an international following for its haunting score and powerful narrative.

PARADE takes place in 1913 Atlanta , Georgia . After a teenaged factory employee is raped and murdered, Leo Frank, the young Jewish manager of the factory, is charged with the crime. Manipulating witnesses and tampering with evidence, the prosecution succeeds in convincing the jury that the wrongly accused and innocent Frank is guilty.

Considered one of the most sensational trials of the early 20th century, the Frank case pressed every hot-button issue of the time: North vs. South, black vs. white, Jewish vs. Christian, industrial vs. agrarian. 

The musical recounts the press frenzy and public outrage surrounding the trial and conviction, including the crusade for justice amid religious intolerance, political injustice and racial tension fought by Frank's wife Lucille.

Written by Jason Robert Brown (music and lyrics) and Alfred Uhry (book), PARADE has been produced around the world. It will finally have its long-awaited Canadian premiere in a production directed by Studio 180 Artistic Director Joel Greenberg, with musical direction by Paul Sportelli (Shaw Festival). The company of 15 actors, who will play the musical's 40 roles, will be announced in the fall.