Eva Strazek - Ride the Cyclone

Ride the Cyclone

by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell

Directed by Coya Paz Brownrigg

Feb 18th-March 9th, 2025

The creative team included music direction by Dr. Michael McBride, choreography by Melissa Marie, intimacy coordination by Kristina Fluty, vocal and dialect coaching by Sammi Grant, scenic design by Nora Brooks-Slauter, costume design by Anika Splettstoeszer, wig and makeup design by Luet Kahn, lighting design by Kyle Francavilla and Joseph Nelson, sound design by Emily Lynch, projection design by Averie Ledger, technical direction by Darby H. Thurston, dramaturgy by Liv Queen Majestic, LeeAnne Nakamura and Eva Strazek, production stage management by Hazel Matteson, and stage management by Dixon Kaufman.

The cast included Makai Walker (The Amazing Karnak), Kaylah N. Janssen (Jane Doe), Rachel Rebekah Visser (Ocean O'Connell Rosenberg), Fintan Swift (Mischa Bachinski), Donio Hinsley (Noel Gruber), Philip Brennan-Calabrese (Ricky Potts), Nyah Marie Lampasone (Constance Blackwood)

Photos by Michael Brosilow

interactive lobby display

the talkback team

Ride the Cyclone was the most recent project I've taken on at the Theatre School. It was a popular musical with a curious history, and a script that has been revised countless times throughout the past 15 years.

My fellow dramaturgs and I designed an online actor packet "blog", with contextual sections and sections for each character and their individual musical numbers. The blog was updated throughout the rehearsal process.

We created two lobby displays for this production-- one highlighting the history and culture of the real Uranium City, Saskatchewan, and one that showcases the popularity of Ride the Cyclone with gen Z-- complete with a timeline and audience interactive section.

We gave two talkbacks to the audience-- one led by co-dramaturg Leeanne Nakamura and I, and one with Father Chris, a professor and religious leader at DePaul.