Dancer: A Musical in Ten Furlongs (2026)
Produced by
Crow’s Theatre and Oh What A Ride! and The Toronto Stage Company
Book: Jim Betts
Lyrics: Jim Betts
Music: Marek Norman
Director: Stacey Tookey
Choreographer: Stacey Tookey
Venue
Run
October 6th, 2026 – November 8th, 2026
Synopsis
DANCER is the triumphant story of Northern Dancer, the horse nobody wanted but who overcame doubt, injury, and history to become the first Canadian-bred horse to win the Kentucky Derby, in 1964. And he won it in record time! After retirement, Northern Dancer then went on to become the most successful sire in thoroughbred racing history. Every single horse who raced in the 2026 Kentucky Derby can trace their lineage back to Northern Dancer.
DANCER is part ballet, part Broadway musical, and part rock concert. It’s a musical where the lead character never makes a sound, a ballet with dialogue, and a rock concert with songs that sound like The Beatles and Gordon Lightfoot may have written them!
The real-life humans of the story include E. P. Taylor, the legendary Canadian businessman; Winnie Taylor who saw Dancer’s potential long before her husband; Horatio Luro the controversial Argentinian horse trainer; Daryl the archetypical track & race announcer; and the character who best speaks for Dancer, his quiet, enigmatic groom, Bill Brevard. Through their shared determination they form a bond that propels them to greatness, altering horse-racing history forever. (terminaltheatre.ca)
Cast
| Keanu Uchida | Northern Dancer |
| Barbara Barsky | Winnie Taylor |
| Danny Cannis | Hoofbeat |
| Melanie De Melo | Dance Company |
| Madison Foley | Dance Company |
| JJ Gerber | Hoofbeat |
| Sterling Jarvis | Bill Brevard |
| Jayden Lau | Dance Company |
| Jackson Lee | Dance Company |
| Lexi Lehr | Dance Company |
| Jia Yi (Judy) Luo | Dance Company |
| Kieran Macdonald | Dance Company |
| Suzanne McKenney | Hoofbeat |
| Tyler Murree | E.P. Taylor |
| Daniel Palladino | Dance Company |
| Eva Petris | Hoofbeat |
| Shelby Patterson | Dance Company |
| Lucas Popowich | Dance Company |
| Jude Richardson | Dance Company |
| Lara Angela Roda | Hoofbeat |
| Sam Rosenthal | Daryl (the Track Announcer) |
| Kent Sheridan | Horatio Luro |
| Mason Smitheram | Dance Company |
| Mélodie Suganami | Dance Company |
| Daniel Williston | Hoofbeat |
Creative Team
| Jim Betts | Book |
| Jim Betts | Lyrics |
| Marek Norman | Music |
| Stacey Tookey | Director |
| Stacey Tookey | Choreographer |
| Mark Camilleri | Orchestrations |
| Mark Camilleri | Supervising Music Director |
| Julia Kim | Set Designer |
| Julia Kim | Costume Designer |
| Julia Kim | Video Designer |
| Alessia Urbani | Costume Designer |
| Chris Malkowski | Lighting Designer |
| Aaron Hanna | Technical Sound Designer |
| Anna Marchisello | Associate Director |
| Anna Marchisello | Associate Choreographer |
| Jeannie Wyse | Associate Music Director |
| Alex Sykes | Associate Lighting Designer |
| Astrid Janson | Designer Emerita |
Music
| Mark Camilleri | Conductor |
| Jeannie Wyse | Associate Conductor |
| Mark Camilleri | Keyboard |
| David Dunlop | Trumpet |
| Tara Davidson | Woodwinds |
| Zach Smith | Trombone |
| Rachel Pomedli | Cello |
| Justin Abedin | Guitar |
| Peter Bleakney | Bass |
| Steve Heathcote | Drums |
Production
| Dustyn Wales | Stage Manager |
| Molly Mück | Assistant Stage Manager |
| Max Craven | Apprentice Stage Manager |
| Crystal Lee | Production Manager |
| Carlos Varela | Associate Production Manager |
| Aidan Shepherd | Technical Director |
| Janelle Hutchison | Company Manager |
| Sam Rosenthal | Associate Producer |
| Tom Diamond | Associate Producer |
| Tom Diamond | Artistic Producer |
| Derrick Chua | Consulting Producer |
| Robyn Hoja | General Management Consultant |
| Suzanne Cheriton | Media Relations |
| Suzanne Cheriton | Communications |
| Carrie Sager | Communications |
| Carrie Sager | Marketing |
| Doug Blai | Financial Managment |
| Peter Riddihough | Videography |
| Dahlia Katz | Photography |
| Racheal McCaig | Photography |
| Suzy Malik | Graphic Designer |
| Linn Øyen Farley | Website Design |
