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Burnaby talent is in the spotlight for Green Day's American Idiot

URP production is onstage at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver from Nov. 5 to 10

Burnaby talent is front and centre in a new production of Green Day’s American Idiot.

The URP production is onstage at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver Nov. 5 to 10.

Winner of two Tony Awards and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album, American Idiot is the story of three boyhood friends, each searching for meaning in a post 9/11 Trumpian suburbia, discovering love, loss, sex, drugs and rock’n’roll along the way.

The show features the music of Green Day and takes its name from the 2004 album of the same name.

Casey Heyd
Casey Heyd is part of the ensemble for URP's production of Green Day's American Idiot. - contributed

For this staging, URP has rounded up a cast of 18 professional and emerging performers from across the Lower Mainland – including Burnaby’s Colin Sheen, who appears as Johnny, and Casey Heyd, who’s in the ensemble.

The production also features Tanner Ford, Nick Heffelfinger, Kerry O’Donovan, Erin Palm, Ali Watson and Jenaya Barker. Richard Berg directs, and music director Rob Hamilton (guitarist) leads a six-piece band. Burnaby’s Emily Matchette is the choreographer.

Although the album and the musical were a response to the Bush administration in the years after 9/11, URP is updating the setting to reflect today’s political situation.

“While American Idiot is the coming-of-age story of three suburban friends, the backdrop of youthful angst and fighting against what their country has become is what makes the show so relevant right now,” says a press release.

Green Day’s American Idiot is in preview on Tuesday, Nov. 5 and opens Wednesday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. Shows are 8 p.m. nightly, with a matinee Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m.

Centennial Theatre is at 2300 Lonsdale Ave., North Vancouver. Tickets are $25 to $45, available through www.urp.ca or 604-984-4484.