2024 Korda Season
On the heels of a thus far wildly successful 20th Anniversary Season in 2023, Korda Artistic Productions is gearing up for a thrilling and diverse slate of shows for 2024 that features an offering for every taste, including a hilarious Canadian musical, a campy ‘60s psycho-drama parody, a harrowing WWI fantasy, a swashbuckling comic adventure, a gothic horror classic, an original holiday panto and more… all coming to the stage at the intimate KordaZone Theatre on Seminole Street in Windsor.
“Korda begins is 3rd decade of entertaining and thought-provoking theatre with a season that explores the transformative powers of fantasy and ambition,” says Jeff Marontate, Resident Director with Korda. “A nostalgic musical on a rainy afternoon, a terrible secret revealed by confronting repressed memories , desperate fear and isolation usurped by imagination and hope, a young man’s dream to become a great fighter and another’s to become a god, all our offerings remind us of the irrepressible power of the mind, and sometimes of the dangers of exceeding our own reach.”
Psycho Beach Party
February 16, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 29, and March 1 & 2, 2024
Written by Charles Busch
Directed by Jeff Marontate.
“Gidget”, Frankie and Annette beach party epics and Hitchcock psychological suspense thrillers such as “Spellbound” and “Marnie” are given a shotgun marriage. Chicklet Forrest, a teenage tomboy, desperately wants to be part of the surf crowd on Malibu Beach in 1962. One thing getting in her way is a crippling condition that makes her focus on many questionable activities... including world domination!
"Charles Busch's 'Psycho Beach Party'' is a comic trash compactor of a play that takes an already silly genre - early 1960's surf and beach blanket movies - and sends it to camp heaven. - The New York Times
The Drowsy Chaperone
April 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 18, 19 & 20, 2024
Book by Bob Martin and Don McKellar
Music & Lyrics by Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Directed by David Burrows | Assistant Director Mark Worsley
When a die-hard theatre fan plays his favourite cast album, the characters come to life in this hilarious Tony Award-winning Canadian musical farce. Winner of five Tony Awards, including Best Book and Best Original Score, THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is a loving send-up of the Golden Age musical, featuring one show-stopping song and dance number after another. With the houselights down, a man in a chair appears on stage and puts on his favorite record: the cast recording of a fictitious 1928 musical. The recording comes to vivid life and THE DROWSY CHAPERONE begins as the man in the chair looks on. Mix in two lovers on the eve of their wedding, a bumbling best man, a desperate theatre producer, a not-so-bright hostess, two gangsters masquerading as pastry chefs, a misguided Don Juan and an intoxicated chaperone, and you have the ingredients for an evening of madcap delight you won’t soon forget.
Hailed by New York Magazine as, “The Perfect Broadway Musical,” the show is a masterful meta-musical, poking fun at all the tropes that characterize the musical theatre genre. THE DROWSY CHAPERONE is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International, 423 West 55th Street, Second Floor, New York, NY 10019. www.MTIShows.com.
The Trench
June 14, 15, 16, 20, 21, 22, 27, 28 & 29, 2024
Written by Oliver Lansley
Directed by Jeremy Burke
With Original Score by Dylan Ianicello
Originally planned for Korda’s 2020 Season, but postponed in response to the pandemic, THE TRENCH by Oliver Lansley is inspired by the true story of a miner who became entombed underground in a collapsed tunnel during World War I. As the horror threatens to engulf the trapped miner, he discovers another world beneath the mud and death. Setting off on an epic journey of salvation, the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur as he questions what’s real, what’s not, and whether it even matters. THE TRENCH blends physical storytelling, verse, puppetry and an original live score composed by Dylan Iannicello.
“The story is like ‘Journey’s End’ crossed with ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’... a decidedly quirky cocktail – one part real-life war-time story, one part bastardised Greek myth, and one part physical theatre show.” – Time Out.
Extension-Korda
Summer Sessions
July and August 2024
Produced by the Extension-Korda Youth Players
Korda’s summer tradition continues in 2024 with the EXTENSION-KORDA SUMMER SESSIONS program to include summer camps, musical performances, productions, cabaret nights and special events. Over the years this innovative program has become a popular experience for youth artists to work alongside mentors and peers to learn the ins and outs of operating, programming and performing in a true community theatre setting. This program has been supported for many consecutive years by the Federal Government’s Canada Summer Jobs program - support that is greatly appreciated by the Korda family. Stay tuned for more information, including participation opportunities, as it becomes available.
The Three Musketeers
September 13, 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27 & 28, 2024
Written by Ken Ludwig, working from Alexandre Dumas' text
Directed by Joey Wright
This adaptation of the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas is a tale of heroism, treachery, close escapes and above all, honour. Commissioned by the world famous Bristol Old Vic, it tells the story of a brother and sister, D’Artagnan and Sabine, who set off for Paris in search of adventure. D’Artagnan hopes to join the valiant King’s Musketeers. Sabine, meanwhile, is being sent to a convent school, but decides quickly that she’d rather fight by her brother’s side. Cardinal Richelieu has different plans for both. With new best friends, Athos, Porthos and Aramis by their sides, they’re determined to save the day for king and country. Dumas broke all the rules with this one, combining heroism and comedy in equal measure, and the critics agree that this is the best adaptation of the novel ever written.
“Ken Ludwig’s adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic yarn is completely in keeping with the most popular Hollywood versions.” – The Bristol Evening Post.
“Ken Ludwig’s script is fairly groaning with giggles. In short, about as much fun as you would expect, and then a little more.” – Venue Magazine.
“Two hours of pure awesomeness.” – The California Aggie.
Frankenstein
October 25, 26, 27, 31 and November 1, 2, 7, 8 & 9, 2024
Adapted by Austin Tichenor, working from Mary Shelley's text
Directed by Jeff Marontate
Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1816 and it caught the public imagination almost immediately. The first stage adaptation was written in 1823, and since then countless film versions, parodies, and modern interpretations have changed the associations we have with the Frankenstein name. Tichenor’s thrilling and horrifying adaptation strives to remain faithful to Shelley’s original themes, characters, mood, and literary sensibility while simultaneously giving modern audiences more of what we’ve come to expect from a story bearing this iconic name.
Of his text, Tichenor said, “Through well-fought debate and action, I wanted to combine the intellectual satisfaction of Shelley’s novel with the fun and thrills of a really scary horror story. In other words (to use a little Hollywood pitch-speak), it’s George Bernard Shaw meets Stephen King.”
The Annual
Korda Holiday Panto
December 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 14 & 15, 2024
Director TBD
Though the exact title and story is yet to be set, Korda’s traditional December family offering will be an original holiday panto that gives a fresh take on a familiar tale. Expect silliness for the kids, naughty jokes for the grown-ups, bad drag, great music, magic, mayhem, and loads of audience participation for everyone in a goofy, delightful, all-ages musical production to close out the 21st season in style. Korda will seek a director for the 2024 panto production.
“... the wink-winking and nudge-nudging will be family-friendly. Adults can enjoy the double entendres, but the slapstick and sight gags are fun for all ages.” – The Windsor Star
Media Contact Details
& Resources
Korda Artistic Productions
Jeff Marontate, Resident Director
P: 226-757-3032
E: jmarontate@aol.com | kordazone@gmail.com
W: Kordazone.com
P:
All performances of all shows in the 2023 20th Anniversary Season will take place at The KordaZone Theatre
2520 Seminole Street, Windsor, Ontario.
Helpful Links
Korda Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/groups/15726790159/.
KordaZone Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kordazone/.
Kordazone Flickr Albums: https://www.flickr.com/photos/127347470@N04/albums.
Musical Tickets: $30 General Admission.
Show Tickets: $25 General Admission; Pay-What-You-Can nights once per production.
*TICKET PRICES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE; PARTICULARLY FOR MUSICALS*
Purchasing Tickets Online: Eventbrite links will be available online; One price point only.
Purchasing Tickets In Person: ½ hour before showtime; cash and debit only at the door.
Auditions/Directing: Opportunities posted to Korda’s website and socials (as available).
