Natalie Roy and Tony Lepage first met 10 years ago in the Black Box theatre. Roy was a STU student and Lepage was one of her co-stars for an upcoming play. The two fell in love and have been together ever since.
Roy has experienced numerous theatrical successes over the years while husband Lepage has been living the star life on Broadway. Despite their winding list of achievements, the couple have never forgotten where they come from.
The two are coming back to the place where it all began to perform a wildly anticipated show. The Theatre New Brunswick Foundation are putting on The Last Five Years in the Black Box Theatre.
“When I was 15 years old I booked my first professional acting job with TNB. For the past 16 years I have continued to work and grow and have been blessed to work in theatres and on screen across North America,” said Roy.
“As they say, there is no place like home and it is my greatest honor as an artist and a homegrown gal to bring my work back to the very important company that gave me my start. TNB has set a professional and artistic bar for my work and the work of all that grace its stage so high that I feel truly blessed and enlivened to be performing here once more. This company has been the foundation for my career and many others like me. It is a true gift to our community and a source of pride for all of us.”
The Last Five Years is a musical which follows the last five years of a failing marriage. The show offers complexity as the story unfolds from both the beginning and end from both perspectives.
“These are two rolls which most actors want as a means to challenge themselves. It’s a musical, it’s emotional and it’s only a two person play, so it is quite challenging to pull it all off,” said Ilkay Silk, director of drama at STU.
“I used to teach Natalie so I know both of them personally and we’re very lucky to have them donate their time and talent to this show,”
All the revenue raised from The Last Five Years will go straight to TNB. The show has already sold out and a fourth show has been added.
“TNB is such an incredible supporter of local theatre and it truly is a pleasure to give back in any way I can. It is a rare privilege as a performer to be able to return to your hometown for any show,” said LePage in a press release.
“In this case, I get to do so, doing one of my favorite shows, for my friends and family, alongside my incredible and talented wife, in the very theatre in which we met. What more could I ask for?”
The Last Five years will run from Sept. 26 until Sept. 28. All shows will be at 7:30 p.m. with an added matinee on Sat. at 2 p.m.
