On Nov. 7, Rogue Productions will premiere Rock of Ages at the Fredericton Playhouse directed by Tony and Courtney LePage. Along with musical theatre professionals, this musical counts on a group of students from St.Thomas University’s fine arts program, one of them taking the lead in the show.
Gabrielle Campbell, a fourth-year student, auditioned for the role of Sherrie, a small-town girl who moved to L.A. in the 1980s to follow her dream of becoming a rock star.
Campbell was working in Broadway by the Sea in St. Andrews when she decided to submit her tape and then auditioned via Zoom for the lead character.
“Auditions over Zoom aren’t super great, but it was awesome,” she said.
Campbell said she received the news that she landed the role during rehearsals for Broadway by the Sea.
“[The directors] came up to me and they were like, ‘Hey, we’re doing a little show called Rock of Ages and we were wondering if you maybe want to play Sherrie,’” she said. “I started crying … It was the best day of my life.”
Campbell said her character has come alive more since the male lead, Drew, played by Callum Lurie, joined the cast from Ontario, enhancing their on-stage chemistry. She holds her character dear to her heart as it portrays someone who risks everything to follow her dream of becoming an actress and “wants to make other people happy.”
She also said she feels fortunate to work alongside Broadway stars like Tony LePage as well as working with music director, Mike Dougherty.
“I feel so lucky. It’s insane that this is my life,” she said.
Campbell describes the experience of playing Sherrie as unique, with Courtney LePage by her side to offer insights into the character.
LePage also portrayed Sherrie when she was younger.
“I’ve never performed at the Playhouse before, so this is a really great opportunity,” said Campbell.
Although Campbell is coming up on her fourth musical project at STU, she emphasizes that her role in Urinetown was crucial to building her self-confidence on stage.
Campbell also highlighted something that she learned while working on Rock of Ages that she wasn’t familiar with before. She’s “learning more about the [theatre] industry specifically how to be an active participant of a professional theatre company.”
In the future, Campbell plans to apply to STU’s Bachelor of Education program and become a theatre teacher. She was inspired by her current position working at the Theatre New Brunswick Theatre School.
“I love inspiring little kids to have a dream of performing,” she said.
She acknowledged that Tania Breen, artistic advisor of Black Box Theatre, was one of the most influential figures throughout her journey of applying to the education program. Campbell also assists Breen in her introduction to musical theatre course.
“[Being a TA] has been a great opportunity to learn hands-on how she teaches theatre to older students,” she said. “I have a lot of experience teaching young people, so [teaching to an older audience] has been very cool.”
Campbell believes that Rock of Ages will inspire the audience to follow their dreams and assure them that your plans changing is not the end of the world, but the beginning of something exciting waiting to be discovered.
“It’s so different from anything that I have ever seen here … It’s gonna be great.”
