THEATRE PREVIEW
FEBRUARY 2025 | Volume 248

Ring of Fire: The Music of Johnny Cash
Created by Richard Maltby, Jr.
Conceived by William Meade
Arts Club Theatre on Tour
Feb. 19-Mar. 30
www.artsclub.com
Adapted from the Broadway Production by Richard Maltby, Jr. and Jason Edwards
Orchestrations by Steven Bishop and Jeff Lisenby
Ring of Fire was originally produced on Broadway by William Meade, CTM Productions, Bob Cuillo, GFour Productions, and James B. Freydberg
Let the iconic songbook of Johnny Cash guide you on a captivating journey of trials and triumphs, love and redemption. The Arts Club Theatre Company on Tour presents Ring of Fire from February 19 to March 30.
This inspired theatrical concert is brought to life by a talented ensemble of singer-musicians (Devon Busswood, Frankie Cottrell, Daniel Deorksen, Tainui Kuru, Patrick Metzger, Caitriona Murphy) and delves into the heart of Cash's music. Ring of Fire explores Cash's unique biography and connects it with universal experiences in songs such as "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues," "Country Boy," and "A Boy Named Sue."
Said Ashlie Corcoran, Arts Club Theatre Company Artistic Director, "Ring of Fire isn't about impersonating Johnny Cash; it's about celebrating his life through the musicianship of our performers and their incredible talent for sharing a foot-stomping, crowd-pleasing musical journey. We love touring our shows to communities in the Lower Mainland and beyond. We know fans young and old are going to love Ring of Fire as our cast expertly captures the essence of Cash's music. This concert experience will both move and exhilarate audiences."
The cast, playing their own instruments, takes the audience on a rousing adventure through Cash's world. This musical explores the wild rag-to-riches story from a childhood in the Dirty Thirties in Arkansas, where Cash worked the fields as the son of Southern Baptist share-croppers, to his gradual climb to fame as a country singer-songwriter, his life on the road, his battles with booze and drugs, and, above all, his enduring relationship with country music royalty June Carter.
CAST
Devon Busswood, Frankie Cottrell, Daniel Deorksen, Tainui Kuru, Patrick Metzger, Caitriona Murphy
CREATIVE TEAM
Rachel Peake (Director), Nicol Spinola (Choreographer), Steven Charles (Musical Director), Patrick Rizzotti (Set Designer), Jessica Oostergo (Costume Designer), Robert Sondergaard (Lighting Designer), Trevor Tews (Sound Designer), Ted Roberts (Tour Lighting Designer & Technical Director), Rick Colhoun (Tour Sound Designer), Jonathan Hawley Purvis (Fight Director), Lisa Goebel (Intimacy Director), Vuk Prodanovic (Assistant Choreographer), Ana Camacho (Assistant Set Designer), Kady Yeung (Apprentice Sound Designer), Ronaye Haynes (Stage Manager), Jessica Bournival (Assistant Stage Manager)
TOUR VENUES AND DATES
VANCOUVER |
February 19–21 |
|
NEW WESTMINSTER |
February 22 & 23 |
|
SURREY |
February 26–March 8 |
|
COQUITLAM |
March 11–15 |
|
CHILLIWACK |
Chilliwack Cultural Centre |
March 18 |
MISSION |
March 19 |
|
WEST VANCOUVER |
March 20 & 21 |
|
MAPLE RIDGE |
The ACT Arts Centre |
March 22 & 23 |
COURTENAY |
March 27 |
|
BURNABY |
March 29 & 30 |
ABOUT THE ARTS CLUB THEATRE COMPANY
The Arts Club Theatre Company is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Coast Salish Peoples, in particular the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ Nations. We invite you to reflect on your relationship to these lands.
The Arts Club is one of the largest not-for-profit theatre organizations in the country and is the principal gathering place for the theatrical arts in British Columbia. Comprising three unique venues across Vancouver, the Arts Club welcomes more than a quarter million guests annually, tours provincially and nationally, and engages students and artists alike through educational and professional programs.
Above all, the Arts Club is dedicated to the advancement of local artists telling stories from around the globe and, in particular, those of our region. From this, we believe that culture expands, an understanding of differences is nurtured, and art bursts forth. The Arts Club was founded in 1964 and is currently led by Artistic Director Ashlie Corcoran and Executive Director Peter Cathie White.
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