yay press kit - year after year

THE MATCHBOX THEATRE FOUNDATION
IN ASSOCIATION WITH IGNITION FILMS PRESENT
A MATT GRUE PRODUCTION
A DUSTIN CLARK FILM
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year after year
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JOEL CRICHTON SARAH HEMPHILL MATTHEW THIEL ELENA PORTER
CHRIS W. COOK ANDREW MCKENZIE and ZINA LEE
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Executive Producers STEPHEN RIDGE, CYNTHIA RIDGE, MAUREEN CAREY and WAYNE CAREY
Written by MATT GRUE and DUSTIN CLARK
Adapted from the original stage musical YEAR AFTER YEAR
Book by MATT GRUE Music by CURTIS LABELLE Lyrics by SPENSER PASMAN and STEPHANIE RIDGE
Produced by MATT GRUE
Directed by DUSTIN CLARK!
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COPYRIGHT THE MATCHBOX THEATRE FOUNDATION AND IGNITION THEATRE.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
short synopsis
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Adapted from the critically acclaimed stage musical, YEAR AFTER YEAR
chronicles the dissolving years of seven friends in their late twenties as they
attempt to navigate the tumultuous waters of hollow careers, lost ambition,
forgotten dreams and the relationships that matter most, even when they fail to
recognize it.
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WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
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long synopsis
Seven friends reunite each year to “celebrate” the birthday of their closest friend Bill; a
struggling writer paralyzed by expectation and fraught with fears about a seemingly
bleak future.
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Hunter, his best friend, is an ultra successful photographer who finds himself trapped by
his newfound success and the wedge it’s put in his relationship with Bill.
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Todd and Rachel, a young couple who married because it seemed like the logical next
step are now suffocated by the realization that not only are they not in love, but also
the fact that they are now faced with the prospect of starting over at a time when they
ought to be settling into adulthood.
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Peter and Laura have been dating since college and are looking towards the next
step. Peter, however, is a reluctant groom while Laura is the polar opposite.
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And finally, Kate, who has known Bill for as long as she can remember, is trying to
negotiate her love for him and her need to let go - and with a job offer that will take her
across the country, time is running out…
As another year passes by, YEAR AFTER YEAR examines how even the most nuanced
moments in our lives can have a monumental impact on our future.
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Featuring a hilarious and touching screenplay, a contemporary pop/rock score and
one of the industry’s most exciting new filmmakers, YEAR AFTER YEAR is a film for anyone
who has ever known what it truly means to feel alive and for those us still looking for the
answer.
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WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
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the making of year after year
FROM PRODUCER MATT GRUE
Detailing the making of Year After Year is so convoluted and genuinely unbelievable
that it borders on comedic folklore.
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Here’s the basic rundown: My team and I conceive, write and mount an original stage
musical in just nine months (it’s met with sold out houses and critical acclaim), I
approach Dustin about adapting it into a feature film (to be shot in Red Deer, Alberta),
we go from a proposed budget of $700,000.00, to a more realistic target of $100,000.00
to an actual budget just shy of $25,000.00. Rather than maintain the original single
location the stage production required, we add 75+ more. Rather than maintain the
original cast size of 7, we increase it to over 150. 90 shooting days? 60? Nope. 30.
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Did I mention it’s a musical?
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The decision to shoot in Red Deer was met with some initial resistance, but there was no
doubt in my mind that the city which had supported our theatrical productions would
undoubtedly stand behind us as we embarked upon the largest creative endeavour of
our careers. The combination of local businesses, the Red Deer College Motion Picture
Arts program, long-time theatre patrons and simply the community at large went out of
their way to support us with resources, time, space, emotional support and the odd cup
of coffee or five. Without the support of the Central Alberta community our little film
that could would never have been possible.
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For a cast and creative team largely comprised of artists trained both in theatre and
film, but working mostly in theatre, we were waiting for the right opportunity to make
our transition. It seems so obvious that an adaptation of stage material would draw us
towards the magnificent world of film and now that we’re here, it will be hard to pry us
away. Like theatre, films depend upon the hard work and dedication of an
overwhelming number of people and we couldn’t be more proud of our entire team for
realizing our vision for this film and our vision for the future of independent filmmaking.
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
from the director
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Early on in Year After Year, Kate asks Bill: “Are you happy?”
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Spoiler alert should have been before that. Sorry.
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“Are you happy?” and “Who am I?” are questions that we have probably always asked,
but, it feels like the expression and discussion of this internal inquiry is a kind of modern
phenomenon. I mean, long ago (and in some parts of the world still), the definition of ones
self was a question that was usually shunned from being discussed and was often decided
before ones birth. It was about whose family you were born into, or what your family did
before you. We now live in a time in which it is no longer a luxury to be able to ask these
questions and any social stigma associated with them is disappearing. It makes this problem
unique to us and our generation. It is a time in which we can begin to define ourselves. So,
it’s something a lot of us go through. And searching for this “definition” is something very
difficult, confusing and sometimes painful.
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I loved and continue to love “Year After Year” because of its willingness to explore this. And
because it’s exciting. And surprising and big and heartwarming and tragic and romantic
and funny. And it was hard to make. But at every stage it went through, there was passion
behind it and dedication. Our little team was able to accomplish humungous things.
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So these personal, introspective questions can be asked in many different ways and at
many different points in ones life. At its core, our film examines this; examines the act
of questioning, of clarifying ones existence to find purpose. Though the answers to these
questions are different for everyone, it’s the questions that are the same for everybody. And
that’s what Year After Year is to me. "
And it’s a musical!
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
biographies
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
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COMPLETE CAST AND CREATIVE BIOGRAPHIES CAN BE FOUND ONLINE:
YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
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faq
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1. Year After Year is based on a critically acclaimed original stage musical
produced by Ignition Theatre in 2010. When the musical that season needed
to be re-programmed due to budgetary reasons, Artistic Director Matt Grue
assembled a team to create a new musical loosely inspired by Company
and tick,tick…BOOM! The team began writing the show in September of
2009, just nine months before opening night.
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The total production budget for the film was under $25,000.00
After an exhaustive search, Matthew Thiel (Hunter) was cast in the film just
two weeks prior to principal photography.
Joel Crichton is the only actor from the original stage production to appear
in the film, reprising his role as Bill Gallagher. Director Dustin Clark, however,
also appeared in the original stage production as Peter.
The actor that appears in Laura’s Journal Entry as she’s explaining how she
hoped a famous author would read Bill’s work in a fly by night magazine, is
actually famed children’s author Sigmund Brouwer.
A major musical sequence calling Bill out for being a womanizer was cut
from the film after the director and producer removed any reference to this
idea from the rest of the film because they believed it distracted from the
relationship between Bill and Kate. The song, “What I’m Tryin’ To Say” took
two days to shoot and featured Kate, Laura and Rachel with a 12 Woman
ensemble.
Year After Year features more than 75 locations and 150 extras.
Bill’s birthday is August 1st; the same birthday as writer/producer Matt Grue.
Year After Year was shot in Alberta, Canada (Red Deer, Edmonton, Innisfail)
over 35 days.
All of the actors sing their own songs, with the exception of Matthew Thiel.
Actor/Singer Eric Wigston doubles as Hunter’s singing voice.
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
principle cast
Joel Crichton (Bill)
Sarah Hemphill (Kate)
Matthew Thiel (Hunter)
Elena Porter (Rachel)
Chris W. Cook (Todd)
Andrew McKenzie (Peter)
Zina Lee (Laura)
creative
Dustin Clark (Director/Co-Screenwriter/Original Score)
Matt Grue (Producer/Screenwriter)
Don Armstrong (Director of Photography)
Curtis Labelle (Original Music/Vocal Coach)
Stephanie Ridge (Co-Lyricist)
Spenser Pasman (Co-Lyricist)
Lauren Acheson (Production Design)
Clayton Hitchcock (Costume Design)
Starlise Waschuk (Choreography)
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other
Stephen Ridge, Cynthia Ridge (Executive Producers)
Maureen Carey, Wayne Carey (Executive Producers)
Dustin Clark (Editor, Additional Arrangements, Color, Sound Mix, ADR)
Don Armstrong (Music Mix)
Stephen Kievit (Co-Producer)
Jason Steele (Associate Producer, Extras Casting)
Stephanie Ridge (Production Manager, Script Supervisor, Website)
Rick Knievel (Technical Director)
Danielle Wilson (Camera Assist)
Scott Weber (Studio Recording [Music], Sound Recordist, Boom)
Marnie Rath (Location Manger/Scout)
Matt Levesque (Gaffer)
Scott Richardson (Grip)
Erin Odell (Hair Design/On Set Stylist)
Caitlyn Thoreson (On Set Stylist)
Cindy Ridge, Maureen Carey (Craft Services)
Matt Grue (Marketing and Publicity)
Stephen Ridge (Accounting)
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
contact
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PRESS INQUIRIES:
#112 4818-50th Avenue
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
T4N 4A3
e: [email protected]
p: 403.348.9556
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GENERAL INQUIRIES:
#112 4818-50th Avenue
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
T4N 4A3
e: [email protected]
p: 403.348.9556
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SCREENING AND/OR DISTRIBUTION INQUIRIES:
Matt Grue, Producer
#112 4818-50th Avenue
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada
T4N 4A3
e: [email protected]
p: 403.348.9556
FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:
@YAYMOVIE
OR VISIT US ONLINE:
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM
WWW.YEARAFTERYEARMUSICAL.COM