The Tracks
“It's hard to move forward when you keep lookin’ back.” In the premiere of this witty musical featuring the original songs of singer / songwriter Kale Penny, worlds collide when a street corner busker encounters a classical violinist who finds herself at a crossroads.
July 6th to July 25th
Cast and Creative
Book by Mark Weatherley, Music and Lyrics by Kale Penny
Directed by: Monique Lund*
Cast: Kale Penny*, Lauren Bowler*
*“The participation of these Artists is arranged by permission of Canadian Actors’ Equity Association under the provisions of the Dance Opera Theatre Policy (DOT).”
Mark Weatherley
Book Writer – The Tracks
Playwright and Performer – The Wonder of it All
Mark Weatherley is a playwright, composer, lyricist, director and actor who has lived in Stratford for the last 13 years. As an actor he has performed on stages across North America, the United Kingdom and Israel. Recent plays include the musical Fitz Happens! (book, music and lyrics) which premiered at the Lighthouse Festival and had productions in Saskatchewan and B.C.; Framed which premiered at the Lighthouse One Act Festival which he also directed and had a subsequent successful run in Stratford; Whack!, which premiered in Stratford with the Here For Now Theatre at Knox church and then was remounted for last years Here For Now Festival; Infinite Possibilities, his one person show that premiered at the Here For Now Festival last summer. He has also co-written a CBC film called The Chain, is developing a musical called Foozies commissioned by Eclipse Theatre in Toronto, and a play with music called Mozart and her Brother which was recently workshopped in Vancouver. He is thrilled to once again be part of the Here For Now Festival with two premieres, and wishes to thank everyone attending this festival for supporting work by local artists.
Monique Lund is thrilled to be once again collaborating with Here For Now Theatre for the second season of its hugely successful Open Air Festival She has been a professional actor, singer and dancer for over thirty years and has worked from coast to coast in Canada and the U.S. Some career highlights include the Broadway Tour of Mamma Mia in which she played the role of Donna, the original Toronto companies of The Lord of the Rings, Joseph, The Who’s Tommy, and Crazy For You. She has also spent 11 seasons at the Stratford Festival in a variety of plays and musicals, workshops and recordings including The House of Martin Guerre, Kiss Me Kate, The Music Man, Julius Caesar, Crazy For You, Elektra, The Sound of Music, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Camelot, Evita, The Bacchae, and Cabaret. In 2017 she won the Brian Macdonald award for emerging directors at the Stratford Festival Guthrie Awards. She calls Stratford her home – both artistically and physically and is excited to be involved into the shared experience of live theatre once again.
Kale Penny
Kale is a west coast actor and musician living in beautiful Stratford, Ontario with his wife Lauren. He’s so lucky to step back on stage this summer with Here For Now Festival, and alongside his wife to boot! He has appeared across Canada starring in Disney’s Newsies, Rock Of Ages, and Million Dollar Quartet for companies such as Drayton Entertainment, Theatre Aquarius, The Citadel Theatre, and Arts Club Theatre Company. He is also one of the lead vocalists for the acclaimed Canadian event band Side One (also sharing a stage with his wife) and writes and records his own music, which you get to hear in this show! Thanks so much to Mark, Monique, and everyone at HFN for having us! Enjoy!
Lauren Bowler
It’s a strange feeling to be getting back onstage after over a year away. It’s both comfortingly familiar and horrifyingly vulnerable. I can’t think of a better way of getting back in the groove than with Here For Now in beautiful Stratford, working closely with friends Mark and Monique, sharing the stage with my marvellous husband, and crucially, to share an experience with a living, breathing audience again. Some of the companies my career have taken me to are the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, Citadel Theatre, Drayton Entertainment, Arts Club Theatre, National Arts Centre, Firehall Arts Centre, Belfry Theatre, Chemainus Theatre Festival, Western Canada Theatre, and Theatre Calgary. I’m a five-time Jessie Richardson Award nominee, and I sing with the band Side One. I round out my time as the co-owner of Great Wall Tea Company. Yes, I drink a lot of tea. Thanks for spending your time with us!