“At the heart of both our stories is finding your voice and having the courage to use it,” says Woo.

Ariel longs to break free from the world that has been decided for her, and Deloris refuses to be silenced even when the odds are spectacularly stacked against her.

Relaxed performances, suited to audiences who may require lower stimulation, are also available as the outdoor theatre group will be on stage from July 3 to Aug. 22 at Stanley Park’s Malkin Bowl.

An encore for everyone

Woo’s unsuspecting journey into the arts began in high school. When his band teacher invited the young clarinetist to take the stage with Royal City Musical Theatre as an orchestral member, Woo found a lifelong love of theatre and music.

“Theatre was just so magical, especially at Royal City. I ended up playing with Royal City Musical Theatre every year for about 30 consecutive shows,” shares Woo.

Throughout his undergraduate career, Woo pursued the clarinet, playing for musical companies like TUTS across Vancouver. Soon, he studied Arts and Entertainment Management, which brought him to TUTS as the current general manager.

Presently, Woo is still a member of several theatre companies in Vancouver, where he plays not only clarinet but saxophone and flute, too. With TUTS, he hopes he can foster a safe space for young musicians and show them that they can find belonging where they may not have thought to look.

“I think that it’s especially important for young musicians to know that there is a place for them in musical theatre, and that when they finish high school, it doesn’t have to stop there,” says Woo.

Lights, camera, accessibility

Since its inception in the 1940s, a foundational pillar of TUTS has been community. And in recent years, Woo has been joining hands with partners such as VocalEye and the Canucks Autism Network to ensure theatre is accessible to all.

“Theatre is for everyone. It should not be hard to access or enjoy,” states Woo.

TUTS’ partnership with VocalEye involves live descriptive shows for the blind and partially sighted community, where movement, costumes, and non-vocal elements are described in great detail for audience members. With the Canucks Autism Network, Woo shares a personal story behind their partnership.

“One evening, I saw a woman and her young son leaving before the show started with their heads down. I gently stopped them and asked if there was anything I could do,” says Woo. “Her son was autistic. He may have been moving around a bit or kicking the chair in front of him, and that person, without any understanding, turned around and made a rude comment to the boy.

“That just opened my eyes to the fact that in an indoor theatre, you can adjust sound and light so that it’s more accessible to people with sensory needs, but it’s different for TUTS because the lights are the sun and the sound goes out into the open.”

This sparked the creation of relaxed performances: this summer season, The Little Mermaid (July 20) and Sister Act (July 27).

“More than anything else, what we do on relaxed performance evenings is try to educate the audience on being patient and understanding,” explains Woo.

An open stage

TUTS’ mission remains unchanged as it opens its 86th year.

“I hope that we are and continue to be a place where young, old and retired artists feel comfortable enough to be a part of our season,” says Woo. “I want us to be a place that people want to be.”

For more information, please visit: www.tuts.ca