For the last five years, a musical created by a Canadian Filipino family has been the staple offering of various charitable fundraising activities in Metro Vancouver.
Titled Right Here, Write Now!, the musical was written, directed and produced by the Jose family from the city of Richmond in B.C.
Spouses RJ and Liza developed the concept and wrote the script. Daughter Tricia contributed to the writing of the script and is the work’s artistic director, vocal coach, lyricist, and choreographer. Tricia’s brother Mikey is a musical director, composer, vocal arranger, and orchestration master.
Right Here, Write Now! proceeds from the premise that everyone has a story to tell.
“Every story has a lesson to be learned,” according to the musical’s online site. “And with each lesson learned, if we are in tune with the author of life, we are given the opportunity to create new stories.”
The musical opens with a group of friends, preparing for their graduation day.
“Through upbeat and high-energy numbers, they excitedly share the stories that have brought them to this very moment,” according to the musical’s site. “One of the graduates, in eager anticipation of the next chapter of her life, struggles in finding her own story, unsure how to piece together a compelling story worth telling. After listening to the interweaving tales of friendship, life, family, and love, our main character discovers the power to write her own story through the stories of her loved ones.”
The cast is composed mostly of young friends of the Jose family, who were inspired to commit themselves to many hours of rehearsing and performing so that they could make a lasting difference in the lives of those less fortunate than themselves.
A blurb for an upcoming show recalled that Right Here, Write Now! has generated a total of $250,000 for several charitable causes since it was first staged in 2013.
According to the announcement, the October 27 show will also be the last performance for the musical as the Jose family begins to focus on creating a new production.
Right Here, Write Now! will have its curtain call at the Centennial Theatre in North Vancouver (2300 Lonsdale Avenue).
The show will support the St. Edmund’s School, a Catholic school that has been serving families since 1911, the same year that the St. Edmund’s parish was founded.
Outgoing North Vancouver Mayor Darrell Mussatto has said that the “school is truly a community asset, and the parish a very special place of worship”.
There will be two shows on October 27: 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tickets at https://tickets.centennialtheatre.com or in person at St. Edmund’s Parish (545 Mahon Avenue, North Vancouver).
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