Introducing our 2024-25 Season Show–Dogfight: The Musical
We are proud to announce that our 2024-25 season show is Dogfight: The Musical. Join us April 30-May 4, 2025 at the Prairie Theatre Exchange (PTE) for the Manitoba Premiere of this hauntingly beautiful musical. Stay tuned for tickets, available through the PTE box office in January.
About the Show
Written by Peter Duchan and the dynamic duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul (Dear Evan Hansen, La La Land, The Greatest Showman, Edges, James and the Giant Peach, A Christmas Story), Dogfight: The Musical was praised by critics and nominated for numerous awards, winning the Lucille Lortel Award for Best Musical. Based on the 1991 Warner Brothers film, Dogfight takes audiences on a romantic but heartbreaking theatrical journey that stays with you long after the performance. It's November 21, 1963 – the day before the world changed forever with the assassination of John F. Kenndy. On the eve of their deployment to a small but growing conflict in Southeast Asia, three young Marines set out for one final boys' night of debauchery, partying and a desire to maybe make a little trouble. But, when Corporal Eddie Birdlace meets Rose, an awkward and idealistic waitress whom he enlists to win a viciously cruel bet with his fellow recruits, she steps into her own power and rewrites the rules of the game - teaching him the power of love and compassion.
“It’s a night where there are no winners, but in which morals, values, humility, and humanity are explored and dissected.” – KawarthaNOW.com
The beautiful score features a new generation of classic songs including Take Me Back, Some Kinda Time, Nothing Short of Wonderful, First Date/Last Night, Before It's Over and the heartbreaking Pretty Funny.
Dogfight deals frankly with serious and important subjects still frighteningly relevant in our fractious times of political instability, cyber bullying & intolerance of “others”. The Period-typical misogyny, racism, ableism, bullying, sexual assault, crude language, wartime violence and death in Dogfight force us to look at ourselves and wonder if we are moving forward or returning to times where a “dogfight” can still be possible.
Stay tuned for updates about our 2024-25 season show on our show page.
Meet the Creative Team
Justin Stadnyk
Director
Born & raised in Winnipeg, Justin spent 15 years based out of Toronto, before moving back to Winnipeg in 2017. He has traveled across Canada and the United States, captivating audiences from Vancouver Island to PEI. Mentored by renowned director Stafford Arima, Justin is poised to make his directorial debut with Dry Cold Productions in the poignant musical Dogfight. Returning to Dry Cold where he previously starred in A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder and The Prom, Justin is eager to bring his unique vision to Winnipeg’s vibrant theatre scene.
Kelly Robinson
Music Director
A singer, actor, voice teacher, composer, and adjudicator, trained at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Music (voice performance & composition) and the Berklee College of Music (contemporary and pop/rock vocal styles), Kelly has performed in Opera, Musical Theatre and Operetta, in film, television and radio. She is Music Director for A Year With Frog and Toad (MTYP) and Assistant Music Director for Waitress (RMTC). She looks forward to working with Dry Cold Productions again after last appearing onstage in Sondheim’s A Little Night Music.
Samantha Hutchings
Choreographer
Samantha is a versatile creative & performer born and raised in Winnipeg, last seen on Dry Cold’s stage in the Canadian Premiere of The Prom. She earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from The University of Winnipeg, completed The Village Conservatory Music Theatre Programme, and has various National mentorship programme & workshop credits. Sam is a Musical Theatre instructor at the RWB School with creative credits including The Sound of Music (RMTC - Apprentice Director, Choreographer & Intimacy Director), Waitress (RMTC - Intimacy Director), Snow White (RWB - Intimacy Director), Bloodsuckers (ADM & Rainbow - Choreographer), Elf: The Musical (Virden Theatre - Assistant Choreographer).
Kari Hagness
Set Designer
Kari a graduate of the National Theatre School Design Program, has been active behind the Winnipeg theatrical scenes since moving here in 1986. This is her third Dry Cold Set Design credit, following the 2013 production of Closer Than Ever (Kimberley Rampersad, Director) and last year’s Merrily We Roll Along (Donna Fletcher, Director). Other set design credits include several for RMTC in association with the Manitoba Bar Association for what is colloquially called “The Lawyer Show.”
Larry Isacoff
Lighting Designer
Larry is pleased to be returning to design the lighting for Dry Cold. Previous credits include 28 shows for RMTC including The Comeback, The Sound of Music (with Citadel), Burning Mom, The (Post) Mistress, Harvey, August: Osage County, The Fighting Days, The Miracle Worker, Cloud Nine and Paper Wheat. Larry has also designed for Cercle Molière, Winnipeg’s Contemporary Dancers, PTE, MTYP, Globe Theatre, 25th Street Theatre, and Persephone Theatre. Larry was awarded the Evie Award for Outstanding Lighting Design in 2020. He divides his time between creating engaging theatre projects and teaching yoga.
Liam Naughten
Production Manager
After working on last season’s Merrily We Roll Along as both Lighting Designer and Production Manager, Liam is honoured to be working with Dry Cold Productions for their 2025 season. He has worked in the arts community both in theatre and other live events for almost a decade, doing a little bit of everything. From off-stage to on-stage, Liam has been a part of many of the local theatre companies here in the city. Currently he is working as the Events manager at Eventlight.ca, a local lighting and AV company. He is very thankful to once again be working with Dry Cold - the company who started his acting career back in 2019!
Join Dry Cold to bring a modern musical theatre classic direct from Broadway to our stage…
We look to you, our biggest champions, to help us bring the Manitoba Premiere of Dogfight: The Musical to our Dry Cold audience. Your individual gifts are the backbone of our success and make a real contribution to the work and artists you see on and behind our stage!
Wind Chill: $15 to $49
Blizzard: $50 to $99
Whiteout: $100 to $149
Sun Dog: $150 to $199
Snow Angel: $200 to $299
Icicle: $300 to $399
Snowflake: $400 to $499
Northern Lights: $500 and beyond