The grand-scale production of CALLING US HOME – THE MUSICAL is set to embark on a groundbreaking multi-country tour across the African continent, starting in Durban in 2025.
CALLING US HOME – THE MUSICAL was previously staged in 2023 in Cape Town, drawing critical and audience acclaim. The success of the production is particularly meaningful, as it is in fact a new, grand-scale musical opera – built entirely in Africa!
‘Calling Us Home’ tells the story of the heart-wrenching journey of Grace, an African Princess, as she flees a devastating war in her homeland, and seeks hope in a dangerous new world. She arrives penniless in the freezing, grimy docklands of an American city.
Here, the underworld is ruled by the evil gang lord Ivan who, after an unexpected encounter, has set his sights on Grace – her spectacular beauty has dazzled him! But another has already captured her heart…
‘Calling Us Home’ brings a truly African story to the global stage, with universal themes of love, loss, hope, and courage.
Peter Flynn
The production is directed by award-winning American director Peter Flynn. Flynn will be the first American director to tour an original full-scale musical into Southern Africa.
“The South African theatre community is among the most generous and welcoming with whom I’ve worked,” he says. “Spending time with them altogether in the same room while investigating this beautiful story confirmed all my first impressions. I’m excited, moved, and very grateful.”
Peter’s New York credits include Smart Blonde starring Andréa Burns; Curvy Widow at the Westside Theatre; 1918: The Great War and the Great Gatsby at Carnegie Hall; Chess with Josh Groban and Julia Murney; and Funny Girl with Whoopi Goldberg, Bebe Neuwirth, and Sutton Foster. He most recently directed The Eyes of the World with the Boston Pops, which will be televised in November 2024 on PBS. Peter is also an Associate Professor in Musical Theatre at Montclair State University.
‘Calling Us Home’ is written and composed by Cape Town-based composer Alice Gillham.
Groundbreaking South African production company SHY MUSIC has partnered with acclaimed AV specialists PROSOUND to make this Africa Tour a reality. SHY MUSIC develops and creates wholly original productions and PROSOUND has grown into one of Africa’s most respected and established professional audiovisual companies.
SHY MUSIC and PROSOUND will also pioneer a unique Education and Development programme as part of the tour, focusing on two broad aspects: Technical and Artistic Performance.
This training and education will take the form of interactive presentations, talks and meetups with key members of crew and cast, with a focus on orienting newcomers and aspirant young professionals in the grand-scale musical environment.
Rehearsals for the ‘Calling Us Home’ Africa Tour will commence in July 2025 at The Playhouse Theatre in Durban. Tickets will go on sale early 2025. All countries and cities included in the Tour and dates to be announced in due course.
More information and further updates can be found at: www.callingushomemusical.com
www.callingushomemusical.com/cuhafricatour2025
‘Calling Us Home’ is produced by SHY MUSIC, with worldwide staging rights held by GALLISSAS Theaterverlag und Mediaagentur GmbH.
Alice Gillham is currently signed to Sony Music Publishing.
A captivating behind-the-scenes mini-documentary about the making of the musical is available here.
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