When auditions were announced for Rock of Ages (opening tonight at the Royal Alexandra Theatre) actor/singer/dancer Valerie Stanois, above, was “dog-determined” to land a role in the show, which is equal parts send-up and celebration of 1980s arena rock.
“I grew up in Scarborough in the 80s,” says Stanois, “so all of these songs, I was singing.”
Stanois is a musical theatre veteran who paid her dues on the cruise ship circuit and later, in the Toronto production of We Will Rock You, first as an ensemble player and understudy, and then as Oz, one of the female leads.
“That show was the highlight of my career,” recalls Stanois. “Oz is my alter ego, I’m boisterous and loud because I’m Greek and the way I could channel that was through my character. I became a lot lower-key offstage during that show because I was saving that part of myself for the show.”
There is nothing low-key about the delightful and yes, loud, Stanois as we chat in one of the Royal Alex lounges during a break in rehearsals. “If you ever come to my house at Christmastime you’ll understand that in order to be heard you have to yell,” she bellows. “I’ve been blessed with some pretty strong pipes.”
Stanois was not cast as a lead in Rock of Ages but she was hired as a swing, which means she understudies several female characters and sings “in the booth” every night, adding her voice to the swelling rock choruses. She’s also the dance captain on the show, so it’s her job to keep the choreography and blocking tight long after the director (Kristin Hanggi) and choreographer (Kelly Devine) have moved on.
“It’s my responsibility to maintain the show in the shape that they left it,” explains Stanois. “If anyone is injured we have to alter certain lifts or modify the moves slightly so that no other injuries occur. It’s a big job.”
Stanois says she’s perfectly content to work in the background: “I’ve done that lead thing, and it was nice. But the older I get, the more comfortable I am in a background role. Having been a lead player I appreciate how important the swings are, the fly man, the stage manager, everybody plays an essential part in the production. It excites me to be dance captain, to know every part in the show and to understand each character’s motivation. Being a lead is one responsibility, this is another.”
Stanois is a graduate of Toronto’s Wexford Collegiate School for the Arts and for the past 12 years she has returned to the school as a guest teacher and choreographer. She’s also worked on shows with the York Minstrels and with Fencepost Productions.
“This is where I want to go,” says Valerie. “Can I sing, dance and act? Absolutely. But I also have to think realistically – am I going to be doing this when I’m 50? Probably not. Eventually I want to be on the other side of the footlights, I want to be choreographing, I want to be directing. So this is a great opportunity to do that and to show my employers that, yes, I can do it, I’m very capable of doing it. I’ve had the fame of being a lead in We Will Rock You and who knows, it could happen in this show, too.”
WHERE/WHEN: Rock of Ages at the Royal Alexandra Theatre (260 King Street West, 416.872.1212), Tuesday – Sunday, $28 – $99.
Photos of Valerie Stanois by Christopher Jones, cast photos by Joan Marcus, courtesy of Mirvish Productions
Social bookmarks
Scroll to the Form to leave a comment.
Currently there are no comments related to article "Keeping Rock of Ages Rolling".