The true story of a real fake, Catch Me If You Can, is being brought to life by Edward Milne Community School (EMCS) through song and dance this spring.
“I can’t wait to show the community how hard the actors and crew have been working all year,” said the production’s director, Crystal Loszhuk.
“The show is full of singing and dancing and is quite exciting. I think people will enjoy seeing a familiar show come to life on stage with all this pizzazz!”
Brodie Sutton, a Grade 12 student taking on the lead role of Frank Abagnale Jr., the globe-trotting con artist, is one part of a large cast.
“Having everyone witness this story through the musical, learning about Frank Abagnale Jr. and the other characters—it’s a really fun story. And with the dancing and everything, we do bring it to life. It’s a lot of fun,” Sutton said.
Some students are taking on roles off stage, such as Nora Quint, a Grade 12 student who plays Brenda Strong and helped choreograph many of the dance numbers—something she’s especially excited for her family to see.
“I’m super excited to see all the choreography and stuff that I’ve done on stage.”
Brielle Hogan, a Grade 10 student who plays Paula Abagnale, shared a unique reason why she's excited for the role.
“I speak English and French, and I find it really fun that I get to use my other language when playing Paula," Hogan said.
Some cast members are new to the stage, while others, like Hogan and Carson Orr, who co-stars as FBI agent Carl Hanratty, have been involved for years.
“I’ve done a lot of community theatre since middle school," Orr said. "I think it’s probably one of the best things to do when you’re young because it teaches you how to listen, to work as a group, and to keep persevering.”
Others, like Sutton, who started in Grade 11, are relatively new to community theatre.
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot. I’ve gotten outside my comfort zone playing all these characters and getting in front of an audience.”
Catch Me If You Can began as a semi-autobiographical book detailing the alleged criminal exploits of infamous con artist Frank Abagnale Jr. It was later adapted for the silver screen by Steven Spielberg in 2002, and for the stage as a musical in Seattle in 2009, before debuting on Broadway two years later.
Despite its many adaptations, most of the young actors at EMCS are discovering it for the first time, except for Orr, who says he saw the movie when he was younger.
“Figuring out it was a true story was insane at first,” said Hogan. “I thought, ‘There’s no way he got away with all of that,’ but he did.”
The cast highlighted all the dancing and singing as some of the most challenging—but also exciting—aspects of their theatre journey. And the production is certainly no joke: it features over 250 costumes.
“It’s really fast-paced and it’s jazzy. It’s going to take a toll on you after some time, but we’re improving and we’re getting through it,” Orr said.
For veteran cast members like Quint, the biggest challenge is a bit more existential.
“For me, the hard part has honestly been knowing it’s my last year,” she said.
Despite the challenges, all cast members said they are part of an amazing team and look forward to putting on a great show.
Catch Me If You Can will premiere at the Sooke Community Theatre on April 30 at 7 p.m., with shows running through May 3. There will be a Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. on May 3.
Tickets can be purchased at EMCS directly, through school cash online or by scanning the poster’s QR code. Some tickets will be available at the door, but shows tend to sell out.
