Spotlight on Luay Eljamal - Gondolier and others in Nine, The Musical

What is your role in this production? I play The Gondolier, an American Reporter and Giulio in Walterdale's upcoming production of Nine. It has involved a lot of physical (I haven't had to sing and dance at the same time in a few years now!) and vocal challenges (especially, for me, in the area of differentiating between an American and a Canadian accent, being originally Lebanese myself!)

Why did you audition for this production? It has been a while since I was last involved in a musical production, and I wanted to gain some more performing experience in the Edmonton community, having just moved here in September 2011. Furthermore, I was looking to make new friends who share similar interests as me, and Nine has certainly helped do these things for me!

Additionally, uAlberta's Student Union have asked me to direct what would potentially be the first in a series of annual campus-wide Musicals for students to become involved in the 2012-2013 academic year. Being able to work under the experienced direction of Kristen Finlay, Sally Hunt and Adam Mazerolle-Kuss has also given me lots of directorial insight that I look forward to learning and replicating once we undergo this directing adventure in the fall.

What is your background in theatre?  While Nine will be my first time performing at Walterdale, it's not my first time working with Musical Theatre. In April 2012, my first venture directing a Musical went up at the U of A's Lister Hall: a dessert theatre production of Seussical The Musical. Near the end of the rehearsal process, I had to step in and replace an actor as General Genghis Khan Schmitz. Back in Fort McMurray, I performed in several Keyano Theatre productions including Beauty & The Beast (Child Narrator), Disney's High School Musical (Zeke) and Grease (Roger). I can still remember my first musical role in Kindergarten gracing the stage as a Singing Garbage Bag ... seriously.

What are your goals for the future in regards to theatre? In the future, I hope to complete my Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education split degree and travel abroad to pursue a Masters in Directing. Ultimately, I'd like to either work for/start up a production company and travel with both original and existing theatrical productions to share with the world.

What is your favorite thing about the production so far? By far, my favourite thing about this production has been the enormous talent possessed by my fellow the crew and cast-mates to expand, learn and grow from. It has been amazing getting to know everyone in the cast, and realizing how much talent there is in the Edmonton community.